CHAPTER VIII.
BOB ESCAPES--ALMOST
About noon Reed came up bringing Bob's dinner, consisting of potatoes,trout, evidently caught nearby, and a glass of milk. "You better makethe best of this," he said, "I'll tell you now that you won't getanother bite to eat till you tell us what we want to know."
Bob gave a sudden start. "So, that's your game, is it?" he asked.
"Yes, that's our game, and as you look like a pretty good feeder, Iguess it won't take long."
"Perhaps not," said Bob, as Reed left.
Poor Bob! He ate up every crumb of his dinner. The prospect was darkenough, to say the least, but he had not lost heart, for an idea hadoccurred to him which he intended to put into practice that night. Asthere was nothing else to do he spent the time lying on the cotthinking. About three o'clock, King looked in.
"Ready to tell us?" he asked.
"Not yet," was Bob's reply.
"All right, just as you say. I suppose the old saying, that you canlead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, holds in yourcase, but if this horse don't drink pretty soon, he'll wish he'd neverbeen born." Then, after a moment's pause, he continued, in a kindertone: "Come now, boy, what's the use? We've got all the trump in thisgame and you've got to give in sooner or later, so why not do it nowand save yourself trouble?"
"You seem to be on top just at present, for a fact," agreed Bob, "butjust the same I'm not going to give in just now." King mutteredsomething about him soon wishing he had and left the room.
That night he got no supper. Now, going without his meals did not, inthe least, agree with Bob's disposition, at any time, and now he hadmuch more than hunger to rouse his anger, and by eleven o'clock, hewas, as he put it to himself, fighting mad.
"I haven't heard any dogs and I don't believe they've got any," hethought. "Anyhow, I'm going to run the risk if I can get through thatdoor." Fortunately, he had not been searched and as he had a goodstrong jackknife, it had occurred to him that he might cut a hole inthe door large enough to get his hand through. He waited till oneo'clock, and then began his attack. It was pretty hard cutting, as itwas spruce, but he kept steadily at it and in about an hour had asmall hole through, and another half hour of hard cutting enabled himto enlarge it sufficiently to pass his hand through, turn the key andslip back the bolt. "Now for it," he thought. "If they've got a dogI'll give him the fight of his life."
Cautiously, he crept down the stairs, which creaked a little in spiteof his efforts, holding the open knife in his hand. He finally reachedthe bottom without any mishap and, so far as he could tell, withoutbeing heard. Unlocking the door, he stepped softly out on the porch.It was a beautiful starlight night and, although there was no moon, itdid not seem very dark. Bob was just beginning to feel easier, when heheard a low growl and, looking round, he saw a huge mastiff eyeing hima few feet away. "Good dog," he whispered, thinking he might makefriends with him, but the brute continued to growl and slowly creptnearer.
Bob saw that he was about to spring and braced himself for the attack.As the dog jumped, the boy drew back his right foot, and with apowerful kick caught him fairly in the stomach. With a low whine ofpain, the dog fell back and without giving him time to recover, Bobsprang forward and, seizing him by the throat, plunged the knife bladeto the handle in his side. The dog gave one howl and stiffened out.
"One enemy the less," thought Bob as he rose to his feet, but he wasnot to get off so easily, for just then the door opened and Reedstepped out.
"Thunder and lightning," he gasped, "How'd you get out."
Bob did not stop to explain, but jumping off the porch and started ona run down the path.
"Quick, Jim, he's getting away," shouted Reed, as he started after theescaping boy.
Bob was a fast runner, but he was sadly handicapped by not knowingwhich way to go in the darkness, and the path was rough. Still, hemight have escaped had he not met with a mishap. He had not gone morethan a hundred yards, when his foot caught in a vine, and he fellforward on his face, his knife flying from his hand. Before he couldpick himself up and start again, Reed was upon him. Bob did not intendto submit to capture a second time if he could help it, and, as he wascaught round the body, he gave a sudden squirm, which broke Reed'shold, instantly drawing back his right arm, he struck out with all hisstrength. The blow was a heavy one, and caught Reed fairly on thenose, making him grunt with pain. It did not, however, put him out ofthe fight, and before Bob could turn and run, he felt a stinging blowon the ear, which dazed him for a second. He quickly recovered, andgrabbing Reed, tried his best to force him to the ground.
Although a small man, he was no means weak, and the struggle wagedfast and furiously. Finally, Bob succeeded in getting a half nelsonround his neck, and the next instant Reed felt himself hurled to theground, which he struck with tremendous force. All the fight wasknocked out of him, and once more Bob started to run, but alas for hishopes, he was too late, for just then King appeared on the scene.
Bob was so nearly exhausted by this time, that he could make butlittle headway, and soon King grabbed him round the neck and bore himto the ground. He realized that it would be useless to struggleagainst this man, for he was almost a giant in strength.
"So you thought you'd give us the slip, did you? Well, you're a slickone, that's a fact, and you're no coward either, but really we can'tdispense with your company yet awhile," said the man as he dragged Bobto his feet.
By this time Reed had managed to get on his feet. "D---- the brat," hegrowled, "he's strong as a moose. My nose is bleeding like a stuckpig, and it feels as though half my bones were broken."
"Well, Bill, we can't blame the kid for trying to get away, but itbeats me how he got out of that room, and, say, what was that dogdoing? Guess he's no good."
"I don't think he is much good any more," Bob couldn't help saying."You'll find him on the porch."
"If you've killed that dog, I'll take it out of your hide," growledReed.
"Easy there, Bill," admonished King, "I won't have the kid ill-treatedfor trying to get away and defending himself, and, if he had to killthe dog to do it, he had a right to. I admire bravery wherever I seeit, but we'll fix things after this so that he won't have a chance toshow his spunk to such good advantage."
While talking, the two men had been leading Bob back to the house.Seeing the dog on the porch, Reed turned him over; "Well he's done forall right, confound him. I wouldn't have taken one hundred dollars forthat dog," he said.
"Come on now," urged King, "We'll see to him in the morning. I want tofind out how this kid got out of that room."
Reaching the top of the stairs and holding up the lantern, which hehad grabbed up from the porch, the method was plainly apparent.
"Well I'll be switched," said King. "Bill we ought to be ashamed ofourselves not to have searched him. I never thought of him having aknife that he could cut through that door with. You go down and get aboard and some nails, and we'll soon have this fixed."
The hole was boarded over, plenty of nails being used, and as he drovethe last one, King said, "Now I'll look him over and see if he hasanything else he can use."
Bob knew it would be useless to resist, and so allowed himself to besearched, but nothing was found which they considered dangerous.
"I guess, Bill, one of us had better stay up the rest of the night,"said King, as he finished his search. "I don't see how he could getaway again, but we won't take any chances."
As they were about to leave the room, Bob asked, "Can't you give mesomething to eat? I'm awfully hungry."
"Sure thing," replied King. "There's a fine mess of trout downstairs,which Bill caught this afternoon, and I can boil some potatoes in notime. You just tell us what we want to know, and I'll have you a finemeal in less than half an hour."
But Bob was not yet ready to give up. "Never mind," he said, "I guessI'm not so hungry as I thought I was."
They went out and he heard them go down the stairs. Throwing himselfon the cot he groaned, "
Oh dear, to come so near to getting away andthen fail. But," he thought, "I did my best, and I'll bet Reed's nosewill be sore for a few days. If that blow had only caught him on thechin, I might have made it before King got there."
He lay for a long time thinking how he could foil his captors.Suddenly, he sprang up. "Why not?" he said to himself. "It may work ifI can carry through the bluff. Anyhow, it'll be better than starvinghere, and I'm going to try it."
Having decided on a line of action, he once more threw himself on thecot and was soon asleep.
No one came near him till nearly ten o'clock that morning, and by thattime, Bob felt, as he expressed it, as though the bottom of hisstomach had fallen out.
"How goes it?" was King's greeting, as he entered the room, "Gettingpretty hungry?"
"Hungry!" growled Bob, "If you don't look out I may eat you up."
King laughed, "What's the use of sticking it out any longer?" heasked. "You've got to give in or starve."
"I'm beginning to think that's so," replied Bob, "I did intend tostick it out, but I'm too hungry."
"That's the way to talk. Now you tell me all about it, and then I'llbring you up a good dinner. But mind now," he added, "if you don'ttell it straight, I'll--I'll, well, your folks will never have thepleasure of seeing you again, that's all."
"Well now, see here," began Bob, "I can't tell you how to make thatcell so that you could do it."
"Can't? Why not?" demanded King.
"Because," continued Bob, "the success of it depends on thetemperature at which the metals composing the caps are put together,and that point can be determined only by the looks of them, and Icouldn't possibly describe it so that any one could detect the rightpoint."
"Then how are you going to work it?"
"Why, didn't you say that you have a laboratory in Boston?"
"Yes, but what of it?"
"Well, why not take me there and let me make it for you?"
King thought a moment and then said, "I don't altogether like thatidea, but I'll talk it over with Bill and see what he says."
As he was leaving the room, Bob added, "That's the best I can do. If Ishould tell you about it, and then you failed, you would blame me, andI'd have to suffer for it."
King was gone about half an hour, and when he returned, he brought agood dinner with him.
"We've decided to take you up, and here's your dinner," he said. "Butnow listen to me. My future depends on this thing; how, is none ofyour business, but I'd rather die than fail, so if you try any funnybusiness, you can know what to expect."
"How soon shall we start?" asked Bob.
"We shall start, in the car, as soon as it is dark."
"I don't know," thought Bob, after King had left the room, "whetherI'm jumping out of the frying pan into the fire or not, but thatdinner looks mighty good to me, so here goes."