CHAPTER XXI
SKEEL REVEALS HIMSELF
"Shall we loosen him up now?" asked the voice of one of the men. Tomcould still see nothing, as the bag remained over his head.
"Yes, take off the headgear, and ungag him," answered Skeel. "It won'tmatter if he does holler up here. No one will hear him. But keep hishands tied, except when we feed him."
Tom felt a sudden sense of elation in spite of his most uncomfortableposition. At least he was going to get something to eat, and he neededit, for he felt nearly famished.
"Is the door locked?" asked one of the men.
"I attended to that," was Skeel's answer. "He can't get away from here."
"We'll see about that," mused Tom. "I'll have a good try, at any rate,the first chance I get."
He felt the fastenings of the bag being loosed, and when it was takenoff, he looked about him quickly. The first glance was enough to tellhim, if he had not already been sure of it, that he was in some shackwhere he had never been before. This was not the deserted cabin wherehe and his chums had spent the night. Tom glanced toward the windows,hoping to get a glimpse outside so he might determine his position, butthere were dirty curtains over the casements.
His next glances were directed toward the men themselves, though hewas already sure, in his own mind, who they were. Nor was his judgmentreversed.
There stood Skeel, a grin of triumph in his ugly face, and there werethe two other men, of evil countenance, whom Tom had seen with theerstwhile professor.
"We're going to take the gag out of your mouth," said Skeel to hisprisoner. "We don't want to hurt you any more than we have to, butwe're going to have you do as we say, and not as you want to. You canyell, if you like, but you'll only be wasting your breath. This is agood way from nowhere, up here, and you won't be heard. You can't getaway, because one of us will be on guard all the while. I tell you thisto save you trouble, for I know you, and I know that you'll make a rowif you possibly can," and Skeel stuck out his jaw pugnaciously. He andTom Fairfield had been in more than one "row" before.
"Take it off, Murker," the former instructor said to the worse-lookingof his two helpers. "Let's see if he'll yelp now."
It was a relief to Tom to have the bunch of not overly-clean rags takenfrom his mouth. His tongue and jaws ached from the pressure and now hesighed in relief.
Tom Fairfield was not foolish. He had already made up his mind to doall he could to circumvent the plans of the plotters, and he was goingto begin as soon as possible. He did not altogether believe Skeel whenthe latter said that shouting would do no good, but Tom did not intendto try, at once, that method of getting help.
He wanted to rest his throat from the strain, and he wanted to see howbest to direct his voice in case he did feel like shouting. He had nodoubt but what if he cried out for help now, the gag would be put backin his mouth. And that he did not want. He wanted to eat, and oh! howhe did long for a drink of cold water.
"Guess he isn't going to yap," murmured the man known as Murker.
"So much the better," said Skeel. "Now you can loosen those ropes onhis legs. He can't get away."
Tom wished, with all his heart, that they would loosen the bonds onhis hands and arms, but he stubbornly resolved to stand the painthose cords gave him, rather than ask a favor of any of the trio ofscoundrels.
He simply could not endure his thirst and hunger any longer. He triedto speak--to ask at least for a glass of water, for the men could notbe so altogether heartless as to refuse what they would give to a dumbbeast. But Tom's throat was so parched and dry that only a husky soundcame forth.
"Guess he wants to wet his whistle," suggested Whalen.
"Well, get him a drink then," half-growled Skeel. "Then we'll talkbusiness."
Tom thought nothing ever tasted so good as that draught of water fromthe cracked teacup one of the men brought in from another room, andheld up to his lips. It was better than nectar ever could be, he wassure.
"How about a little grub?" asked Murker.
"Oh, he could have it, I guess," Skeel replied. "Guess they didn't anyof 'em have much. They were away from their camp all night, you say,and there wasn't anything in the old shanty."
"That's right," assented Whalen.
Then Tom realized that he and his companions had been spied upon, justas Jack had so strangely suspected. They had also been followed, it wasevident, for the men knew of the movements of himself and his chums.
"I meant grub for all of us," went on Murker. "I'm a bit hungry myself,and it's about time for dinner."
"All right--get what you want," assented Skeel. "And give him some. Oneof you can sit by him, and take off the ropes while he eats. But watchhim--he's like a cat--quick!"
Tom felt like smiling at this tribute to his prowess, but he refrained.It was no time for laughter.
"I've got a bit of writing to do," Skeel went on. "You fellows can eatif you like. I'll take mine later."
"All right," assented Whalen. "But what about--well, you know what Imean," and he rubbed his fingers together to indicate money.
"I'll attend to that," said Skeel, a bit stiffly. "You mind your ownaffairs!"
"Oh, no offense!" said Whalen, quickly. "I only wanted to know."
"You'll know soon enough," was the retort, as the former teacher movedtoward another room.
"Well, I'm in on this too. Don't forget that!" exclaimed Murker, andthere seemed to be menace in his tones.
"Oh, don't bother me!" answered Skeel, apparently a bit irritated.
Evidently the feeling among the conspirators was not as friendly as itmight have been. It was very like a dissention, and Tom wondered ifthe truth of the old adage was to be proved, "When thieves fall out,honest men get their dues."
"I hope it proves so in my case," Tom reflected. "But first I wouldlike something to eat. And I wish the others had some, too. I wonderwhere they are now, and what they think of me?" Professor Skeel wentinto another room, and closed the door after him. Murker also wentinto another apartment--there seemed to be three rooms, at least, onthe first floor of the cabin--and presently the evil-faced man cameback with a platter on which were some chunks of cold meat and bread.It looked better to Tom, half famished as he was, than a banquet wouldhave seemed--even a surreptitious midnight school-feed.
"Help yourself," growled Murker, as he set the platter down in front ofTom, on a rough table, and loosed the bonds of our hero's arms.
"Guess I'll have a bit myself," murmured Whalen.
"Go on," mumbled Murker, his mouth half full. "The boss will eat later,I reckon."
Tom reflected that by the "boss" they must mean Skeel.
As for the young hunter, he eagerly took some of the bread and meat. Itwas cold, but it was good and nourishing, and seemed to have been wellcooked. It put new life into Tom at once. He would have liked a cup ofcoffee, but there seemed to be none. Perhaps the men would make somelater. Tom certainly hoped that they would do so.
The men ate fast--almost ravenously, and Tom was not at all slowhimself. He did not realize what an appetite he had until he saw thevictuals disappearing.
Then, when the edge of his hunger had been a little dulled and blunted,to say the least, Tom once more began wondering why he had been caughtand brought as a prisoner to the lonely hut.
"What's the game?" he asked himself.
He was soon to know.
"Well, if you fellows have had enough, and he's been fed, tie up hishands again," said Skeel, coming from the room just then. "I want tohave a talk with him. You can wait outside," he added, when the ropeshad once more been put on Tom's hands and arms.
Skeel waited until the men had left the hut. Then, locking the doorafter them, the former teacher confronted Tom. Up to now our hero hadsaid nothing. He believed in a policy of silence for the time being.
"Well, what do you think of yourself now?" sneered Skeel, folding hisarms. "You're not so smart as you thought you were, are you?"
"I haven't begun to think yet," said T
om, coolly. "But I would like toknow why you have brought me here--by what right?"
"By the right of--might!" was the answer. "I've got you here, andhere I'm going to keep you until your father pays me a ransom of tenthousand dollars. That will square accounts a little, and make upfor some of the things you did to me. It's you against ten thousanddollars, and I guess your father would rather pay up than see yousuffer. Now I'll get down to business," and he drew up a chair and satdown in front of Tom.