BOB ESCAPES--ALMOST
About noon Reed came up bringing Bob's dinner, consisting of potatoes,
trout, evidently caught nearby, and a glass of milk. "You better make
the best of this," he said, "I'll tell you now that you won't get
another bite to eat till you tell us what we want to know."
Bob gave a sudden start. "So, that's your game, is it?" he asked.
"Yes, that's our game, and as you look like a pretty good feeder, I
guess it won't take long."
"Perhaps not," said Bob, as Reed left.
Poor Bob! He ate up every crumb of his dinner. The prospect was dark
enough, to say the least, but he had not lost heart, for an idea had
occurred to him which he intended to put into practice that night. As
there was nothing else to do he spent the time lying on the cot
thinking. About three o'clock, King looked in.
"Ready to tell us?" he asked.
"Not yet," was Bob's reply.
"All right, just as you say. I suppose the old saying, that you can
lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, holds in your
case, but if this horse don't drink pretty soon, he'll wish he'd never
been born." Then, after a moment's pause, he continued, in a kinder
tone: "Come now, boy, what's the use? We've got all the trump in this
game and you've got to give in sooner or later, so why not do it now
and save yourself trouble?"
"You seem to be on top just at present, for a fact," agreed Bob, "but
just the same I'm not going to give in just now." King muttered
something about him soon wishing he had and left the room.
That night he got no supper. Now, going without his meals did not, in
the least, agree with Bob's disposition, at any time, and now he had
much more than hunger to rouse his anger, and by eleven o'clock, he
was, as he put it to himself, fighting mad.
"I haven't heard any dogs and I don't believe they've got any," he
thought. "Anyhow, I'm going to run the risk if I can get through that
door." Fortunately, he had not been searched and as he had a good
strong jackknife, it had occurred to him that he might cut a hole in
the door large enough to get his hand through. He waited till one
o'clock, and then began his attack. It was pretty hard cutting, as it
was spruce, but he kept steadily at it and in about an hour had a
small hole through, and another half hour of hard cutting enabled him
to enlarge it sufficiently to pass his hand through, turn the key and
slip back the bolt. "Now for it," he thought. "If they've got a dog
I'll give him the fight of his life."
Cautiously, he crept down the stairs, which creaked a little in spite
of his efforts, holding the open knife in his hand. He finally reached
the bottom without any mishap and, so far as he could tell, without
being heard. Unlocking the door, he stepped softly out on the porch.
It was a beautiful starlight night and, although there was no moon, it
did not seem very dark. Bob was just beginning to feel easier, when he
heard a low growl and, looking round, he saw a huge mastiff eyeing him
a few feet away. "Good dog," he whispered, thinking he might make
friends with him, but the brute continued to growl and slowly crept
nearer.
Bob saw that he was about to spring and braced himself for the attack.
As the dog jumped, the boy drew back his right foot, and with a
powerful kick caught him fairly in the stomach. With a low whine of
pain, the dog fell back and without giving him time to recover, Bob
sprang forward and, seizing him by the throat, plunged the knife blade
to the handle in his side. The dog gave one howl and stiffened out.
"One enemy the less," thought Bob as he rose to his feet, but he was
not to get off so easily, for just then the door opened and Reed
stepped out.
"Thunder and lightning," he gasped, "How'd you get out."
Bob did not stop to explain, but jumping off the porch and started on
a run down the path.
"Quick, Jim, he's getting away," shouted Reed, as he started after the
escaping boy.
Bob was a fast runner, but he was sadly handicapped by not knowing
which way to go in the darkness, and the path was rough. Still, he
might have escaped had he not met with a mishap. He had not gone more
than a hundred yards, when his foot caught in a vine, and he fell
forward on his face, his knife flying from his hand. Before he could
pick himself up and start again, Reed was upon him. Bob did not intend
to submit to capture a second time if he could help it, and, as he was
caught round the body, he gave a sudden squirm, which broke Reed's
hold, instantly drawing back his right arm, he struck out with all his
strength. The blow was a heavy one, and caught Reed fairly on the
nose, making him grunt with pain. It did not, however, put him out of
the fight, and before Bob could turn and run, he felt a stinging blow
on the ear, which dazed him for a second. He quickly recovered, and
grabbing Reed, tried his best to force him to the ground.
Although a small man, he was no means weak, and the struggle waged
fast and furiously. Finally, Bob succeeded in getting a half nelson
round his neck, and the next instant Reed felt himself hurled to the
ground, which he struck with tremendous force. All the fight was
knocked out of him, and once more Bob started to run, but alas for his
hopes, he was too late, for just then King appeared on the scene.
Bob was so nearly exhausted by this time, that he could make but
little headway, and soon King grabbed him round the neck and bore him
to the ground. He realized that it would be useless to struggle
against this man, for he was almost a giant in strength.
"So you thought you'd give us the slip, did you? Well, you're a slick
one, that's a fact, and you're no coward either, but really we can't
dispense with your company yet awhile," said the man as he dragged Bob
to his feet.
By this time Reed had managed to get on his feet. "D---- the brat," he
growled, "he's strong as a moose. My nose is bleeding like a stuck
pig, and it feels as though half my bones were broken."
"Well, Bill, we can't blame the kid for trying to get away, but it
beats me how he got out of that room, and, say, what was that dog
doing? Guess he's no good."
"I don't think he is much good any more," Bob couldn't help saying.
"You'll find him on the porch."
"If you've killed that dog, I'll take it out of your hide," growled
Reed.
"Easy there, Bill," admonished King, "I won't have the kid ill-treated
for trying to get away and defending himself, and, if he had to kill
the dog to do it, he had a right to. I admire bravery wherever I see
it, but we'll fix things after this so that he won't have a chance to
show his spunk to such good advantage."
While talking, the two men had been leading Bob back to the house.
Seeing the dog on the porch, Reed turned him over; "Well he's done for
all right, confound him. I wouldn't have taken one hundred dollars for
that dog," he said.
"Come on now," urged King, "We'll see to him in the morning. I want to
find out how this kid got out of that room."
Reaching the top of the stairs and holding up the lantern, which he
had grabbed up from the porch, the method was plainly apparent.
"Well I'll be switched," said King. "Bill we ought to be ashamed of
ourselves not to have searched him. I never thought of him having a
knife that he could cut through that door with. You go down and get a
board and some nails, and we'll soon have this fixed."
The hole was boarded over, plenty of nails being used, and as he drove
the last one, King said, "Now I'll look him over and see if he has
anything else he can use."
Bob knew it would be useless to resist, and so allowed himself to be
searched, but nothing was found which they considered dangerous.
"I guess, Bill, one of us had better stay up the rest of the night,"
said King, as he finished his search. "I don't see how he could get
away again, but we won't take any chances."
As they were about to leave the room, Bob asked, "Can't you give me
something to eat? I'm awfully hungry."
"Sure thing," replied King. "There's a fine mess of trout downstairs,
which Bill caught this afternoon, and I can boil some potatoes in no
time. You just tell us what we want to know, and I'll have you a fine
meal in less than half an hour."
But Bob was not yet ready to give up. "Never mind," he said, "I guess
I'm not so hungry as I thought I was."
They went out and he heard them go down the stairs. Throwing himself
on the cot he groaned, "Oh dear, to come so near to getting away and
then fail. But," he thought, "I did my best, and I'll bet Reed's nose
will be sore for a few days. If that blow had only caught him on the
chin, I might have made it before King got there."
He lay for a long time thinking how he could foil his captors.
Suddenly, he sprang up. "Why not?" he said to himself. "It may work if
I can carry through the bluff. Anyhow, it'll be better than starving
here, and I'm going to try it."
Having decided on a line of action, he once more threw himself on the
cot and was soon asleep.
No one came near him till nearly ten o'clock that morning, and by that
time, Bob felt, as he expressed it, as though the bottom of his
stomach had fallen out.
"How goes it?" was King's greeting, as he entered the room, "Getting
pretty hungry?"
"Hungry!" growled Bob, "If you don't look out I may eat you up."
King laughed, "What's the use of sticking it out any longer?" he
asked. "You've got to give in or starve."
"I'm beginning to think that's so," replied Bob, "I did intend to
stick it out, but I'm too hungry."
"That's the way to talk. Now you tell me all about it, and then I'll
bring you up a good dinner. But mind now," he added, "if you don't
tell it straight, I'll--I'll, well, your folks will never have the
pleasure of seeing you again, that's all."
"Well now, see here," began Bob, "I can't tell you how to make that
cell so that you could do it."
"Can't? Why not?" demanded King.
"Because," continued Bob, "the success of it depends on the
temperature at which the metals composing the caps are put together,
and that point can be determined only by the looks of them, and I
couldn't possibly describe it so that any one could detect the right
point."
"Then how are you going to work it?"
"Why, didn't you say that you have a laboratory in Boston?"
"Yes, but what of it?"
"Well, why not take me there and let me make it for you?"
King thought a moment and then said, "I don't altogether like that
idea, but I'll talk it over with Bill and see what he says."
As he was leaving the room, Bob added, "That's the best I can do. If I
should tell you about it, and then you failed, you would blame me, and
I'd have to suffer for it."
King was gone about half an hour, and when he returned, he brought a
good dinner with him.
"We've decided to take you up, and here's your dinner," he said. "But
now listen to me. My future depends on this thing; how, is none of
your business, but I'd rather die than fail, so if you try any funny
business, you can know what to expect."
"How soon shall we start?" asked Bob.
"We shall start, in the car, as soon as it is dark."
"I don't know," thought Bob, after King had left the room, "whether
I'm jumping out of the frying pan into the fire or not, but that
dinner looks mighty good to me, so here goes."