CHAPTER XXI.
ARREST AND ESCAPE.
Frank was inclined to resent the stranger's words and manner.
"I don't understand how that concerns you, sir," he said, ratherstiffly.
"Hey," cried the man, glaring at Merry. "Don't git insolent,youngster! I don't like it."
"Your question was impertinent."
"Whatever is that? Be careful. I don't want any foolin'."
Frank smiled at this, which seemed to make the horseman angry.
"Hang ye!" he exclaimed. "You want to be respectful, for you're liableto get into trouble with me, and you won't like that."
"Shoo fly!" chuckled Toots, showing his big white teeth in a grin."G'way dar, man! Yo' gibs me de fever an' chillins."
"Wa-al, dern me!" roared the man, growing very red in the face. "It'sthe first time an ordinary nigger ever dared to speak to Bill Higginsthat way."
"Hole on, sar! I ain't no ordumnary nigger, sar. I's a cullud gemmanob 'stinction, sar, an' po' white trash cayarn't talk to me lekdat--no, sar!"
"Choke off that critter!" growled the man, addressing Frank. "If yerdon't, I'll shoot him full of holes!"
"I wouldn't advise you to do that," came calmly from Merriwell. "Youmight get into serious trouble if you did."
"Trouble?--trouble over shootin' a nigger?" snorted the stranger."Wa-al, I think not! I've got the record of killin' a dozen white men,and----"
"Thirteen is an unlucky number you know. Without doubt you will behanged, as you deserve, when you kill the thirteenth one."
"Mebbe so, but a nigger won't count. I'll bore him if he opens histrap again!"
"Land ob mercy!" gurgled Toots, dodging behind a tree. "Dat man amcrazzy fo' suah! Look out fo' him, chilluns; dar am no tellin' whenhe'll tek a noshun inter his fool haid teh shoot you all."
"You must be a very bad man," said Merriwell, sarcastically.
"I am; and now yer realize it, mebbe you'll have a little morerespect. Who be yer? an' what're yer doing here?"
"If you will show that you have any right to ask those questions, Iwill answer them."
"Right! Why, hang it! I'm ther sheriff of this county!"
"Well, what have we done that the sheriff of this county or any othercounty in California should come around and demand our names, as if wewere criminals?"
"Ye're suspicious characters."
"Is that it? And we look like dangerous criminals?"
"I've seen fellows what didn't look more dangerous than you as wasrather tough."
"Well, we are not tough, and we have no reason for concealing ournames."
Then Frank gave the name of each of the boys, pointing them out as hedid so, and told how they happened to be in California.
Bill Higgins, as the man had called himself, listened and looked themover. His manner seemed to change, and he said:
"You tell that pretty straight, and I reckon you're not giving me acrooked deal, but whar's to' other one?"
"What other one?"
"The one what owns the other bisuckle. Thar's only five of you, andhere are six bisuckles."
The keen eyes of the sheriff made this discovery, and Frank realizedthat Hodge's wheel should have been concealed.
"Oh, the other fellow has just stepped aside to look at the bigtrees," he explained. "This is the first time we have ever seen treeslike these. They are wonders, sir. Do you have them all over theState? How tall are they? Can you give us the dimensions of thelargest tree discovered in this State? We desire some informationconcerning them."
"I see ye do," said Higgins, with sarcasm, "an' I desire a littleinformation myself. You'll answer my questions."
Frank feared his ruse would fail, but he suavely said:
"Oh, certainly--of course, sir. We shall be pleased to answer yourquestions. Do these trees make good timber for building purposes? Arethey difficult to work up? How thick is the bark? And how----"
"That'll do!" roared the sheriff, fiercely. "I'm no bureau ofinformation. Whar is the other feller?"
Frank assumed a dignified and injured air.
"As you do not seem inclined to answer my questions, I must decline toanswer yours," he said, coldly. "If you will drive along, it will beagreeable to us."
Higgins showed his yellow teeth through his grizzled beard.
"Oh-ho!" he grated. "So that's the trick. Wa-al, I know t'other chapis near, an' I'm goin' ter see him. That is settled."
Off his horse he sprang, leaving the animal to stand, and then, to thesurprise of all, he ran to the tree behind which Bart was concealed,dashed around it, and gave a shout of triumph.
A moment later the sheriff reappeared, dragging Hodge by the collar.
"Don't try ter git away!" he commanded. "If ye do, you'll be sorry. Idon't fool with a critter of your caliber."
"Let go!" cried Bart, indignantly. "What are you trying to do with me?Take your hands off, sir!"
"Not till I lodge ye behind bars, young feller. You're under arrest,so cool down and keep still."
"Why am I arrested?"
"Oh, you don't know; oh, no!"
"Answer my question, sir! Why am I arrested?"
"Now, don't go to gettin' funny and givin' orders. It ain't necessaryto answer."
Frank stepped forward.
"It is no more than right that you should tell me why you havearrested my friend, sir," he said.
"Ho! ho!" cried the sheriff. "So he is your friend! I thought as much!Well, don't you get too frisky, or I may take a notion to arrest you,too."
"Such a thing would be an outrage, and I believe you have perpetratedan outrage in arresting Mr. Hodge."
"I don't care what you think!"
"At the same time, I see no reason why you should refuse to tell mewhy you have arrested him."
"Jive him gesse--I mean give him Jesse!" fluttered Rattleton, as hesought Frank's side. "You know we will stand by you, old man. If yousay the word, we'll take Hodge away from him."
Bill Higgins' ears were sharp, and he caught the words. Like a flashhe whipped out a huge revolver, which he held in a menacing manner,while he growled:
"Thirteen may be an unlucky number, but skin me if I don't make itthirteen or more if you chaps tries the trick!"
He looked as if he meant what he said.
"Steady, fellows," warned Merriwell, as the boys gathered at his back,ready for anything. "Don't be hasty."
"It won't be good fer yer if you are!" muttered Higgins.
"We can take Hodge away from him--I know we can!" whispered Diamond,eagerly. "Say the word, and we'll jump him!"
"That's right," nodded Browning, with deliberation.
Higgins backed off a bit, still holding fast to Hodge, and handlinghis revolver threateningly.
"Blamed if I don't take the whole gang in!" he shouted. "I reckonyou're all standin' in together with this feller."
"You will have a warm time taking in this crowd," said Frank, quickly."We are friends of Mr. Hodge, and therefore we think it no more thanright that we should know why he is arrested."
"If that's goin' to satisfy ye, you shall know. He's arrested forshovin' the queer."
"Shoving--the--queer?"
"That's whatever!"
"But--but there must be a mistake."
"Bill Higgins never makes mistakes."
Frank was shocked, stunned. He looked at Bart, and Hodge's face, whichhad been pale, turned crimson with apparent shame. It was like a blowto Merriwell, for the conviction that Hodge was guilty came over him.
"It was that wretched girl--she did it!" he thought. "She has led himinto this. She has influenced him to put out some of that bogus money,and he, like the infatuated fool that he was, did it willingly. Oh, itis a shame!"
Bart stole a glance at Frank, and saw by the expression of Merry'sface that he was convinced of his folly. Immediately Hodge seemed towilt, as if hope had gone out of him. The color left his face, and itbecame wan and drawn, with an expression of anguish that arousedFrank's deepest pity.
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"I don't care!" Merriwell mentally exclaimed. "He did it because hewas hypnotized--because her influence compelled him to do so. If he isbrought to trial now it will mean his utter ruin. What can I do forhim? Can I do anything?"
Bart saw the change that came over Frank's face, but did notunderstand what it meant. Instead, noticing a hard, determined look,he fancied his former friend was hardening his heart against him.
Of a sudden Hodge gave the sheriff a shove and trip, sending himsprawling on the ground, his revolver being discharged as he fell.Fortunately the bullet harmed no one.
Like a flash, the desperate boy darted away. He caught his wheel,which stood against a tree, and was on it in a moment. His feet caughtthe pedals, and away he went down the road.
Bill Higgins scrambled up, uttering language that was shocking tohear.
"The cursed whelp!" he roared. "He can't ride faster than bullets cantravel! I'll fill him full of lead!"
Then he flung up the revolver.
Merriwell was quite as swift in his movements.
"No, you don't!"
With that cry on his lips, Frank knocked the weapon aside just as itwas discharged, and the bullet sped skyward through the tree tops.
Then Bill Higgins whirled and tried to shoot the boy who had savedBart Hodge, but the heavy fist of Bruce Browning fell on his temple,and he dropped like a log to the ground.
Frank picked up the sheriff's revolver, which had fallen from hishand, and, when Higgins sat up, he found himself looking into themuzzle of his own weapon.
"Get out!"
Merriwell uttered the words, and Higgins took the hint.
"All right," he snarled; "but this doesn't end it! I'll make all ofyer suffer fer this!"
He arose, mounted his waiting horse, and galloped away after Hodge.