CHAPTER XVI
THE PERIL IN THE WOODS
It was nearly seven o'clock that evening, and quite dark, when Jack andthe others rejoined the main body of the Troop of Scouts at Bremerton.
Durland was full of enthusiasm.
"The war is as good as over," he said, happily. "We've licked themutterly! It's just a question now of what they'll be able to save fromthe wreck. The brigade that made the raid toward Fessenden Junction wasannihilated by Bean, cut off, and forced to surrender. General Bliss isin full retreat upon Hardport from Mardean, and the invasion has beenrepelled. Our cavalry is pursuing him, and I think we will be inHardport again to-morrow. Whatever fighting remains to be done will beon their side of the line, and the capital is safe."
"Will there be any more fighting to-night, Captain?" asked Jack.
"Only by the cavalry. They are worrying Bliss as much as possible in hisretreat, and we'll probably pick up a few guns. We outnumber themdecidedly now, as we have taken nearly eleven thousand prisoners in thelast two days, and there is no chance at all for them to take theoffensive again. General Bliss will be lucky to escape the capture ofhis whole army. One of the umpires told me to-day that our success wasdue entirely to the speed and accuracy with which we got information ofthe movements of the enemy, which seemed to him to be remarkably wellcovered."
"That's what Jack Danby's done for us," said Dick Crawford. "He'scertainly proved that the scout car has come to stay. And it was more orless by accident that he got the chance to handle it, too."
"That's true," said Durland, "but a great many men have opportunitiesjust as good, and can't make use of them. It's not how a man gets achance to do things that counts, it's the way he uses the chance when hegets it. And that's where Jack's skill and courage have helped him.You've covered the Troop with glory, Jack, and we're all proud of you."
"Is there anything more for us to do to-night, sir?"
"No, indeed! I think everyone feels that the Boy Scouts have done rathermore than their share already in the fighting we've had, and have beenvery largely responsible for our victory. There may be more work to doto-morrow, but I doubt it. I think myself that the umpires will call theinvasion off to-morrow, and devote the rest of the time to fieldtraining for both armies, working together.
"About all the lessons that the war can teach have been learned by bothsides already, and the training is useful, even when the war game itselfis over. That's only a guess, of course, but if we are in a positionto-morrow that leaves General Bliss as small a chance for getting awayas seems likely now, I think the umpires will feel that there is no usein going through the form of further fighting. We are masters of thesituation now, and our superiority in numbers is so great that therewill be very little that is instructive about a further campaign."
Then Jack asked Captain Durland and Dick Crawford if he could speak tothem apart, and when the Scout-Master consented, he told them of hisinterview with Broom.
"That's a queer shift for him to make," said Durland, thoughtfully."It's true, of course, that he was in a good position to make an attackon you this morning. But it's also possible that he was alone, anddidn't have any help handy. I don't think he'd ever try any of his dirtywork single-handed. He's a good deal of a coward, and he likes to have alot of help when he tries anything, so that there is practically nochance for his opponent. His idea is to fight when he is in overwhelmingforce, and only then. What do you think of it, Dick?"
"I don't trust him, sir, and yet, if it is at all possible that he hasgiven up his designs against Jack and is willing to tell him what we areso anxious to find out, it would be a great pity to let the chanceslip."
"That's what I think, sir," said Jack. "Pete Stubbs and Tom Binns heardhim, and they think I ought not to meet him. But I'm afraid he's right,and that if I didn't do it, I'd always regret it."
"It seems safe enough," said Durland. "He didn't insist on your meetinghim alone. He probably knew that you wouldn't do that, anyhow, and tookthe only chance he had of persuading you, but I don't see what harmcould come to you if you went to meet him with Dick Crawford and myself,and perhaps two or three others, to see that there was no foul play."
"It's risky to have any dealings with him at all, I think," said DickCrawford, "but if it was ever safe, I should say that this was the time.He's an awfully smooth scoundrel, or he wouldn't have been able to foolthe Burtons the way he did. Still, it's hard, as you say, sir, to seewhat harm could come to Jack to-night."
"I think it's worth risking, anyhow," said Durland. "You and I will goalong, Dick. And I think I'll have a talk with Jim Burroughs, too. Itmight be that he would feel like coming along with us."
"Can I bring Pete Stubbs and Tom Binns with us, sir?" asked Jack. "Ithink they'd like to be along."
"By all means," said Durland.
Jack went off then to look for his two chums. But they were nowhere tobe seen. He was surprised, for, since they were on active duty, theywere supposed to be always in readiness at the headquarters of the Troopunless detached with special orders. Finally, after hunting for them forhalf an hour, he asked Bob Hart about them.
Bob, who, as Patrol Leader of the Crow Patrol, ranked during themaneuvers as a sergeant, seemed surprised.
"I gave them permission to be absent from headquarters until eleveno'clock," he said. "Didn't you know they were going to ask for it?"
"I did not," said Jack, decidedly surprised.
Pete and Tom had known of the chance that he might meet Broom, and hewondered how it was that they were willing to be absent at a time whenhe might need them. It was the first time either of them had ever failedhim, and he was puzzled and bothered by their absence.
"That's certainly mighty queer!" he said to himself. "I wonder if theyforgot about Broom, or if they thought I would?"
But there was no sense in trying to puzzle out the reason for theirhaving gone. They were off--that was plain, and he would have to gowithout them.
While he waited for Durland and Dick Crawford to return, he began tospeculate a good deal as to what the reason for Broom's new shift mightbe. He was sure, from the way Broom had acted, that the man was as muchhis enemy as ever. And yet he had seemed to feel that he and Jacktogether might be able to accomplish something that was beyond the powerof either of them, alone, to get done.
"Perhaps he's had trouble of some sort with the people who want to keepme from finding out about myself," thought Jack. "In that case, he'ssimply turned traitor to them, and is trying to use me to get even withthem. Well, I don't care! They must be a pretty bad lot, and if I canfind out about myself I don't see why I should mind helping him to thatextent. But I'd certainly like to know the answer!"
He waited some time longer before the Scout-Master and Dick Crawfordreturned.
"Jim Burroughs isn't there," said Dick, with a puzzled expression on hisface. "His captain says that he and several of the men got leave beforedinner, because they wanted to see if they couldn't pick up some birds alittle way off, in a preserve that belongs to a man who is a friend ofJim's. But we went over in that direction, and there wasn't any sign ofthem."
"Well, it's no great matter, anyhow," said Durland, with a smile. "Thereare enough of us left to attend to the matter. We'd better be gettingalong, Jack. Where are Stubbs and Binns?"
"They got leave for a little while from Sergeant Hart, sir," said Jack."That seems mighty funny to me, because they knew about Broom, and thatI might want them along with me to-night."
"They've probably forgotten it, Jack," said Dick. "You've all had apretty full day and things slip the mind sometimes in suchcircumstances. No use worrying about them. We'll go ahead, anyhow."
At the place where Broom had made his appointment a man was waiting forthem.
"Mr. Broom said this place was too public," the man whispered. "Ifyou'll come along with me, I'll show you where he is waiting for younow."
"We'll come," said Durland. "But look here, my man, no tricks!"
He drew his hand from
his holster, and showed the guide, a sullen,scowling fellow, the big pistol that reposed there.
"If I see any sign of treachery, I'm going to use this and see who's toblame afterward," Durland went on, grimly. "You'd better play level withus, or you'll have a mighty good reason to regret it. That's a fairwarning, now. See that you profit by it. The next will be from mypistol!"
"Aw, g'wan, what's eatin' youse?" asked the man. But, despite hisbluster, he was obviously frightened.
"I ain't here to hoit youse," he said, sullenly, after a minute'ssilence. "Just youse come along wid me, and I'll take youse to Broom.That's all the job I got, see?"
He led them some distance into the woods. Once or twice they thoughtthey heard sounds as if others were near them, but they made up theirminds that this idea was due to their imaginations. And finally, whenthey were nearly two miles from the nearest troops, as far as they couldtell, their guide stopped in a little clearing in the woods.
"Wait here," he said. "I'll go tell Broom you're ready."
He crashed off through the undergrowth, and, with what patience theycould, they waited in the darkness.
They realized afterward that the waiting was a blind. No one had creptup on them, but they were suddenly seized, each one from behind, so thatthere was no chance at all for Durland and Crawford to use the pistolsthat they held in their hands. Their assailants, as they guessed later,had been waiting all the time for them, ready to spring, upon them assoon as they were thoroughly off their guard. And in a moment they sawBroom, an electric torch in his hand, which he directed at the faces ofthe three prisoners in turn.
"You walked into the trap all right, didn't you?" he said to Jack, withan ugly sneer on his face. "You was mighty smart this morning! Glad youbrought your friends along. They've bothered us, too. And now we'vecaught you all together. That's much better, you see! You won't get inmy way again, any one of you!"
Suddenly he gave a curse.
"Where's the others?" he snarled. "The red-headed one and the littleshaver? I want them, too!"
"There weren't but the three of them," said the man who had served astheir guide. "I don't know where the others are."
"Well, it can't be helped," said Broom, with an oath. "I'll get rid ofthese, anyhow."
"You'll spoil no more games of mine!" he told them. "Get the ropes,there, men!"
"What are you goin' to do?" asked one of Broom's men.
"String them up," replied Broom, with a brutal laugh. "Hanging leaves noevidence behind. No weapons--no wounds to show the sort of a blow thatkilled. There's good advice for you, my friend. If you want to get ridof an enemy, hang him!"
All three of the prisoners had been gagged. They had to stand silent,now, while the rope was placed about their necks. They were all forcedto stand under the spreading branch of a big tree, and the ropes werethrown over it.
"We'll let them swing all together, now," said Broom. "When I give theword! Plenty of time, though! We'll let them have a minute or two tothink it over."
"NOW!" cried a voice in the woods beyond the small circle of light fromBroom's electric torch.
A second later the click of falling hammers fell on the air. And, evenas Broom turned, a dozen men stepped into the light, with leveledrifles, covering every one of the gang that Broom had gathered to makehis trap.
"Fire if they make a single movement!" ordered Jim Burroughs. "Goodwork, Pete! Release them now! You brought us here--it's only fair to letyou turn them loose, you and Tom Binns."
"Go ahead and shoot!" yelled Broom, suddenly, and made a dash for thewoods. A dozen rifles spoke out, but he crashed away in the darkness,and one or two of the others ran also.
"He got away!" said Durland. "Pretty bad shooting, Jim!"
"Well, you can't expect much from blank cartridges," said Jim Burroughs,with a grin. "We didn't have any loaded with ball, you know. It was justa bluff, but it worked pretty well!"
"But how did you get here at all?"
"Pete Stubbs and Tom Binns are responsible for that. They didn't likethe idea of this expedition at all, and neither did I, when they told meabout it. We stuck pretty close to you. But I wanted to make sure ofBroom, or I'd have butted in before."