CHAPTER XXIX--BLACK STAR TAKES A TRICK
The Black Star rode in the first car with his two prisoners and threeof his trusted men, and the others followed in the second car as closeas safety would permit.
Both chauffeurs got all the speed possible out of the machines theydrove. The police had been left behind for the time being, but therewas danger of them getting to a telephone in some way and sending analarm to headquarters. If the Black Star's autos were headed off asthey were entering the city, disaster might follow. If they could gainthe city's streets and separate, undoubtedly their chances for gettingto the lodge hall unobserved would be excellent.
The Black Star was not worrying about the police. He deemed it acoincidence that the launch had run upon him. He believed the officershad been looking for river thieves, and that they would continue tolook for them. He did not think for a moment that the police in thelaunch were looking for the Black Star and members of his band. Howcould that be possible? How could the police know that this was thenight the Black Star had chosen for a crime and that he would becoming up the river in a launch?
"We'll be at th' bridge in a few minutes," the master criminal'schauffeur warned.
"The road curves up to the bridge," the Black Star replied. "I do notthink it possible that word could have been sent ahead, but it is wellto be prepared. Slow down as you reach the curve and shut off yourlights. The car behind will do the same. We'll stop this side of thecurve and investigate."
On dashed the cars, and presently the Black Star's chauffeur decreasedhis speed, forcing the chauffeur behind to do the same. The lights ofthe two cars went out; they rolled along the road with scarcely anynoise, and presently came to a stop.
Here the road ran close to the river, and by getting from the car andwalking a hundred feet the master criminal could look down at thebridge. He took one of his men with him and went to make hisinvestigation. He saw at a glance what was happening.
The police, it was evident, had reached a telephone. The bridge at themoment was swinging open. And when it was open it remained so, thoughthere was no boat in sight to make the passage through. And, as themaster criminal watched, he saw the police launch darting up theriver. Its searchlight flashed upon the bridge, and its sirenbellowed. It turned toward the shore and touched. The police sprangout and ran up the bank. The Black Star could see them reach the floorof the bridge and run along it to the tender's shanty. Then theyscattered, hiding among girders and along the bridge approach.
"Um! Very clever!" the Black Star said to his man. "There is only theone road, too. We drive at a furious pace on to the bridge; we see thedraw open, and we stop--and the clever police spring out and make usall prisoners. Very clever--except that I anticipated it."
"Maybe we could turn around and get back to our launch," his mansuggested.
"Fool! In the first place, we'd lose valuable time, and then, when wedid come up the river, we'd have to clash with the police boat again.Also, my brainy friend, if our launch is where we left it, you may besure there is a police guard there waiting for us to return. If youhappen to have any brains, try to use them."
The Black Star's man gulped and kept silent.
"Go back to the cars and have all the men come here, bringing Muggsand Verbeck," the master criminal ordered.
The man obeyed; within two minutes all were grouped around the BlackStar, and the unconscious prisoners were on the ground at the foot ofa tree. The Black Star explained their predicament.
"You chauffeurs, get back in the cars, turn on the lights, and driveon to the bridge," he instructed. "When the police question you,simply say you have been out to that road house on the river bankearlier this evening--which will be true--and not finding fares there,or prospects of any, are on your way back to the city. Admit you heardfiring back on the road, and saw men rushing through the trees. Sayyou didn't stop because you were afraid of being held up--there havebeen several automobile holdups in that vicinity recently. And arguewith the police as long as possible, while we do our part."
The chauffeurs hurried away. They ran some risk, they knew. They mightbe put under arrest, but they had little fear of that. Both heldlicenses as public chauffeurs, and they had established the road-housealibi on the master criminal's orders. And, if held, the Black Starwould see that they were bailed out--and then they'd simply jump theirbail.
"We're going through that bridge and to the city, and we're going inthe police launch," the Black Star told the others. "That'll be ratherrubbing it in, but the police deserve it. I'll write a letter to thepapers afterward, telling just how we did it. There is only one man inthe launch. We must seize it and make a quick get-away. Run under thebridge and straight up the river. We'll desert the police boat a shortdistance down the stream. I've arranged for two taxicabs to be there.I wasn't exactly sure where it would be best to leave our own launch,and I always prepare for emergencies."
He led the way through the brush on the bank of the river. They hadbut a short distance to go, and they were directly opposite the policeboat and about a hundred feet from it when they heard the twoautomobiles run up on the bridge and stop at the command of apoliceman.
The Black Star was a wise general; he did not send all his men forwardat once. Had he done that, the engineer of the launch would have beensuspicious and instantly sounded an alarm. The master criminalselected one man, and had him walk boldly through the brush and downto the launch. In the semidarkness the engineer of the launch wouldbelieve him to be one of the plain-clothes men returning with orders.
The Black Star's man was within a dozen feet of the boat before theengineer was aware of his approach, for he was busy with thesearchlight. He turned when he heard the man splashing through the mudat the edge of the river, and before he could ask a question hereceived a shot from a vapor gun and collapsed in the bottom of theboat, unconscious.
The searchlight had been playing on the bridge approach. The BlackStar's man swerved it aside for a moment, and then back into position,thus notifying his master that his work had been accomplished.
Down through the brush crept the Black Star and his men, carryingtheir two prisoners. They reached the launch and boarded it, and themaster criminal's engineer hurried to his machinery. The policeengineer had been tossed out on the shore.
But the escape was not to be made without trouble. There was a captainin charge of the police squad who thought quickly. When the two emptyautomobiles reached the bridge, and the questioning of the chauffeursbegan, this captain ordered half his men to return to the launch andgo back up the river to look for traces of their quarry. They brokethrough the brush just as the launch's engineer was put on the shore.
The mere sight of men aboard the launch was enough to tell the policewhat had occurred. They charged forward, shooting wildly and yellingalarms to their companions up on the bridge. Bullets smashed into thesides of the craft as it backed slowly away from the shore. Theengineer was doing his best, but he could not turn and put on speeduntil safely away from the shallows.
It was a perilous moment for the Black Star and his men. The criminalsreturned the fire, but made no attempt to hit their targets, for themaster crook's orders always stood against inflicting wounds orcausing death, unless it was absolutely necessary. Crouching in thebottom of the launch, they waited for the engineer to back out intothe stream. More police were hurrying down from the bridge, and soonwould be firing at the launch. And they would be able to keep up theirvolleys until the launch was some distance away, endangering the BlackStar and his men and prisoners every moment of the time.
But the master criminal, it appeared, though he pretended to abhor allviolence, was no physical coward. He sprang to his feet, away from theprotection of the bulwarks, and jumped forward to the searchlight.While bullets rained around him he reached the light and turned it. Itflashed straight into the faces of the foes on the shore, blindingthem at that short range, making them easy targets, and rendering themincapable of aiming at the men on the launch.
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bsp; Some continued firing in the path of light; others sprang for cover inthe brush, expecting the men on the boat to fire a volley. The laughof the Black Star rang out; he continued playing the light on them.The launch was out in the stream now and turning; a moment later theengineer gave her the maximum amount of speed, and she dashed beneaththe bridge and toward the city.
"Too bad our prisoners could not have been conscious and enjoyed thislittle battle," he told his men. "Really, Muggs and Verbeck are not inthe thick of it at all to-night. Generally they cause a part of thetrouble, but to-night all our trouble has come from others."
He chuckled as if well pleased with himself.
"Some joke this--stealing the enemy's boat," he observed.