The Mystery of the Chinese Junk Read Online Free Page A

four masked assailants! The assault had come so suddenly there was no time to plan a defense. Fists swung wildly in the darkness as the youths fought off their attackers.
    Bam! Frank landed a terrific right that sent one thug reeling back against the wall. Biff was swinging like a windmill, while Chet’s beefy strength was slowly wearing down another opponent.
    Joe, whose arms had been pinioned from the back, was having the roughest time of all. But he fought tigerishly, kicking his opponent’s legs.
    Suddenly one of the masked men barked out something in Chinese. The boys assumed it was a warning that a policeman was coming, for they saw one in the distance. The next moment all four attackers went racing down a nearby alley in the darkness.
    â€œLet ’em go,” Frank advised as the others started after the thugs. “This might even be a trap.”
    â€œThose sneaking rats!” Biff panted. “I wonder if they were the same guys who were following us? And what’s the big idea, anyhow?”
    â€œMaybe this’ll prove something,” Joe said. He picked up a torn-off piece of newspaper. “When I was scrapping with that guy who jumped me, this fell out of his pocket.”
    â€œLet’s see.”
    Frank held the paper up to the light from a nearby store. It was printed in Chinese.
    â€œWhat good’ll that do us?” Chet asked. “None of us can read Chinese.”
    â€œMr. Foy can. Let’s go back and ask him,” Frank suggested.
    The boys retraced their steps to the restaurant. Mr. Foy was shocked to hear about the attack. He took the boys into a back room and read the article to them in English.
    It was a story about a smuggling plot, which had just been uncovered by the United States customs authorities. It stated that while Chin Gok was a suspect, nothing had been definitely proved against him and he had been released.
    â€œWhat’s his game now?” Biff puzzled. “I mean, where does the junk come in?”
    Frank frowned thoughtfully. “Remember, Ben Foy told us that the Hai Hau had been shipped to his company by mistake. Actually, it might have been a put-up job. Chin Gok may have used it to smuggle contraband into this country.”
    Chet’s eyes bugged. “You mean there was treasure hidden aboard and not by some old pirate either?”
    Frank nodded. “That would explain why all these guys are so eager to get hold of our boat. It’s full of nooks and crannies where it would be easy for a smuggler to sneak stuff through customs.”
    Joe shot his brother a worried glance. If the Hai Hau did contain contraband, the boys might find themselves in real trouble. But neither of the Hardys wished to alarm their chums by pointing this out.
    â€œPerhaps it would be safer if I called a taxi to take you back to the ferry,” Mr. Foy suggested. The boys agreed to this, and the restaurant owner added, “Please be careful!”
    The chums arrived at the pier on Staten Island without further incident. Tony reported that nothing had happened while they were gone, and listened to their night’s adventures with keen interest.
    â€œLet’s get away from here early,” he urged.
    The next morning, as the boys prepared to embark for Bayport, a little after six o’clock, a short, slender Chinese approached them on the dock.
    â€œGood grief, another one?” Chet muttered.
    Their visitor was dapperly dressed in a summer suit and straw hat. “Good morning, boys. May I introduce myself? George Ti-Ming. The Hai Hau is most pleasing to me. It is exactly like one owned by my family in China. I was disappointed to learn that you young gentlemen had purchased it, because I should like to have it. Perhaps you would be willing to sell for a suitable price?”
    The boys exchanged suspicious glances. Was he another member of a large gang determined to get the boat, or were there three separate groups interested in it?