CHAPTER VI
FLANK MOVEMENT AND REAR ATTACK
When Jack Benson first touched the sidewalk, and the automobile glidedon, leaving him in the wake of Millard, it was the young submarinecaptain's intention to follow his instructions to the letter.
Millard, having no especial reason of his own for feeling in danger, waswalking along at a moderate gait, occasionally glancing into shopwindows or gazing at the people whom he passed.
He did not look behind, so it was easy for Jack, less than half a blockto the rear, and keeping close to the buildings, to follow without beingdetected.
"Hullo," muttered the submarine boy. "There's a policeman on thecrossing at the next corner. In another moment our long-legged one willbe safely in custody."
Feeling in his inner coat pocket for the written authorization, Benson'sfingers touched the envelope.
"He's easily caught;" murmured the boy.
There is sometimes a big slip between a wish and its fulfillment. Justas Captain Jack was on the point of darting out into the street to hailthe policeman a street car whizzed by. With a flying leap the policemanlanded on the front platform and was whirled along the thoroughfare.
"Lesson number one about being too sure," grumbled disappointed youngBenson. "However, we'll soon come upon another policeman."
Two blocks more were covered, however, without sighting a bluecoat. Jackeven began to wonder how it would do to leap upon Millard, calling uponpassing citizens to aid him until a policeman arrived.
"But that would be a two-edged sword, that might cut too keenly on thewrong side," reflected the submarine boy. "Millard would be sure toclaim that I was assaulting him. It would look like that, too, andI'd probably get a thumping from the crowd, while Millard slipped away.Then he would be warned that he was wanted, and he'd make himself mightyscarce after that."
Still no policeman came into sight.
"Gracious!" muttered Jack Benson, suddenly. He had just glanced into astore's show window, where a mirror was set at an angle. The submarineboy, looking into that mirror, became aware that he could see people ata considerable distance behind him down the street.
"I wonder if Millard has been taking sights, too, and has had a peep atme, that way?" muttered the boy.
At the next corner the long-legged one, after a brief look down the sidestreet, turned into it.
"Now, that we're getting away from the main street there'll be far lesschance of finding a police officer," sighed Jack, at last whollydiscontented with luck.
Millard led without, apparently, ever thinking to glance back. Heturned a second corner, into another small street, and kept on.
"This is getting more exciting," muttered the young trailer. "Yet allsigns point to the fact that I've got to make the grab all by myself.I wonder if I can down that chap and get the upper hand of him? I don'tmind a thumping, but I'd be sadly ashamed of myself to let the fellowget away from me."
Millard was walking briskly, now. Next, he turned sharply to the left.
"Ah!" Then Jack Benson shot swiftly forward on tip-toe, trying to makeno noise as he ran.
For the long-legged one had, to all seeming, at the distance, wheeledand gone through the wall of a brick building.
Just an instant later, however, this impossible feat was explained. Thesubmarine boy found himself at the street-end of a narrow alley betweentwo brick buildings.
"He has gone into the rear house, at the end of the alleyway," decidedBenson, peering down this narrow thoroughfare. "He has left the doorpartly open, too. I'll have to have a look-in."
As he stole down the alley-way Jack Benson was too sensible, and by thistime, too much experienced in the ways of a rougher world, not to suspectthat there might be some trap in that door partly open. "He may haveseen me, and may have left that door open on purpose," Benson reflected."He may be lying in wait for me, inside. Or else he may have left thatdoor open, just to make me suspect a trap and keep out. In the meantime,he may be slipping through a door on the other side of the house, andsneaking away from me."
For a few seconds Jack Benson paused thoughtfully on the step justoutside the door that was partly ajar.
"I may walk into a trap, by going inside, or I may be letting thatwretch walk out of one by staying out here," wavered Benson, tornbetween two impulses.
Then, just as suddenly, this thought flashed through his mind:
"What you're doing is for the Flag! Never mind what happens to you,Jack Benson. Just rash in and say '_here goes_'!"
There was not another second's hesitation. Jack Benson softly pushedthe door far enough open to admit him. At the back of the hallway hesaw stairs leading below.
"Basement stairs, with a rear basement door letting out on anotheralleyway!" suspected the submarine boy.
Though he had determined to be as reckless as seemed necessary in orderto get quickly on the trail of the vanished one, Jack moved on tip-toe.He had all but reached the head of the stairs when a ground-floor doorbehind him opened noiselessly. The long-legged one, who had an equallygood reach of arm, thrust out a noose that fell over the boy's head.
"Ug-g-g-gh!" rattled in Jack Benson's throat, as Millard, in grimsilence, jerked the rope noose tight about the boy's neck. A sharp pull,a twist, and Millard had the boy face down in that hallway, and waskneeling on the victim's back.
"You ought to have known enough to keep away from me," growled thewretch, as he tightened on the noose.
That was about the last that the young submarine captain heard or knew,just then, for things were rapidly growing black before his eyes.Jack tried to fight, but the choking was too severe. He couldn't geteven a breath of air into his lungs to give him fighting strength.
Finding that the boy's struggles had ceased, the long-legged one easedoff on the noose. He bent Jack's arms behind him so that the wristscrossed. Then, pulling another cord from one of his pockets, thewretch tied the youngster's hands with a few deft movements. Oh, butthis rascal was an expert artist with ropes and cords.
Jack felt himself being prodded just over the pit of the stomach, andhis senses slowly wandered back to him under the disturbing handling.He was lying on his back, when his eyes opened once more. His throatfelt sore, but he could breathe again.
Then the submarine boy discovered that his hands and feet were securelylashed. Beyond that, he discovered Millard squatting on the floor,close by, in Japanese fashion, for the foreign agent was sitting backon his own crossed heels.
"Feel wholly comfortable?" mockingly inquired the foreign agent, whenhe saw the boy's eyes open.
"Not especially, thank you," mumbled the boy, dryly.
Jack had discovered, by this time, that he was lying on a wooden floor,very likely in the basement of the house. The room contained nofurniture, beyond an old table. Daylight was excluded by woodenshutters fastened into place over the windows. On the table a singlecandle burned in a candlestick.
"Why didn't you bring along with you, Benson," sneered the long fellow,"the property of mine that you stole from me?"
It was plain, then, that the foreign agent remembered the submarine boywell.
"Why are you playing this fool trick on me?" counter-questioned CaptainJack. "You knew I didn't have the--the things with me. You could seethat."
"I put you to this inconvenience," replied the foreign agent, "becauseI wanted to know a few things. In the first place, why are you botheringwith me, or with my plans?"
Jack remained silent.
"Won't talk, eh? Oh, well, then, perhaps we can find out a few thingswithout any very especial help from you."
Millard bent over, thrusting his hand into one after another of youngBenson's pockets. In so doing he brought to light the envelope in thelad's inner coat pocket. Just an instant later, the wretch snatchedthe folded sheet from the envelope, spread the paper open and heldit up to the light.
"Ho-ho!" sneered the rascal, "an order authorizing you to cause myarrest? This disposes of your
case, then, young Mr. Benson!"