CHAPTER VI. BASEBALL.
"Of course they guessed how we made our escape, Rob."
Merritt spoke as the two lads lay crouched in the thick brush far removedfrom harm's way.
"Naturally. The fresh breaks in the roof would show them that. But,beyond that, they are none the wiser as to our identity, of which I amheartily glad."
"I can understand that. You don't like the look of things."
"Merritt," Rob spoke very soberly, laying his hand on the other's arm,"it looks to me as if we've stumbled on a monumental plot against UncleSam's canal. I don't know much of politics, but I do know enough torealize that there is a certain South American republic that thinks thatthe Canal Zone was stolen from her by trickery and deceit. I'm sorry tosay, too, that I've heard that there are interests right here in theStates that agree with her--people who think that the opening of thecanal will result in enormous losses to freight, and who would like tosee the canal completion delayed at all costs."
"I see. You think that the two dark men were representatives of thatrepublic you mentioned."
"I _know_ one of them was," snapped Rob; "he is its representative atWashington."
"Wow! Say, Rob, this is a big thing we've stumbled upon. We must bring itto the attention of the proper authorities."
"That's our duty as Scouts."
"Of course. But what steps do you propose to take?"
"I don't just know yet. We must see Mr. Mainwaring, of course, first. Itwill be for him to decide. But--horrors, Merritt!--we've forgotten allabout Tubby. He's asleep in the rig. Look, Jared and his friends arepiling into the auto. If they go down that road they are sure to discoverhim. They may do him some injury."
But the next instant both the anxious lads drew a sigh of relief. Insteadof taking the by-road, the auto struck off across lots along a barelyperceptible and weed-grown track. In a few moments it was out of sightand the coast was clear. Then, and not till then, the two Boy Scouts setout to rejoin Tubby. They found that rotund youth blissfully sleeping,while the old nag cropped grass at the roadside. They awakened theirstout comrade and soon took the lees of sleep out of his eyes by relatingall that had passed within the last hour. Tubby heartily agreed that thefirst thing to be done was to put Mr. Mainwaring on his guard.
Naturally there was no more thought of bill posting, and filled with asense of the duty that lay before them the three Boy Scouts drove rapidlyback to Hampton. But there a disappointment awaited them. Mr. Mainwaringhad been called away on business. He had gone west and would not be backfor a week or more. So for the present the scene in the barn had to beforgotten, while more immediate matters were attended to. During theensuing week nothing was seen of Jared, but the Saturday afternoon of thegame found him "warming up" on the ball field with the orange and blackof the Hampton team on his back.
Rob and Merritt fairly boiled over with indignation as they watched him.But they decided not to say anything to him that might put him on hisguard.
"We'll give him all the rope he wants," declared Rob. Later he wasbitterly to regret the adoption of this policy.
The grounds began to fill up early. The game aroused widespread interestin that section of Long Island. As the local paper put it, "red-hot ball"was looked for. Enthusiastic young ladies were there by the score, wavingflags from the bunches on sale about the field by hawkers. Thegrand-stand filled early. Rob's team-mates noticed his eyes frequentlystraying in that direction.
"Looking for Lucy Mainwaring," whispered Tubby to Merritt with a grin onhis round and blooming countenance.
Finally the game was called and soon both teams were on the field. Hiram,captain of the Eagles, won the toss and chose to go to bat first. Thegame was started. Nelson promptly struck out. He could not help making awry face as he threw down the willow.
A broad grin was on Jared's face. He went through all sorts of antics, asAndy Bowles came to bat with a look of grim determination on his face.
Jared was good; that was a fact which admitted no blinking, as the Eagleshad to acknowledge. Andy was given first base on balls, tried to stealsecond, was thrown out and retired disgruntled to the bench. The Hamptonrooters began to give their war cry. The Eagle supporters replied to itbravely. It was early in the game to be making any predictions. Rob wasthird batter. He struck out. Jared's delight was ill-concealed.
"I'll shut 'em out," he bragged loudly, not caring who heard. "I'll showthe tin soldiers some pitching."
The Eagle supporters had to admit that things did not look very roseate,but they consoled themselves by recollecting the fact that practicallythe game had only begun.
Hampton now went to the bat. Merritt occupied the pitcher's box. He hadinjured his arm somewhat in practice, but it was agreed, after aconsultation, to put him up as first pitcher, holding Rob in reserve tillthey got the Hampton's gait. Merritt showed wonderful form. In one, two,three order he struck out Hampton's batters, including Jared.
Great was the delight of the Eagles and their friends.
"Good boy, Merritt! Good for you! Kr-e-e-e-ee-ee!" was heard on all sidesas the Hamptons came running out to take their positions in the field.
Merritt felt a glow of pleasure as Rob congratulated him.
"I hope I can keep it up," was all he said.
"I hope so, too; but I'd like to have a chance at Jared," responded Rob.
The Eagles now came to the bat, Rob leading. Rob was not only a goodpitcher but a sure batter. Whiz-z came Jared's ball. Rob met it andpromptly drove a humming liner into right field. It was a safe base hit.
"Oh, you Eagles!" chanted the crowd; those of them who were not lined upfor Hampton, that is.
Rob watched his chance and stole second, to the huge delight of his teamsupporters. An ugly look was on Jared's face. The next batter, Merritt,received first base on four balls. Cheers and yells greeted this. Jared'scountenance grew blacker and blacker. He bit his lip impatiently.
Suddenly Rob played dangerously off second base. The Hampton secondbaseman was close to him. It was a daring move. Jared saw it in a flash.The catcher's signal came. He threw the ball to the Hampton short stop onsecond base.
But Jared's chagrin at the way his pitching was being "knocked about"unsteadied his aim. He threw wild. The ball passed above the short stop'soutstretched finger tips. Rob darted off for third base like a jackrabbit.
The right fielder got the ball and shot it to third base, but, althoughthe ball and Rob seemed to arrive simultaneously, Rob was hugging the bagcontentedly in the nick of time. This was a quick, stirring bit of playand brought yells from the crowd, among whom criticisms of Jared werefreely expressed. He grew pale with rage and chagrin.
Paul Perkins now came to bat. The dreamy lad struck out. His apparentunconcern made the crowd laugh. They laughed even more when Tubby, havingstruck out also, calmly picked up a bit of pie he had been munching whenhe came to bat and marched to his seat contentedly chewing it.
At this stage of the game two were out, Merritt was on second and Rob onthird.
Now came the turn of Ernest Thompson, a big-eyed, serious-looking lad,one of the first recruits to the Eagle standard and a first-class scout.Jared was now on the broad grin. Thompson looked easy.
"Look out, baby-face," chuckled Jared, poising himself.
An in-curve shot from his hand. Ernest gazed at it in an uninterestedmanner and allowed it to go by.
"Strike one!" came the sonorous voice of the umpire, who was Sim Giles,the postmaster.
"Oh-h-h-h-h!" yelled the crowd.
The next ball was of the same character. This time Ernest struck at theball. He missed and the crowd yelled again. Jared began to regainself-confidence.
"Strike two," was the cry.
The third ball was high.
"Ball one," declared Sim.
Then came an out-curve. But it was too far out. Jared was a rather raggedpitcher.
"Ball two," called Sim.
Suddenly Jared th
rew to third base. But, quick as he was, he didn't catchRob off.
"How's that?" yelled Higgins, the Hampton third baseman, as he touchedRob.
The umpire merely waved his hand in what he deemed a professional manner.
"A thousand years late," chuckled Rob to Higgins.
Jared heard him and flashed him an ugly look. Hatred gleamed in his eyes.Rob watched him narrowly and again stole off third.
Bang!--came a swift straight ball at the dreamy Ernest. But he was not in"a trance," as Jared had scornfully thought. Crack!--went a hot grounderto short stop. Merritt stood fast at second, but Rob, like an arrow froma bow, shot off for home. The short stop fired in the sphere to thecatcher as quickly as he could. But before the ball got there, Rob, hislegs working like pistons, had passed the home plate.
What a roar went up then! Flags waved and cheers resounded among theEagle sympathizers.
As the cheering died away the catcher, Hollis Powers, walked into thediamond to confer with Jared, who showed by his passionate gestures thathe was mad clear through.
"Look out or they'll knock you out of the box," yelled some one.
This did not tend to improve Jared's temper. But, nevertheless, he struckout the next batter, Simon Jeffords, which helped in part to restore hisbalance. The Eagles then retired to the field.
"How do you feel, Merritt?" was eagerly asked by his comrades before hetook the pitcher's box.
"All right, so far. You'll know soon enough when my wing gets sore," wasthe reply.
Apparently Rob was not destined to pitch that day. Merritt struck out thefirst two batters, fielded a hot liner and threw out Jared before he gotto first base. Jared was certainly piling up his list of grievancesagainst the Boy Scouts. To add to his ill-feeling he had recognized FredMainwaring, nodded to the latter and received the cut direct. The factthat Lucy Mainwaring was a witness to this snub did not improve matters.
"Good boy, Merritt!" yelled the Eagle supporters in a frenzy of delight.
The third inning commenced with the Eagles at the bat. But now Jaredappeared to have on his throwing clothes. The Scout batters couldn'thammer his pitching at all.
In fact, all that occurred while they succeeded each other at the bat wasa monotonous succession of calls from the umpire:
"Strike one. Strike two. You're out."
The Hampton villagers began to pluck up heart. They gave Jared warmsupport and cheers for his really excellent work and that of histeam-mates. To the somewhat blank astonishment of the Eagles, they hadnot been able to find Jared's pitching at all in this inning. It began tolook as if they were by no means to have things their own way.