CHAPTER XVIII. THE THIEF UNDER THE BED.
"Hey, what's that, Tubby?"
It was Hiram who whispered this in a rather hoarse and strained voice. Hehad managed to just barely overhear what the fat scout was telling Rob,and could hardly believe his ears.
Rob instantly held up a warning finger. His face looked serious for,while after all it might prove that Tubby's imagination was playingtricks with him, there were circumstances that gave the matter asuspicious look.
Some one had certainly been in their rooms turning things upside-down, asthough searching for articles of value, or with the intention of creatingas much havoc and confusion as possible.
Besides this, had they not already concluded that this person must havebeen disturbed in his vandal work? They believed he had fled, but afterall it was possible that, hearing them at the door, he had made theutmost haste to conceal himself in the first hiding place available,which was under one of the beds.
Rob had to think quickly.
The man must be a desperate rascal or he would never have taken thechances he did in entering their apartments bent on such work.Consequently he would, of course, be armed, and if given half a chance,might make things exceedingly disagreeable for the four scouts.
What should be done?
Hiram was already pointing toward the house telephone, as thoughsuggesting the use of it to bring help from below. Rob shook his head toindicate that the plan did not seem to appeal to him when there might bea better one to adopt.
They were four in number, and pretty husky fellows in the bargain, who intimes past had accomplished quite a few feats worth mentioning. It wouldbe too bad if a squad of scouts of their caliber and experience could notmanage in some way to smother a single concealed thief.
Of course, by this time, Andy had come to realize that there wassomething very exciting and mysterious going on. He wanted to burst outwith a plain question, and ask Rob what it was all about; but reading thesignification of that upraised finger, and the frown on the scoutleader's face, he simply put out a hand and rested it on Rob's sleevewhile a pleading expression gripped his face.
Taking pity on Andy, and believing that they must all work together ifthey expected to accomplish anything, Rob bent over and whispered in hisear.
"Somebody's hiding under the bed, Tubby says. Now laugh out loud asthough we were having a joke; that is to keep him quiet a while longer."
Fortunately Andy Bowles was quick-witted enough to grasp the peculiarsituation. He understood just why Rob wanted him to make it appear asthough things were moving along as usual, and that no suspicion had beenaroused.
So Andy laughed. If there was a queer, husky touch to the sounds heemitted to order surely Andy could hardly be blamed, for he must havebeen quivering all over just then from hysterical excitement.
Rob drew the heads of Tubby and Andy down close to his mouth. They knewhe meant to issue instructions, and hence eagerly strained their hearingso that not a single syllable might be lost. Meanwhile Hiram was standingnear by, and busily engaged in taking off his khaki coat which, beingquite new, he evidently did not mean to have mussed in any rough andtumble work.
At another time Rob would have smiled to see Hiram carefully folding hiscoat and then softly depositing it on the bed that was held undersuspicion; but it did not cause a ripple of amusement to cross hisserious face now.
"You and Tubby pass around to the other side of the bed, and try to actas if you were cutting up," Rob whispered. "Keep your eyes on me, andwhen I give the word lay hold of his legs and yank him out. Tubby, wedepend on you to keep him from getting to his feet; squash him ifnecessary. Get that, both of you?"
Both heads eagerly nodded an affirmative reply. The plan was so extremelysimple that there did not seem to be any possibility of confusion.
Tubby's face was not quite so rosy as usual, perhaps, but no one couldsay he looked frightened in the least. He immediately started some"horse-play" with Andy, laughing as he pushed the other around the footof the bed so that they could presently bring up on the other side.
Taking advantage of the very first opportunity, Tubby, even whilecontinuing to pretend to wrestle with Andy, pointed a finger downward.Knowing what this was meant for, Andy ducked his head in order to alsoget a glimpse of the object the fat boy considered so suspicious.
Meanwhile Rob and Hiram were holding themselves in readiness to jumparound to any point where they could make their presence count. Theformer was keeping an anxious eye on Tubby and Andy. When he saw thelatter make that quick movement, Rob knew what it meant, and understoodthat considerable would depend on how Andy came to decide.
So Rob fairly held his breath awaiting the verdict. If after all Tubbyhad allowed his imagination to get the better of him, and had mistakensome simple object for a pair of shoes under the bed, Andy's keen eyeswould quickly detect the illusion, and they might expect to hear him givea roar of amusement.
Nothing of the kind happened, it turned out. Instead of this, when Andyonce more straightened up he nodded his head toward Rob in a way thatcould have only one meaning--he was ready to risk his reputation forveracity along with Tubby in admitting that the facts looked suspicious.
That settled the matter with Rob. They must combine to make a suddenassault on the concealed thief and try to overpower him before he couldplace himself in a condition to do them harm.
Like a wise general, the scout leader took one last look around in orderto see that his forces were all in their respective positions before hegave the signal that would precipitate action.
Andy, impatient to get busy, made a significant gesture, opening andshutting both hands rapidly, while a faint grin could be seen on hisface. This was intended to convey the intelligence that he was eager tolay hold on the lower extremities of the sneak thief cowering under thebed, and start to drag him out from his place of concealment.
There was no need of any further delay, and so Rob made a quick movementwith his hand, at the same time exclaiming:
"Now's your time; get him!"
Before the last word had been uttered Andy was bending down and hurlinghimself part-way under the bed. He immediately began to back out, tuggingwith all his strength at something upon which he had pounced.
Tubby also took hold and united his power with that of the other scout.They made short work of it, once that combination got started. Out fromunder the bed they dragged a struggling figure that was scratching,clawing and trying in every possible way to swing around so that he wouldnot be taken at such a terrible disadvantage.
By that time Rob and Hiram had managed to arrive, the latter scramblingdirectly across the bed in his hurry to get into action.
There was a lively little scene for a brief interval, with all of themtrying to keep those kicking legs and violently driven arms pinned down.
A few blows were given in the struggle, and not all on one side, sinceAndy had a thrust in the eye that made the tears come, and Tubby receiveda kick which forced a grunt from his lungs.
Whoever the fellow might be he evidently was convinced that his conditionwas desperate, judging from the wild way he fought, to break away, withthe intention of bolting from the room.
In the midst of the _melee_ Tubby settled the affair in a unique way allhis own, and which none of the others could have imitated even thoughthey sought to do so.
He simply allowed himself to sit down squarely on the squirming figurewith which they had been battling so fiercely. When that heavyweightsettled down, it was like a stone wagon dropping into a hole in the road.They heard a gasp from the unfortunate wretch underneath, whose strugglesimmediately began to lose much of their former vigor.
It happened that at the time the thief was lying on his stomach, so thatTubby perched on his back, which might have been broken had the fellowbeen less sturdily built.
After that there was really nothing more for the others to do; Tubby wasequal to the task of keeping his victim pinn
ed there in spite of anythingthe wretched fellow might try to do.
It was then they heard him wheezing as though short of breath, and sawhis hand moving as if in abject appeal.
"I give up! I'm all in! Please don't kill me, Rob and Andy! Won't you letTubby get up off my back; he's smashing my ribs, I tell you!"
Rob, Andy and Hiram stared at each other as though they hardly knewwhether they could be awake or dreaming. Why, the squirming wretch whomthey found hidden under the bed, and who had undoubtedly been searchingtheir effects with robbery in view, had actually mentioned the name ofRob and that of Andy. Yes, he had even begged that Tubby be restrainedbefore he utterly crushed his back and sides!
It gave them one of the greatest surprises in all their experience; forhow a common hotel sneak thief should know who they were, and addressthem so familiarly, was past their comprehension.
Tubby, too, looked astounded, though he made no move to get up inresponse to the pitiful wheeze of the wretch he was pinning to the floor.Perhaps it filtered through the slow-moving brain of the fat scout thatthis might be only one of those clever tricks known to sharpers, andentered into simply to gain some advantage.
Rob knew differently. There seemed to be something about that whine onthe part of the prisoner that was familiar, though on the spur of themoment Rob could not have told where he had last heard it.
Accustomed to prompt action, the scout leader motioned to Andy and Hiramto hold themselves in readiness to seize upon the fellow's arms, and inthis manner keep him from taking advantage of his newly acquired freedomwhen Tubby arose.
"Now you can get up, Tubby!" said Rob.
Tubby thereupon gave one of his satisfied grunts and commenced to rolloff his human cushion for, as a rule, when he wished to gain his feet,like the elephant he resembled in many ways, the fat boy had to get uponhis knees first of all, and then make a further effort.
"Turn him over, Andy, Hiram; and if he tries any funny business he'llwish he hadn't, that's all!" Rob told the others, who immediately startedto obey.
"Oh, believe me, I've had enough as it is, Rob! I hope you won't be toohard on me this time! I was wild to get back home, and that's the truth,"the fellow was crying as Andy and Hiram turned him on his back.
The former bent down to stare into the thief's face. Rob fairly held hisbreath, awaiting the explosion something told him was due. Nor was hemistaken, for Andy drew back, uttering exclamations of wonder.
"Why, who d'ye believe it is," he burst out, "but that sneak of a JaredApplegate who had to skip out of Hampton when things got too hot for him,and who you last ran across when you were down in Mexico? Rob, he's up tohis old tricks of trying to steal what belongs to others. Say, this isone of the biggest surprises that ever came our way. Old HiramApplegate's bad boy, and a common hotel thief!"