The latter had not seen the detective, and our hero kept upon
his track, following him to the shore. On the beach were
gathered a group of men, and in their midst Vance beheld the
girl Renie.
At a glance the detective took in the situation, Garcia,
despairing of success with the old smuggler, had determined to
kidnap the girl.
There were three men besides the man Garcia, and four to one
was pretty good odds; besides, the detective knew the men to
be desperate and well prepared to fight. What should he do?
He could not stand by and see the fair, helpless girl carried
oft; and yet he was alone, and had no one to call upon for
assistance.
Lying off the shore was a sloop-yacht, and on the beach was a
boat; the intention of the men was apparent. It was their
purpose to carry the girl off to the yacht.
Spencer Vance was an experienced officer, well posted in all
the tricks and devices of his craft, and he at once began to
carry out a scheme.
He took up a position behind a sand-rift, and commenced to
shriek and scream like a woman; and a moment later he became
aware that his ruse was successful; two men came running
toward the place where he lay concealed and as they approached
the detective leaped to his feet. He had the men at a
disadvantage; they were not expecting an attack, and were
unprepared.
The detective, however, was ready to receive them as they ran
down the incline, and quick as lightning sprung upon the two
men. The men were both stunned, and were down before they had
a chance to make an outcry.
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