CHAPTER XXIV
CONCLUSION
"There's somebody climbing over the train," called one of thesearchers to the train manager.
All hands turned, gazing off toward Phil. He swung his handstoward them, whereat they recognized the lad and went on abouttheir work.
"Wonder they saw even me!" grumbled the lad, moving slowly along.It seemed almost impossible that one could hide on a trainlike that. Here and there men were sleeping under the wagons,and Phil made it his business to get a look into the face ofeach of them. Not a man did he find who bore the slightestresemblance to Red Larry or Bad Eye.
"It doesn't look very promising, I must say," he muttered,jumping lightly from one flat car to another.
Phil had searched faithfully until finally he reached a "flat"just behind that on which stood the great gilded band wagon.Now, under its covering of heavy canvas, none of its gaudytrimmings were to be seen.
Phil sat down on the low projection at the side of the flat car,eyeing the band wagon suspiciously.
Somehow he could not rid himself of the impression that thatwagon would bear scrutiny.
"I'll bet they never looked into it. Last year when we were aroad show, I remember how the men used to sleep in there and howTeddy got thrown out when he walked on somebody's face," and Phillaughed softly at the memory. "I'm going to climb up there."
To do this was not an easy matter, for the band wagon seemed toloom above him like a tent. The canvas stretched over it,extending clear down to the wheels, to which it was securedby ropes. The only way the Circus Boy could get up into thewagon seemed to be to crawl under the canvas at the bottom andgradually to work his way up.
"I'm going to try it," he decided all at once. "Of coursethey didn't look into it. Maybe they are afraid they willfind someone. Well, here goes! If I fall off that will be thelast of me, but I am not going to fall. I ought to be able toclimb by this time if I'm ever going to."
Phil got up promptly, glanced toward the long train that waswinding its way up the steep mountain, then stepped acrossthe intervening space between the two cars. He wasted no time,but immediately lifted the canvas and peered along the side ofthe wagon.
He discovered that he would have to go to the forward end of itin order to reach the top, because the steps were at that end.There the canvas was drawn tighter, so the lad untied one of theropes, leaving one corner of the covering flapping in the breeze.
Cautiously and quietly he began climbing up, the wagon swayingdizzily with the motion of the train, making it more and moredifficult to cling to it as he got nearer the top. The air wasclose, and soon after the boy began going up, the sun beat downon the canvas cover suffocatingly.
Now he had reached the top. High seats intervened between himand the other end, so that he could not see far ahead of him.Phil dropped down into the wagon and began creeping towardthe rear.
He stumbled over some properties that had been stowed in thewagon, making a great clatter. Instantly there was a commotionin the other end of the car.
Phil scrambled up quickly and crawled over the high seat aheadof him. As he did so he uttered an exclamation. The red head ofRed Larry could be seen, his beady eyes peering over the back ofa seat.
"I've got you this time, Red!" exulted Phil, clambering over theseat in such a hurry that he fell in a heap on the other sideof it.
The lad seemed to have no sense that he was placing himself ingrave peril. He had no fear in his makeup, and his every nervewas centered on capturing the desperate, revengeful man who hadnot only assaulted Phil, but who had caused so much damage to theSparling Shows.
"Don't you dare come near me, you young cub!" threatened Red,as with rage-distorted face he suddenly whipped out a knife.
Phil picked up a club and started toward him. The club happenedto be a tent stake. Red observed the action, and crouching lowwaited as the lad approached him.
"I'm going to get you, Red! I'm not afraid of your knife.You can't touch me with it because before you get the chanceI'm going to slam you over the head with this tent stake,"grinned Phil Forrest.
Red snarled and showed his teeth.
"Oh, you needn't think you can get away. The men are hunting foryou further up the train. They'll be along here in a minute, andthen I reckon you'll be tied up and dumped into the lion cage,though I don't think even a lion would eat such a mean hound asyou are."
Suddenly the man straightened up. Now, he held something in hishand besides the knife. It was a stake.
Red drew back his arm, hurling the heavy stick straight at hisyoung adversary's head. Phil, observing the movement letdrive his own tent stake, but having to throw so hurriedly, hisaim was poor. Red Larry's aim, on the other hand was better.Phil dodged like a flash.
Had he not done so the stake would have struck him squarely inthe face. As it was the missile grazed the side of his head,causing the lad to fall in a heap.
Red Larry hesitated only for a second, then leaping to the highrear seat of the wagon drew his knife along the canvas above him,opening a great slit in it. Through the opening thus made hepeered cautiously. What he saw evidently convinced him of thetruth of what Phil had just said. Up toward the head of thetrain the searchers were at work, and from what Red had heard herealized they were looking for him.
Red did not delay a second. He scrambled out through the canvasjust as Phil pulled himself to his feet. The lad could see thefellow's legs dangling through the canvas.
Phil uttered a yell, hurling himself wildly over the high-backedseats in an effort to catch and hold the legs ere Red couldget out. But Larry heard him coming, and quickly clambered downthe back of the wagon to the deck of the flat car.
Phil once more grabbed up his own tent stake as he stumbled backthrough the wagon.
"I've got you!" yelled the boy as he pulled himself up throughthe opening, observing Red standing hesitatingly on the flat carwith a frightened look in his eyes.
"Hi! Hi!" cried Phil, turning and gesticulating wildly at themen further up the train "I've got him! Hurry! I--"
Something sang by his head and dropped quivering in the canvasbeyond him. It was the discharged tentman's knife which he hadaimed at Phil, his aim having been destroyed by a lurch of thecar, thus saving the Circus Boy's life.
"Want to kill me, do you? I've got you now! The men are coming.Don't you dare move or I'll drop this stake on you. I can't missyou this time."
Red after one hesitating glance, faced the front and leaped fromthe train down the long, sloping cinder-covered bank.
Phil let drive his tent stake. It caught Red on the shoulder,bowling the rascal over like a nine pin.
Phil Forrest uttered a yell of exultation, suddenly dropping tothe floor of the car at the imminent risk of his life.
The men were now piling over the cars in his direction. He didnot know whether they had seen Red jump or not. Phil did notwaste any time in idle speculation.
"Come on!" he shouted, springing to the edge of the car,keeping himself from falling by grasping a wheel of the wagon.
Then Phil Forrest did a daring thing. Crouching low,choosing his time unerringly, he jumped from the train.Fortunately for him, the cars were running slowly up theheavy grade. But, slowly as they were going, the lad turnedseveral rapid handsprings after having struck the ground,coming to a stop halfway down the slope, somewhat dazedfrom the shock and sudden whirling about.
But he was on his feet in a twinkling, and running toward thespot where Red was painfully picking himself up. Phil slippedand stumbled as the cinders gave way beneath his feet but ranon with a grim determination not to let his man escape himthis time.
Both were now weaponless, so far as the lad knew. Red hadpossessed a revolver, but in his sudden jump from the train hehad lost it, and there was now no time to look for it.
When he saw Phil pursuing, Larry started on a run, but the lad,much more fleet of foot, rapidly overhauled him, despite thehandicap that Phil had at the start.<
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"You may as well give up! I'm going to catch you, if I have torun all the way across the Sierra Nevada Range," shouted Phil.
Red halted suddenly. Phil thought he was going to wait for him,but the lad did not slacken his speed a bit because of that.
All at once, as Phil drew near, Red picked up a stone and hurledit at his pursuer. Phil saw it coming in time to "duck," and itwas well he did so, for Larry's aim was good.
"He must have been a baseball pitcher at sometime," grinnedthe lad. However, the fellow continued to throw until Phil sawthat he must do something to defend himself else he would surelybe hit and perhaps put out of the race altogether.
"So that's your game is it?" shouted the boy. "I canplay ball, too."
With that the lad coolly began hunting about for stones, of whichhe gathered up quite an armful, choosing those that were mostnearly round. In the meantime Red had kept up his bombardment,Phil dodging the stones skillfully. Then he too, began to throw,gradually drawing nearer and nearer to his adversary.
A small stone caught Phil a glancing blow on the left shouldercausing him to drop his ammunition. He could scarcely repress acry, for the blow hurt him terribly. He wondered if his shoulderhad not been broken, but fortunately he had received only asevere bruise.
It served, however, to stir Phil to renewed activity.Grabbing all the stones he could gather in one sweep of hishands he started on a run toward Red Larry, letting one drivewith every jump. They showered around the desperate man like arain of hail.
All at once Larry uttered a yell of pain and anger. One ofPhil's missiles had landed in the pit of the fellow's stomach.Larry doubled up like a jacknife, and, dropping suddenly, rolledrapidly toward the foot of the slope.
Phil, still clinging to his weapons, ran as fast as his slenderlegs would carry him in pursuit of his man.
"I hit him! I hit him!" he yelled.
In a moment he came up with Larry, but the lad prudently stoppeda rod from his adversary to make sure that the fellow was notplaying him a trick. One glance sufficed to tell Phil that theman had really been hit.
"I hope he isn't much hurt, but I'm not going to take anychances."
Phil jerked off his coat and began ripping it up, regardless ofthe fact that it was his best. With the strands thus secured, heapproached his prisoner cautiously, then suddenly jumped on him.
Larry was not able to give more than momentary resistance.Inside of three minutes Phil had the fellow's hands tied securelybehind his back. Gathering the stones about him in case of need,the lad sat down and wiped the perspiration from his brow.
"I guess that about puts an end to your tricks, my fine fellow,"announced Phil.
The train had been finally stopped, and a force of men now dashedback along the tracks. They had been in time to view the lasthalf of the battle of the stones, and when Red went down they setup a loud triumphant yell. In a few minutes they had reached thescene and had taken the prisoner in tow.
The train was at the top of the grade waiting, so the show peopleand their captive were obliged to walk fully a mile to reach it.Mr. Sparling, attracted by the uproar, had rushed from hisprivate car. He now met the party a little way down the tracks.
"I got him!" cried Phil, when he saw the owner approaching.
Red was carried to the next stop on the circus train. He wasnot much hurt and had fully recovered before noon of that day,much to Phil's relief, for he felt very badly that he had beenobliged to resort to stone throwing. The lad would havepreferred to use his fists. But, as the result of the capture,Red Larry was put where he would bother circus trains no more forsome years. He was sentenced to a long term in prison.
The Great Sparling Shows moved on, playing in a few moretowns, and, one beautiful morning drew up at the city by theGolden Gate. There the circus remained for a week, when the showclosed for the season. But the lads were a long way from home,toward which they now looked longingly.
Mr. Sparling invited them to return with him in his private carwhich was to cross the continent attached to regular passengertrains, the show proper following at its leisure.
This invitation both boys accepted gladly, and during the tripthere were many long discussions between the three as to thefuture of the Circus Boys. They had worked hard during theseason and had won new laurels on the tanbark. But they had notyet reached the pinnacle of their success in the canvas-coveredarena, though each had saved, as the result of his season's work,nearly twelve hundred dollars.
Phil and Teddy will be heard from again in a following volumeentitled: "THE CIRCUS BOYS IN DIXIE LAND; Or, Winning thePlaudits of the Sunny South." Here they are destined to meetwith some of the pleasantest as well as the most thrillingexperiences of their circus career, in which both have manyopportunities to show their grit and resourcefulness.
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