Overboard!

BOBBY fled down the hall. Nancy hesitated, then said to Nelda, “I think we should make him identify the men and go talk to them.”

Nelda agreed, and the two girls sped off in the direction the little boy had taken. It was not hard to locate Bobby and tell him what they wanted him to do.

At first he refused to go. “The men might hurt me and think I’m a tattletale! ” he cried out, hanging back.

Nancy said she and Nelda were sure they knew who the men were. Bobby need not talk to them if he did not wish to do so. All he had to do was identify them. Finally he agreed to go along.

On a hunch, Nancy headed for the secluded corner of the top deck. Her guess had been right. Otto August and his companion were seated there. At the moment they were not talking or using the finger language.

“Bobby, are they the two men? ” Nelda asked.

The little boy nodded. “I didn’t tell you something else about them. They gave me a quarter to run into you.”

Nelda frowned. “That sounds like them. It was a mean thing to do.”

She, Nancy, and Bobby walked up to the men. Nancy spoke first. “We want to know why you put this little boy up to running into us on his skateboard! ” she demanded.

Nelda added at once, “He hit us so hard that he knocked us down. We might have been badly hurt.”

Otto August looked at Bobby and said, “Why did you do that? ”

The boy answered promptly, “Because you told me to and paid me to do it.”

“I never told you to hurt the girls, just to tease them, ” Otto August went on, glaring at the small boy angrily.

Bobby looked a little frightened, but said, “You didn’t say anything about teasing. You told me to run into them! ”

Otto August turned to Nancy and Nelda. “I hope you don’t believe what he’s been telling you. My friend and I were trying to have a private conversation, but couldn’t because this child came up and kept talking and talking. We wanted to get rid of him, so all I said was, ‘Why don’t you go find Nancy Drew and her friends and tease them? ’ ”

Bobby’s eyes flashed. “You did not! You never said anything like that! You told me to run into them! ”

“That’s not true! ” Otto August shouted. “You are a wicked little liar! ”

The girls were amazed at Bobby’s defiance. Instead of being frightened any longer, he was defending himself very well. He looked at the two men in disgust. “You know what you are? ” he asked. “You’re just like the bad men on TV! ”

Mr. August blinked at this accusation but flared back, “And you know what I think about you? You’re a fresh little kid who talks entirely too much! ”

The two men rose from their chairs and hurried off. Nancy and Nelda were puzzled.

“Who was telling the truth, August or Bobby? ” Nelda asked.

The girls were inclined to believe the boy was.

“Can I go now? ” Bobby wanted to know.

“Okay, ” Nancy said. “But don’t hurt anyone else with your skateboard! ”

“I won’t, ” Bobby called back over his shoulder as he ran off.

Nancy and Nelda returned to their cabin. Bess and George were there and reminded the girls that this was to be the night of the captain’s dinner.

“Is anybody going in costume? ” Bess asked. “You know the notice said that you could come in costume if you wished.”

George grinned. “Can you imagine eating dinner with a mask on? ”

Nancy felt that the masquerade they had already had was enough for her. All the girls decided to wear long evening dresses. When they walked into the dining room, each found a note at her place.

“Oh! ” Nelda exclaimed. “An invitation to a date! ”

“Really? ” George picked up hers. “What does it say? ”

“I’m to meet Al on the top deck at nine o’clock, ” Nancy announced.

“Chipper wants me to come up at nine-ten, ” Nelda said.

“And Bruce says nine-twenty! ” Bess said.

“They must be playing a joke on us, ” George decided. “I’m supposed to see Tubby at nine-thirty! ”

“I wonder what the boys have in mind, ” Bess said with a giggle. “Maybe a surprise! ”

After a delicious dinner, Nelda said, “Nancy, since your time and mine aren’t far apart, why don’t we go up together? ”

“You might spoil the boys’ surprise, ” George suggested.

Nancy thought it would be a good idea for the girls to go in twos. “I don’t like the sound of this. The whole thing is a little strange. Suppose the invitations aren’t from the boys but are a trap? ”

George laughed. “Nancy, you’re getting overcautious. Of course the notes are from the boys. As a matter of fact, I heard Chipper mention something about dates after nine tonight.”

“Well, that makes me feel better, ” Nancy admitted. “But I’d rather go with Nelda anyway.”

When the girls arrived at the top deck, no one was in sight. Soon two figures appeared, however, and walked up to them. They were dressed as fishermen and wore stocking masks. They gesticulated in a funny way and made little dancing steps in between. The girls laughed. Which of the boys had thought up this clever disguise?

When the fishermen reached the girls, they both made a little bow. Then they each grabbed a girl and picked her up.

Only when the fishermen pushed them close to the railing did Nancy and Nelda realize that these people were not their friends, and that they intended to throw both girls overboard!

“Oh, they mustn’t! ” Nancy thought desperately and mustered up every ounce of strength to fight off her attackers.

She and Nelda struggled frantically, but they were no match for their strong enemies. The men had a good grip on them, and seconds later they went over, their screams drowned out by the waves!

Nancy and Nelda were no match for their enemies.

In the dining room a few minutes before, Al and his three friends stopped at the table where Bess and George were still sitting.

“We were finished eating early, so we thought we might as well pick you up here, ” Al said. “Where are Nancy and Nelda? ”

“They went up to the top deck, ” Bess replied. “You left these notes here saying you wanted to meet us there ten minutes apart, but Nancy and Nelda went together. Why did you stagger the times of our dates? ”

“What are you talking about? ” Al looked puzzled. “We put nine forty-five on all our invitations! ”

George stared at him. “Something’s wrong! Let’s look at the notes again and try to figure this out! ”

The young people studied the writing. “It’s been altered! ” Chipper blurted out. “The times have been changed.”

“We’d better get up to the deck quickly, ” George said. “Come on, everybody! ”

The six young people raced up the stairs. They had just reached the top deck when they heard Nancy and Nelda cry out for help as they were tossed overboard. The two fishermen sped away and were lost to view within seconds.

Bess screamed. Al ran to the railing, saying he would jump in after the girls. George grabbed his arm and held him back.

“You’ll never find them and would probably drown yourself! ” she exclaimed. “We must notify the captain at once! ”

While Bess stood there, paralyzed with fright, George ran to a wall phone and picked it up. As soon as a man’s voice answered, she cried out, “Stop the ship at once! Two girls were thrown overboard. Quick! Do something! ”

“Just a minute, ” the man said. “Stay on the line.” He gave orders through his intercom, then spoke to Bess again. “Who are the girls? ”

“Nancy Drew and Nelda Detweiler, ” George replied. She was shaking by now. “Please, don’t let them drown! ”

“We’re holding the ship, ” the man told her in a reassuring voice. “Don’t worry. Just stay by the phone for a moment. The captain might want to talk to you.”

Within seconds, the great ocean liner slowed and finally came to a stop. Then the wall phone rang and George picked it up. Captain Detweiler was calling. “Who is this speaking? ” he asked.

“George Fayne. Nancy and Nelda were just thrown overboard by two masked men dressed as fishermen, but they disappeared.”

“Which side of the ship are the girls on? ” the captain asked quickly, trying to keep his voice steady and calm.

“Starboard, ” George replied.

“We’ll lower a rescue launch at once, ” the captain promised and hung up.

George joined the five young people who stood at the rail and watched. A motor launch was let down from the deck to the water, and a great searchlight on it beamed ahead as the boat set off toward the rear of the ship.

Meanwhile, Nancy and Nelda, expert swimmers, had twisted their bodies and dived correctly into the ocean. They had come to the surface unhurt, and had begun to swim in the direction of the Winschoten. However, they soon realized it was too far away already for them to reach it, and their strength was giving out.

Horrible thoughts raced through Nancy’s mind. A shark might be on the prowl! A floating log might ram into her and Nelda! Perhaps no one noticed that they were missing and they would be left to drown!

“I mustn’t lose my nerve, ” Nancy thought. “It would be best if Nelda and I stick together, and maybe we’ll be rescued.”

She shouted the girl’s name several times, but there was no answer. Nancy’s heart sank. Had something happened to Nelda?