CHAPTER IX
"THAT LOOKED LIKE ANDY!"
What seemed at first as if it was going to be a tedious time ofwaiting, proved to be a delightful experience, for our friends foundmuch to occupy their attention in New York.
Tom and Ned went to several theatrical performances, and wanted Mr.Damon to go with them, but the odd man said he wanted to visitseveral museums and other places of historical interest, so, whilehe was browsing around that way, the boys went to Bronx Park, and toCentral Park, to look at the animals, and otherwise enjoythemselves.
Eradicate put in his time in his own way. Much of it was spent inrestaurants where chicken and pork chops figured largely on thebills of fare, for Tom had plentifully supplied the colored man withmoney, and did not ask an accounting.
"What else do you do besides eat, Rad?" asked Ned with a laugh, thesecond day of their stay in New York.
"I jest natchally looks in de jewelery store windows," repliedEradicate with a grin on his honest black face. "I looks at all degold ornaments, an' I tries t' figger out how much better mah goldenimages am gwine t' be."
"But don't you go in, and ask what a gold image the size of a manwould be worth!" cautioned Tom. "The jeweler might think you werecrazy, and he might suspect something."
"No, Massa Tom, I won't do nuffin laik dat," promised Eradicate."But, Massa Tom, how much DOES yo' 'spect a image laik dat WOULD beworth?"
"Haven't the least idea, Rad. Enough, though, to make you rich forthe rest of your life."
"Good land a' massy!" gasped Eradicate, and he spent several hourstrying to do sums in arithmetic on scraps of paper.
"Hurrah!" cried Tom, when, on the morning of the third day of theirenforced stay in New York, a letter was sent up to his room by thehotel clerk.
"What's up?" asked Ned. "I didn't know that you sent Mary word thatyou were here."
"I didn't, you old scout!" cried Tom. "This is from the steamshipcompany, saying that the steamer Maderia, on which we have takenpassage for Mexico, will sail to-night at high tide. That's thestuff! At last we'll really get on our way."
"Bless my notebook!" cried Mr. Damon. "I hoped we'd stay at leastanother day here. I haven't seen half enough in the museums."
"You'll see stranger things than in any museum when we get to theunderground city," predicted Tom. "Come on, Ned, we'll take in amoving picture show, have our last lunch in the big city, and thengo aboard."
So impatient were the travelers to go on board the steamer that theyarrived several hours before the time set for sailing. Many othersdid the same thing, however, as supper was to be served on theMaderia.
Though it was within a few hours of leaving time there seemed somuch to be done, such a lot of cargo to stow away, and so much coalto put into the bunkers, that Tom and the others might well beexcused for worrying about whether or not they really would sail.
Big trucks drawn by powerful horses thundered down the long dock.Immense automobiles laden with boxes, barrels and bales puffed tothe loading gangways. There was the puffing and whistling of thedonkey engines as they hoisted into the big holds the goods intendedfor export.
At the side of the steamer were grimy coal barges, into which wasdipped an endless chain of buckets carrying the coal to the bunkers.Stevadores were running here and there, orders and counter-orderswere being given, and the confusion must have been maddening to anyone not accustomed to it.
"Bless my walking stick!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "We'll never get offto-night, I'm positive."
"Dat's right," agreed Eradicate. "Look at all dat coal dey's got toload in."
"Oh, they knew how to hustle at the last minute," said Tom, and soit proved. Gradually the loading was finished. The coal barges wereemptied and towed away. Truck after truck departed from the dockempty, having left its load in the interior of the steamer. Onedonkey engine after another ceased to puff, and the littered deckswere cleared.
"Let's watch the late-comers get aboard," suggested Ned to Tom, whenthey had arranged things in their stateroom. The two boys and Mr.Damon had a large one to themselves and Eradicate had been assigneda small one not far from them.
"That'll make the time pass until supper is ready," agreed the younginventor, so they took their station near the main gangway andwatched the passengers hurrying up. There were many going to makethe trip to Mexico it seemed, and later the boys learned that atourist agency had engaged passage for a number of its patrons.
"That fat man will never get up the slope unless some one pusheshim," remarked Ned, pointing to a very fleshy individual who wasstruggling up the steep gangplank, carrying a heavy valise. For thetide was almost at flood and the deck of the steamer was muchelevated. Indeed it seemed at one moment as if the heavy-weightpassenger would slide backward instead of getting aboard.
"Go give him a hand, Rad," suggested Tom, and the colored manobligingly relieved the fat man of his grip, thereby enabling him togive all his attention to getting up the plank.
And it was this simple act on the part of Rad that was the cause ofan uneasy suspicion coming to Tom and Ned. For, as Eradicatehastened to help the stout passenger, two others behind him, a manand a boy, started preciptably at the sight of the colored helper.So confused were they that it was noticed by Ned and his chum.
"Look at that!" said Ned in a low voice, their attention drawn fromthe fat man to the man and youth immediately behind him. "You'dthink they were afraid of meeting Rad."
"That's right," agreed Tom, for the man and youth had halted, andseemed about to turn back, Then the man, with a quick gesture,tossed a steamer rug he was carrying over his shoulder up so that ithid his face. At the same time the lad with him, evidently inobedience to some command, pulled his cap well down over his faceand turned up the collar of a light overcoat he was wearing. He alsoseemed to shrink down, almost as if he were deformed.
"Say!" began Ned in wondering tones, "Tom, doesn't that look like--"
"Andy Foger and his father!" burst out the young inventor in a horsewhisper. "Ned, do you think it's possible?"
"Hardly, and yet--"
Ned paused in his answer to look more closely at the two who hadaroused the suspicions of himself and Tom. But they had now crowdedso close up behind the fat man whom Eradicate was assisting up theplank, that he partly hid them from sight, and the action of the twoin covering their faces further aided them in disguising themselves,if such was their intention.
"Oh, it can't be!" declared Tom. "If they were going to follow usthey wouldn't dare go on the same steamer. It must be some one else.But it sure did look like Andy at first."
"That's what I say," came from Ned. "But we can easily find out."
"How?"
"Ask the purser to show us the passenger list. Even if they are downunder some other names he'd know the Fogers if we described them tohim."
"That's right, we'll do it."
By this time the fat man, who was being assisted by Eradicate hadreached the top of the gang plank. He must have been expected, forseveral friends rushed to greet him, and for a moment there was aconfusing little throng at the place where the passengers cameabroad. Tom and Ned hurried up, intent on getting a closer view ofthe man and youth who seemed so anxious to escape observation.
But several persons got in their way, and the two mysterious onestaking advantage of the confusion, slipped down a companionway totheir stateroom, so that when our two lads managed to extricatethemselves from the throng around the fat man, who insisted onthanking them for allowing Eradicate to help him, it was too late toeffect any identification, at least for the time being.
"But we'll go to the purser," said Tom. "If Andy and his father areon this steamer we want to know it."
"That's right," agreed Ned.
Just then there was the usual cry:
"All ashore that's going ashore! Last warning!"
A bell rang, there was a hoarse whistle, the rattle of the gangplankbeing drawn in, a quiver through the whole length of the ship, andTom cried:
"We're off!"
"Yes," added Ned, "if Andy and his father are here it's too late toleave them behind now!"