HARDY BOYS: 17. THE SECRET WARNING

CHAPTER 25. SUCCESS AT LAST

Fob an instant Frank stared at the scene, frozen with horror. The strangers, their backs toward him, lifted the motionless figure and threw it aside.

"That disposes of him!" snorted a voice, strangely familiar in its stark unpleasantness.

"Come on, you two, let's have a look in that hole."

With a chill Frank recognized Kuntz as the speaker. The other two were undoubtedly Bock and Simon. His suspicions were confirmed an instant later.

"Mr. Kuntz! There's something here! Shine your light here, Simon!"

Bock was partly out of sight in the excavation, which was remarkably deep for the length of time Hornblow had worked on it. Kuntz grabbed Simon by the arm.

"Go get some more wood for that fire!" he ordered gruffly. "I'll see what your pal found."

He strode over to the hole and peered in by the aid of his flashlight.

"It's a boat!" Bock yelled. "The Katawa's
lifeboat. The crazy fellow has it almost out!"

"By Jove, you're right," said the diver, jumping down into the hole alongside of Bock.

"Look under the seats! I'll open the bulkheads. ''

There was a moment's silence, broken only by a gritty sound as the two explored the rotting dory.

"Nothing under any of the seats," Bock announced disappointedly.

"Shut up!" snapped Kuntz. "There must be! Look again! Didn't that fellow Roy say the gold was under the seats and in the bulkheads?"

"Yes, he did," growled Bock. "And he'd better be right, too! If-----"

Frank waited no longer. He had expected Joe before this time, and there was not a moment to lose. Alone, the older Hardy lad knew it would be futile for him to tackle the three ruffians. He decided to go a little way back toward town. If he still could see no sign of his
brother and the others he would return to the bonfire and take his chances with Kuntz and the diver's cronies. A~ he turned to slip away through the marsh grass, Simon, who was watching the others, uttered a cry.

"What's that? Listen!"

Frank thought he had been discovered. To his surprise he too heard a strange sound.

"Somebody's coming now!" Bock exclaimed hoarsely.

The muffled crunch of footsteps on sand was unmistakable.

"Bun for it!" Kuntz barked, but the two cowardly ruffians had started already.
With a cry Frank leaped for the diver as he clambered out of the pit in the sand. The impact knocked the giant flat, with the Hardy lad on top of him.

At the same instant a police whistle screeched out and a chorus of hoarse cries issued from the blackness.

"Frank!" came a shout.

'' Hurry, Joe! Get Bock and Simon!'' panted the older Hardy boy as he struggled with the big man.

Relentlessly Kuntz's fist found the lad's throat and slowly tightened over it. With a desperate surge Frank tore himself loose from the diver's iron grip and swung his fist. As his assailant went limp the boy found himself suddenly surrounded by several police officers.
Joe stood alongside his brother, breathing heavily.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Quick, Joe-Bock and Simon------"

"We've got 'em, lad!" said a heavy voice as the police chief came up, smiling.