The Clue of the Hissing Serpent by Franklin W. Dixon Read Free Book Online Page A

had paid no attention to how Fearless and Chet were faring. Now they jumped out of the basket, with Krassner on their heels, and ran to avoid the collapsing envelope.
    Only then did they notice the other balloon. It was descending rapidly over the pond.
    Splash!
    Chet and Fearless hit the water like home-coming astronauts!

CHAPTER VIII
    A Tough Break
    FRANK and Joe raced toward the pond, followed by a farm boy and his two sisters dressed in Levis. When they reached the water’s edge, Fearless was splashing toward shore.
    â€œWhere’s Chet?” Frank yelled.
    Fearless glanced back, reversed his course, and swam furiously to the spot where the basket had sunk. The Hardys dived in at the same time and with powerful crawl strokes reached it seconds later. They gulped in deep breaths of air and aimed for the bottom.
    Meanwhile the three youngsters ran for their rowboat which was tied to a small dock.
    â€œJenny, Wendy,” the boy shouted, “if we get the balloon out, maybe we can keep it!”
    â€œDon’t be silly, Kurt,” the elder girl said as they pushed the boat into the pond. “Come on, Wendy, we’ll row.”
    In the clear water, Frank and Joe saw Fearless trying to free Chet’s foot which had become entangled in the coil of rope lashed to the side of the gondola. Frank helped give a final tug, and Chet, nearly unconscious, was whisked to the surface.
    He was quickly towed ashore and pulled up onto the grass, where he lay gasping.
    â€œYou took in a lot of water,” Frank said. “Just lie still for a while.”
    In the confusion of the rescue, no one had paid any attention to Krassner. Suddenly they heard a feeble call. “A pill! Give me a pill!”
    Joe ran to the man, who was lying helpless on his back and quickly gave him the medicine. Minutes later Krassner sat up shakily. “Someone’s out to get me!” he moaned. “My heart can’t take this terror much longer!”
    â€œDon’t worry, Mr. Krassner,” Joe said. “We’ll get to the bottom of this whole thing yet.”
    While the farm children were busy retrieving the sunken gondola and the deflated envelope, the balloonists talked about their scary adventure. Joe was of the opinion that the serpent gang was only out to frighten Krassner.
    â€œWith a telescopic sight they couldn’t have missed,” he reasoned. “Besides, they didn’t bother to pursue us any farther when we descended.”
    â€œYou may be right,” Frank said.
    Krassner turned the situation into a feeble jest. “Well, if they tried to scare me, they certainly succeeded.”
    â€œBut why, Mr. Krassner?” Fearless asked. “What do these men have against you?”
    Krassner avoided answering the question, and the boys busied themselves with the balloons. First they folded up Krassner’s craft, then set about to help Jenny, Wendy, and Kurt drag the other one up onto the shore.
    â€œI haven’t seen your mom and dad,” Joe said.
    â€œThey’re in town with the truck,” Kurt said. “Wow, wait till they hear what happened. Are finders keepers?” he added mischievously.
    â€œHey, this is no toy!” Fearless chuckled. “But for a reward, how would you like a ride some time next week?”
    â€œOh, that’d be great!” Wendy’s eyes sparkled.
    â€œLook, here come the State Police,” Jenny declared.
    Two squad cars drove right up to the pond, and a pair of uniformed officers plied the balloonists with questions about the mid-air assault. During the interrogation, the farm children said they had noticed the weird serpent balloon about four or five times in the past month.
    But no one could shed any light on its owners, or why they had shot at Krassner. The man himself made no mention of the Ruby King.
    A few minutes later the pickup trucks appeared and the equipment was loaded. It was dusk when they reached the balloon