CUTTING THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS
That was what had happened. Rob turned out to be the lucky one. Andy
might have run upon the wire a couple of seconds later, for his hand was
at the time groping near that of his chum.
The wire was held down close to the ground by frequent metal wickets, as
Rob had figured might be the case, for that would have been his own
method of concealing the wire, and could be easily accomplished by a
second man who crept after the one allowing the wire to free itself from
the big spool he carried.
Rob was not bothering himself about these details now. To get that wire
cut in twain before the man handling the battery at the other end sent
the electric current along that would discharge the mine—that was his
one endeavor.
Tubby knew he was working to accomplish this end. He watched what was
going on so close by, though Rob and Andy could only be seen
indistinctly; but Tubby was able to easily supply through a lively
imagination whatever was lacking.
Tubby turned his head and looked toward the span. In imagination he
could see it give a sudden, terrible heave and go flying in many
fragments toward the sky!
Just when it was beginning to get unbearable, so that Tubby was almost
forced to shout out, the suspense ended. He knew from the chuckle that
Andy could not for the life of him suppress, that the wire had yielded
to the force Rob was applying, and no longer ran in a connected line
from mine to battery!
As long as he lived Tubby would surely never, never forget the spasm of
glorious feeling that shot through his whole mind and body when he
realized this stupendous fact. When one has been straining might and
main to accomplish a given thing, and at the last gasp victory comes
into his hand, that is the time he feels like a world conqueror and
would not change places with any king living. Tubby passed through this
experience, even though his may not have been the hand to wield those
magical little pliers with which the wire had been severed. However, the
honor and glory was great enough to go all around, and every fellow who
had anything to do with the deed ought to share in the result.
Rob, having cut the wire, hastened to wind one end about the nearest
stout bush he could reach, choosing the base, so as to have it afford
effectual resistance.
This was that portion of the broken wire which had connection with the
battery; the other end he cared nothing about, since the mine had been
rendered harmless. It was just as well that the plotters did not know in
too big a hurry how their cunning scheme had been nipped in the bud.
Time enough for that when the fellow finally pressed his battery key
into service, only to find to his utter amazement and disgust that no
roaring response followed his action.
“Well,” Tubby gloatingly told himself, “perhaps those chaps would be a
surprised lot when they found out what a mess they had made of it, not
only missing the destruction of the million-dollar munition train, but
failing to even blow up the bridge itself as intended. There’s many a
slip between the cup and the lip, they say. I guess it was a bad hour
for your schemes, my boys, when Rob Blake put his foot in this affair.
As usual, it promises to wind up in fresh glory for the Eagles.”
Tubby was not the only one who breathed more freely after the wire was
cut. Rob and Andy, possibly also Zeb, felt like chuckling as the
culminating stroke was given that put it out of the power of the men
hidden in the bushes to carry out their dark designs.
Rob suddenly became more ambitious. Why be satisfied with half a job,
when still more could be accomplished? What was to hinder them from
getting help from the guards who watched over the railway property at
this particular point—soldiers in uniform, undoubtedly—and trying to
effect the capture of the unseen miscreants who had dishonored the
hospitality afforded by Uncle Sam?
Rob had hardly given this thought any attention up to now, but once it
gripped him he allowed it to have full sway. But nothing could be done
until the train either stopped short or else proceeded across the
bridge. He believed the former was certain to be the case, for Donald,
not being sure the danger was abated, would never let his father speed
past and enter upon the danger zone.
“She’s coming fast now,” breathed Andy in the other’s ear. “There, that
whistle must be meant as a signal to those at the bridge. All trains do
that before getting too close, so the engineer can be given a
right-of-way signal.”
Rob somehow did not try to stop Andy from saying this. In fact, he was
not feeling one half so solicitous over the risk of being heard by the
plotters, as before he had rendered their cause hopeless. About this
time he noticed that there was a strange grinding noise in connection
with the rumble of the near-by train. He understood from this that
brakes were being hurriedly applied.
They could now see the glare of the headlight. Apparently the train had
shot out from some cut where the banks up to that moment had concealed
its presence.
This would indicate, Rob believed, that some one must have signalled to
the man in the cab to pull up; in such troublous times the engineer had
to quickly obey such a summons, especially when approaching this bridge,
which was known to be the most dangerous point along the entire line,
since it was so vulnerable to an attack from raiders.
Rob could also easily believe that Donald himself was responsible for
the waving of the red light that spelled danger. He must have made up
his mind while climbing the bank that he could afford to take no
chances, and that saving the train, as well as his father, was his most
pressing duty.
Well, no one could blame the boy, for in so doing he only obeyed the
dictates of his loyal heart. As has been already stated, Rob would have
told him to carry out this very thing if it had occurred to him forcibly
at the time they parted company.
The quartette crouching on the low ground not a great way from the
trestle now heard loud voices. The guards were running forward, some of
them, to find out the reason of the train stopping as it did when they
had given no signal. Possibly it might be some clever trick of an enemy
lurking near by, to draw them away from the bridge, so that damage of
some sort could be attempted; and hence being cautious as well as brave
they divided their force, a portion remaining spread along the structure
in order to shoot down any loiterer who could not answer their challenge
properly.
“Rob, why don’t we make a move?” pleaded Andy, unable to check his
customary impatience.
“Hold your horses,” the scout master told him. “We ought to wait until
Donald has had a fair chance to explain. Then the soldiers can learn
about our being down here and will not fire on us if we commence to
climb the bank. Only for that, they might let loose; and it’s a mighty
poor time to apologize to a fellow after he’s dead. Tubby?”
“Yes, Rob, what is it?” came softly from near by.
“What are you doing?”
“Why, don’t you know, Rob, I’ve just been holding my finger on the pulse
of those men who have made such a bad mess of their brilliant plan; and,
honest to goodness, Rob, I believe they know by this time that they’ve
been hoodwinked, kerflummixed, and also knocked silly.”
“But how do you know all that, Tubby?” gasped the astonished Andy.
“Oh, I’ve been feeling the wire, you see. It gave several of the most
vicious pulls ever, just like the chap at the battery end couldn’t
understand why no explosion came along when he pressed the button and
turned on the juice, so to speak. It is to laugh, fellows. This looks
like a second Waterloo, only it’s the German neutrality-breakers who are
up against it this time, instead of the heroic French.”
Now, both of the others considered that this was quite a clever piece of
strategy, and particularly for a boy like Tubby, whose wits would so
often go wool-gathering, instead of netting prompt returns. Indeed, Andy
felt chagrined to think that it had never once occurred to him to try
this scheme. Tubby had scored heavily, for once. He was evidently quite
proud of his success, too, for they could hear an occasional queer
chuckle emanating from the place where he had squatted down like an
enormous toad, ready to stay or go, as Rob decided.
The running guards were drawing near the stalled engine which continued
to pant and throb as locomotives do when under a full head of steam and
standing still on the rails. The soldiers would be quickly put in
possession of the main facts by Donald, who would be vouched for by his
father.
Rob turned and looked in the direction where, as he fully believed, the
unknown invaders from the other side of the boundary line had been
recently secreted. He wondered what they were doing, now that they
realized how their game was up, and that unless they succeeded in taking
themselves off in a hurry they might yet be made victims of the rifles
of the Canadian bridge guards.
By this time Donald must have told the astounded guards enough of the
story to cause them to refrain from using their ready guns when dark
figures were seen coming up the bank. Yes, there was Donald calling out
to them, saying the coast was clear and that it was all right for his
four friends to come up so as to corroborate his amazing story.