CHAPTER XVII
THE END OF THE JERVICE GANG
All that Glen could do was to follow where Chick-chick led and try to gojust as noiselessly, and to flit carefully from one screen of cover tothe next in just as unobtrusive a way. It was an old sport withChick-chick, but though Glen was an amateur at it he made a very goodperformance.
It was not reasonable to suppose that an automobile could get very faralong such a road, yet they had traveled a quarter mile before thetracks swung entirely away from the old path and followed a strip ofcomparatively bare ground that led in toward the creek.
"There she is!" at last Chick-chick whispered. "Don't look bit like gayold friend we left, she don't."
She did not. If it were the same car it meant that the gang, feelingthat so conspicuous a mark as the J. Jervice car originally presentedwould be a fatal advertisement of their identity, and yet desirous ofmaking use of the car, had stripped it clean of the betraying top andhad taken away everything that could mark it for a peddler's car.
Their plan would have worked successfully but for the betraying tires,and the sharp eye and quick mind of scout Henry Henry, commonly known asChick-chick.
"Are you sure it's the same?" whispered Glen.
"Surest thing on wheels," affirmed Chick-chick. "Bet you find drygoodsin the transmission case if dare look."
"Why do you suppose they've left it here?"
"Good, safe place. Nobody see. Camp not far away, reckon. Better laypretty low here. There's only two of us."
Late in the afternoon two tired but excited scouts found their way intocamp and proceeded to disturb Mr. Newton in his afternoon study hour.
"Is it true that there's reward of five hundred dollars for the bankrobbers?" one asked.
"I believe so," said Mr. Newton. "The sheriff himself and quite a fewdeputies are trying to earn it, too. They are covering this county andseveral neighboring counties, too."
"Sheriff out this way?" asked Chick-chick.
"He was in Buffalo Center this morning," replied Mr. Newton.
"We know where gang is, Mr. Newton. We want go right down get thatreward, we do."
"The reward is for their apprehension, Henry. So you see you wouldn'tget it, because, so far, you don't appear to have apprehended them."
Chick-chick's countenance fell, but he brightened again in a minute.
"We can do it all right, all right. Maybe better get sheriff help us."
He proceeded to tell Mr. Newton of their discovery.
"And you saw them so clearly you are quite sure they are the same men?"
"Yes, sir," replied Glen. "We located their camp by a line ofsmoke--leastways Chick-chick did. Then we climbed a big tree near by andlooked right down on 'em. I saw Jervice and the big man, and one otherman I never had seen before."
"What shall we do about this?" Mr. Newton asked of Will Spencer, who hadbeen studying with him.
"Get 'em," replied Will, his eyes sparkling. "I wish I were more of aman, so I could help."
"Hold on, Will," said Mr. Newton, kindly. "You have just as good otherwork, you know. And wishing won't make you agile and active any morethan it will make these boys into grown men. What's the wise thing todo?"
"You good, old scoutmaster!" exclaimed Will. "Of course you're right.You being the only real man here the thing to do is to see if thatsheriff is still at Buffalo Center."
"But you ain't going to shut us out?" cried Glen and Chick-chick inunison.
Mr. Newton and Spencer laughed at their eagerness.
"You are big fellows, both of you," said Mr. Newton. "I've no desire torob you of your glory or reward. You must come with me to see thesheriff, or perhaps you'd better go alone on Henry's motorcycle to savetime. He will have to come this way to go after the men, and I've nodoubt he will want you to show the way. Perhaps he'll let me go, too.Only no foolishness, remember--no attempt at single-handed captures--nostepping in the way of a piece of heavy artillery just to show that youbear a charmed life. After you've shown the way your job will be to stayin the background."
The sheriff was still staying at Buffalo Center's little hotel.Chick-chick was disappointed to find that he did not at all come up tohis ideas of a sheriff. Glen whose dealings with sheriffs had not beenso limited was not so surprised. The sheriff was so much like the otherfarmers lounging around the hotel office that they had to inquire forhim. There was this much to say for him--he was not big, but he lookedas if he might be quick and keen.
"Better come in here," said the sheriff, leading the way into the littleparlor. "Now, tell me all about it."
Glen acted as spokesman, for Chick-chick was still quite excited.
"So you're the boys that got the car away from the peddler, are ye?"asked the sheriff. "I reckon ye ought to know the car an' the man too.You was expectin' to see this man Jervice, wasn't ye?"
"We were after we saw the car," Glen agreed.
"Now, don't ye reckon that mebbe, seein' the man at a distance like an'being as you was expectin' to see Jervice an' the big man, you mightjust imagined they was what you saw?"
"No, sir. It wasn't possible to be mistaken. We were near enough so wecould both see the man very clearly."
"Well; this other fellow, now; the one you never had seen before? Whatdid he look like?"
"Big man," said Chick-chick. "Over six foot. Black hair, no hair on hisface. I got good look once and face was all one side like this, it was."
Chick-chick drew his face to one side in a peculiar manner. Mimicry wasone of his talents.
"That's the feller," said the sheriff. "If you saw him that's the gang.That was Black Coventry to the letter. There ought to be two more of 'emand the gang would be complete. You can show us the way, can you?"
The sheriff had one of his deputies with him at the hotel. He deputizedtwo active young farmers who were present and the four started onhorseback following Chick-chick's motorcycle.
They found Mr. Newton waiting at the roadside near the camp. Chick-chickbegan an introduction but the sheriff interrupted.
"Oh, I know Captain Newton. Remember when ye was Captain of BatteryA--let's see, twelve years ago, that was. Come along of us, Captain.Ye're just the man we need an' we're short handed, anyway."
"I've no horse," objected the scoutmaster.
"Jump up back o' me. It ain't so awful far f'm what these boys say.We'll have to foot it, anyway, for quite some distance, if we want tos'prise 'em."
When the place where the wood-road turned off was reached the sheriffdecided to leave the horses.
"One o' you boys stay here now with the deputy an' help guard thesehorses," instructed the sheriff. "Which'll it be?"
"I guess it's Chick-chick's find," volunteered Glen. "I'll stay."
"Keep your eyes sharp open," the sheriff instructed his deputy. "Ifthey'd get started afore we could get to their car they might slip byus. Then, there ought to be two more of 'em somewheres around, too.Might be comin' up any minute. They're slick."
After the men had gone Glen found it anxious work waiting with thedeputy and the horses while Chick-chick led the sheriff's posse toglory.
"I suppose we'll hear 'em shooting most any minute," he said to thedeputy.
"Mebbe we will--mebbe we won't," replied the deputy. "We won't if thingsgo the way the old man intends."
"How is that?" asked Glen.
"There won't be any shootin' unless they's some break in hiscalc'lations. His way don't make much allowance for it. He'll get upthere right silent an' have his men posted convenient; then he'll stepout an' say 'Come along o' me, Coventry. No good fussin'. My men got yedead to rights.' An' mos' generally they come."
"How about the other two men?" asked Glen.
"Mebbe they're there; mebbe they ain't. It was putty clever of 'em tohide right around here, knowing they was looked for all over thecountry."
"Don't you suppose they're staying here so as to look for that stuff inthe cave?"
"We don't take much stock in that story," sai
d the deputy. "We don'tknow that they is any cave. What they was after wasn't in no river bank,it was in the bank of Buffalo Center."
He appreciated his little joke and chuckled over it very heartily. Hismerriment, however, did not prevent him from being the first one to seea little group coming down the main road.
"Three of 'em!" he said. "One of 'em's from your camp. Who's the othertwo?"
"The scout is Matt Burton," said Glen. "The other two must be theengineers that he found camping down here. Say, I'll tell you something.They aren't engineers. What's the matter with them being the other twoof Jervice's gang?"
"Nothing the matter at all," said the deputy. "Lay low now, and we'llget 'em. They're looking awful suspicious like at our tracks in theroad. They don't understand 'em. If they break an' run you stay herewith the horses an' I'll give 'em a chase."
"They've grabbed hold of Matt as if they were going to work some roughhouse play with him," said Glen. "Look what they're doing."
"They think he's sold 'em out," said the deputy. "They got a notion thathe's leading 'em into something."
Just then Matt, who was not deficient in courage, made a lunge at one ofthe men, broke loose and started to run. He was overtaken in a minute bythe other man who hit him such a blow as to stretch him full length inthe dust of the road.
"Hold on there, hold on," the deputy counseled Glen. "You can't doanything chasin' after 'em. Just let 'em stay here till the sheriff getsback an' he'll pick 'em up easy. Now, take a holt o' this gun. Youneedn't shoot it, but it'll look better if you have one. I'm goin' tosneak up a piece and get back of 'em. I'll take this rope along an'mebbe I can git it over one of 'em. I won't be far behind 'em any time.You stay here with the hosses an' if they seem like to pass alongwithout noticing don't you so much as cheep. All you got to do is mindthe hosses."
When the two men, with Matt between them, reached the turn of the roadand saw that the tracks led directly to the camp they came to a deadhalt. Glen could now hear distinctly what they said.
"It's a frame up," declared one. "This kid thinks he's smart leading usinto a trap. Back we go. Nobody won't draw on us, neither. You go first,Jack. I'll be right next to you with my hands on your shoulders. Thissmart kid'll foller me the same way. They won't nobody try no gun playfor fear of hittin' the kid. Jest as soon as we git out of range we'llmake a streak for it, an' the kid'll go with us."
The man spoke in a loud voice undoubtedly for the benefit of some personor persons who might be supposed to be within bullet range and bedesirous of picking them off from ambush rather than risk a personalencounter. Perhaps he had heard some warning noise. He had not made sobad a guess, for a good marksman, concealed in Glen's position, wouldhave had them at his mercy.
Glen watched the peculiar parade as the three walked back up the road ata lock-step gait that was quite fast for unpracticed performers. He wouldhave been glad to give some word of encouragement to Matt for he stillremembered the good turn of the day before. But his business was towatch over the horses. It would never do to betray their hiding place tothese desperate men who might overpower him and be off before the deputycould reach them.
Glen watched the three walk back up the road at alock-step gait. Page 198]
Where was that deputy?
He said that he would not be far behind the desperadoes at any time; butGlen had seen no sign of him since he slipped so quietly away with hislong rope. He watched the marching figures going back along theroad--farther away--farther yet. Soon they would be feeling safe out ofrange and would break and run.
Where was the deputy?
Glen found his answer even though he did not see his man. A long ropecircled through the air. It fell neatly over the three close-lockedheads and tightened suddenly as it dropped below their shoulders. Therewas a frantic struggle from the tied up trio and suddenly the deputycame into view belaying his rope to a tree.
Glen turned his eyes from this scene as he heard the noise of voicesbehind him. It was the sheriff's party returning. He waved his hand tothem for speed and was glad to see the sheriff, Mr. Newton andChick-chick start toward him on the run. The other members of the partywere evidently convoying prisoners.
One of the men in the road had freed his hands but the deputy hadpersuaded him to put them above his head, and stood in the road guardinghis capture as the relief party came up.
"So you got 'em?" exclaimed the sheriff. "That makes the haul complete.Our three below are coming along like lambs."
"These three," said the deputy, solemnly, "being trussed up the way theyis, looks more like chickens."
"Loosen up on 'em," said Glen. "That one's a scout. You could easilytell he isn't one of 'em. Didn't you see the way they knocked him over?"
"Yes. He's a scout," confirmed Mr. Newton, coming up. "He has simplybeen deceived by these fellows, supposing they were honest men. I hopethey haven't hurt you much, Burton."
"Hurt me!" cried Matt. "They were two to one and they knocked me downbut they couldn't hurt me. Let me give this big fellow just one--"
"That'll do, young fellow," said the sheriff. "These men are in thehands of the law, now. They'll get whatever's coming to 'em."
It was a triumphant procession that wound its way back to town. Three ofthe prisoners were placed in their car which Chick-chick was calledupon to engineer under the guardianship of the sheriff. This left Glento ride the motorcycle alone. Still desirous to repay Matt's good turnhe offered him passage but Matt preferred to ride the sheriff's horse.He was unable to understand or appreciate any friendly offers from Glen,for he felt that his share in the proceedings had been ludicrous if notcontemptible and expected scant mercy from either Glen or Chick-chick.As a matter of fact, Glen would have been very glad to have his company,both that he might repay his good turn and that he might have theadvantage of his experience in cycling, for Glen was a rank novice andfound great difficulty in getting back to camp.
Chick-chick drove the car all the way to the little calaboose where thesheriff expected to confine the men until train time. The sheriffexpressed himself under great obligations.
"I don't hardly know what to say about the reward, son," he said. "It'llhave to split up a good many ways so there won't be an awful big slicefor any one of us."
"I'll leave it to you," agreed Chick-chick, magnanimously. "Maybe you'dlet me speak word to Jervice."
"Sure I will. You can talk a book into his ear if you like. But thatain't sayin' as he'll say anything to you."
The sheriff had guessed correctly. Mr. J. Jervice was singularlyuncommunicative.
"What's meanin' of 'Twin Elms' and 'Deep Springs'?" asked Chick-chick.
Mr. Jervice shook his head at such foolishness.
"You won't get any good out of it," insisted the inquisitive boy. "Giveme your chart now and I'll use influence with Judge to get you easysentence, I will."
Mr. Jervice shook his head and turned away.
"What's that young fool saying about 'Twin Elms' and 'Deep Springs'?"asked the big leader.
Mr. Jervice muttered something in reply.
"You take it from me, young feller," said the man, angrily. "The thingyou'd orter do is to git them names out o' your mind. They ain't no suchplaces."
Chick-chick went back to receive the adulation of the camp but he wasnot satisfied.