AN UNKNOWN ENEMY
The footsteps outside came nearer the entrance. Chester's finger
tightened on the trigger of his revolver, as he saw the stranger in the
tent draw himself taut.
At that moment Hal's figure appeared in the entrance.
There were two sharp cracks, so close that they seemed as one, and two
spurts of flame in the darkness. Came a cry of pain from the stranger in
the tent and Hal dashed forward.
"Quick, Hal! Grab him!" shouted Chester.
But quick as he was, Hal was not quick enough. With a snarl the man
jumped toward Hal even as Hal leaped himself. The stranger was of much
greater bulk than Hal and the lad was hurled to the ground. When he
regained his feet the stranger had disappeared.
Chester, unmindful of his wound, had leaped from his cot and now ran
outside. Some distance away he saw a figure disappear in the darkness.
The lad did not fire a second shot, for at that distance he could not be
sure of a hit and he did not wish further to alarm the camp.
Hal struck a light and the two chums looked at each other.
"Did you get a look at him, Hal?" asked Chester.
"No, did you?"
"No. He was in the tent for some time, but I waited until I was sure
what he was going to do before I fired, though I had him covered all
the time."
"You must be losing your eye. At that distance you should you should have
potted him without trouble."
"I guess I could have done it this time had I tried," returned Chester.
"I shot at his revolver."
"Well, I guess you hit it," said Hal. "There it is, right where he
dropped it. But his bullet whistled pretty close to my ear."
"I suppose I shouldn't have taken a chance," said Chester. "Next time
I'll shoot to hit something better than a pistol."
"Well, it doesn't make any difference now," said Hal. "He didn't get me.
I wonder who he is and what he wanted to shoot me for?"
"You've got me, look at the gun and see if there is any mark of
identification on it."
Hal stooped over and picked up the revolver. He examined it carefully and
then passed it to Chester.
"Can't find anything," he said.
Chester examined the weapon with no better success.
"Well," he said at last, slowly, "there is one thing certain. You've an
enemy of some kind in the camp. It will behoove you to be careful in
the future."
"I suppose the bullet was meant for me," said Hal, "although, of course
it might have been meant for either you or Stubbs."
"Great Scott! What would anybody want to shoot Stubbs for?"
"Well, you can search me," said Hal with a shrug of his shoulders, "which
may not be very good English, but expresses my sentiments just the same."
"How about Stubbs' conspiracy? Maybe one of the conspirators has caught
Stubbs nosing about."
"By Jove! It might be that, after all," said Hal. "I wonder!"
"At all events, we shall all have to be on our guard," declared
Chester. "We don't know for which of us the bullet was meant. We'll
have to warn Stubbs."
"So we shall, and if I mistake not here he comes now."
Hal was right. A moment later the rotund face of the little war
correspondent appeared in the tent entrance.
"Stubbs," said Hal gravely, "you missed getting killed by just about
five minutes."
The little man started back in alarm.
"Wha--what's that?" he demanded.
"I said you just escaped getting killed."
"But who would want to kill me?" demanded Stubbs, plainly very nervous.
"It might have been one of your conspirators," said Hal. He displayed the
weapon from which a bullet had sped toward his own head.
"Hey!" shouted Stubbs. "Put that gun down! Don't shoot!"
The little man was so visibly frightened that Hal looked at him in
surprise.
"Surely you didn't think I was going to shoot you, Mr. Stubbs?" he asked
in some surprise.
"I don't know," returned Stubbs, wiping a moist brow with his
handkerchief. "I don't understand you fellows at all. First you said you
wanted to kill me five minutes ago and there you stand with a gun in your
hand. What am I to think?"
"Stubbs, you're crazy," said Hal, calmly. "I didn't say I wanted to kill
you. When I came into the tent just now there was a man took a shot at
me. I don't know whether he wanted to kill me, or whether he wanted to
kill you. He may even have been trying to kill Chester. He didn't take
time to investigate. He fired at the first figure to enter the tent. I
don't know who he was. Have you any enemies?"
"I--I--Why I don't know," said Stubbs.
"How about the conspirators. Do any of them know you?"
"What conspirators?" demanded Stubbs, and added, "I wish you would quit
harping on that subject. It's all right to have a little fun with me once
in a while. I don't mind it; but enough is enough."
Chester was about to make an angry retort, but Hal stayed him with a
word.
"All right, Stubbs," he said. "If you don't know anything about a
conspiracy you don't and that's all there is about that. But if you do, I
should advise you to be careful. I believe that shot was meant for you."
"I am afraid that this tent is going to be dangerous for me," said
Stubbs, slowly. "I shall remain here no longer."
"What! Not going to leave us, Stubbs?" exclaimed Chester.
"Yes," returned the little man quietly. "If I remain here I'm liable to
wake up dead some morning, and I wouldn't like that. There's an
expression in New York that hits me just right. 'Safety first!' I'm going
to get out of this tent, and I'm going to get out right now, while I'm
all together."
He hurried to the far side of the tent and got his belongings together.
Then he moved toward the door. There he paused a moment, as if undecided,
then walked up to Hal and extended a hand.
"Good-bye, Hal," he said quietly. "I may not see you for some time and
then again it may be soon."
Hal took the hand as he said:
"Look here, Stubbs, we don't like to lose you."
"I know, I know," said the little man, "but it will be better for all
concerned."
He approached Chester and extended a hand to him also.
"Come now, Stubbs," said Chester. "Drop those things back down there and
go to bed."
"Not much," replied Stubbs grimly. "I'm going to hunt a safer spot
than this."
He released Chester's hand and made his way to the door. There, just
before moving away, he turned and spoke.
"Boys," he said, "we've been pretty good friends, the three of us,
haven't we?"
"You bet we have, Stubbs," returned Chester warmly.
"We certainly have, Mr. Stubbs," Hal agreed.
"All right, then," said the little man. "You both have been good enough
to tell me once or twice that I have been of some service to you."
"You certainly have, Mr. Stubbs," declared Hal, "and anything we can do
to repay you--"
"Never mind that," said Stubbs with a wave of the hand. "All I want to
say is this: If, at any time, within a day or two or within a month or
two, I do anything you don't like, anything that puts you to some
inconvenience--you will know that I am doing it for your own
good--because I am fond of both of you and don't want to see you get
in trouble."
"Say, Stubbs, what on earth are you talking about?" asked Chester in
great surprise.
"Never mind what I'm talking about," returned Stubbs, half angrily. "I
just want you to remember what I am saying."
"We'll remember, if that will do you any good," said Chester, "but I wish
you would tell me what it is all about."
"I may not be talking about anything, and then I may be talking about a
whole lot," was Stubbs' enigmatical response. "Time will tell."
"Time will tell what, Mr. Stubbs?" demanded Hal.
"Oh, rats!" said Stubbs. "I haven't time to stay here and talk to you
fellows all night. Just remember what I said. That's all."
He stepped out the tent and was gone.
Hal and Chester gazed at one another in the utmost surprise.
"What in the time of the Czar do you suppose he was talking about?"
asked Chester.
"I'm not good at conundrums," replied Hal. "He's got something on his
mind, all right."
"Providing he has a mind left," agreed Chester.
Hal smiled.
"From the way he talked that fact is open to doubt," he replied.
"I didn't think he was a drinking man," said Chester.
"Oh, he was sober enough. By the way, did you notice his hesitation when
I asked him if he had any enemies?"
"By George! I did. He couldn't answer. I'll bet he knows more about the
man that fired that shot at you than he is willing to admit."
"It looks like it," Hal agreed. "From his actions, I would judge that the
shot was meant for him."
"Exactly," said Chester, "and he knows who it was that fired it."
"Well, there is no use talking about it," declared Hal. "We can't
possibly figure it out ourselves. One thing, though, we shall have to be
on our guard. The unknown enemy may not know that Stubbs has moved and
may try again."
"Right," said Chester. "We'll have to sleep with one eye open."
"Oh, we're safe enough to-night," said Hal. "He'll figure we'll be on the
watch and will postpone his next visit for a day or two. By the way, old
man, how do you feel?"
"First rate. I'll be as good as new in the morning."
"I hope so. In that event we had better get a little sleep."
"Then you don't think it necessary for one of us to stand watch?"
"No; here goes for bed."