Chapter V: Pete and Whipple Make a Capture

"Consarn it!" cried Whipple, overtaking Pete as he was legging it for the canal, "what ye runnin' fer?"

"Fer the same reason you are, I reckon," replied Pete. "Them three kids was too much fer us. I thought I heerd ye yell that ye'd put King down an' out?"

"I thought I had," and Whipple exploded a savage oath and fondled the side of his head, "but the cub come back at me with a sand bag, or somethin', an' I seen more stars than what ye can find overhead. Fer about half a minit I was clean knocked out. When I come ter myself ye had made a run of it, an' I trailed after ye. We got a chance yet, d'ye hear? Purty idee if two huskies like us can't git the best o' three kids like them."

"That King is more kinds of an eel than I know how ter mention," replied Pete. "The way he wriggles around an' gits out o' tight corners is some surprisin'. Had we better go back there, Whipple? It wouldn't do fer us ter git captured; an' then, considerin' what we're workin' fer in La Grange, it would be foolish ter take any chances."

"Chances!" growled Whipple. "We've got guns an' them kids haven't. Where do the chances come in? Pull yer six-shooter an' come on. I'm going ter git even for that whack King give me on the head. An' we want that air ship. It's jest the thing we need. Don't be a fool, Pete."

With this final adjuration, Whipple, weapon in hand, started back toward the trees. Pete, likewise prepared for emergencies, hurried after him.

Before they had covered half the distance that separated them from the trees, however, they saw the black shape of the air ship shoot upward and vanish in the darkness toward the north.

Whipple's rage and disappointment were so keen that he gave way to a torrent of piratical language, storming around until Pete called him to a halt with a show of temper.

"What good does that do? King an' his pals have hiked out, an' mebby it's a good thing fer us that they did. Stop yer swearin' an' let's go on to the ole quarry an' take a look fer Brady."

Stifling his anger, Whipple strode on to the trees and peered over the scene of the recent encounter.

"Yes," he growled, "King has showed us his heels ag'in, but it ain't a good thing fer us noways that he got clear. What d'ye s'pose he was doin' here?"

"I pass. I ain't no mind reader, Whipple."

"No, I reckon ye ain't; an' ye ain't got any too much good, common sense, neither. Mebby King's got a tip that the girl's at La Grange, an' he's come over in this direction lookin' fer us. Did ye ever think o' that? If our game's been tipped off, we're li'ble ter find ourselves in a hard row o' stumps."

"Who's goin' ter tip off our game?" demanded Pete. "Them Chicago detectives ain't been able ter find out a thing."

"Mebby they have, but that confounded Matt King is the sort o' cat we never know which way he's goin' ter jump. If that kid wasn't stringin' us, I'll bet money the feller that got him ter git writin' material, an' then ter take a letter to the La Grange postoffice, addressed ter King, was Brady."

"Why should Brady be writin' ter King? He hates him down ter the ground."

"Brady would do anythin' ter beat our game."

"Then, if ye're so sure Brady's in the ole quarry, let's find him an' have it out with him, right here."

"That's the thing fer us ter do--only thing we _can_ do, now."

The two men started out of the shadow of the trees in the direction of the railroad track and the quarry. A wagon road followed the track, and before they had reached the road, the _chugetty-chug_ of an automobile, rapidly approaching, struck on their ears.

"Get back ter the trees!" muttered Whipple. "Here comes an automobile, an' it won't do fer us ter be seen."

They scrambled back into the dark shadows of the trees. Crouching there, they waited and watched.

The automobile was coming at a good clip along the road, and could be seen to contain two men. To the surprise and consternation of Pete and Whipple, the machine slowed to a halt just between the trees and the track.

"Thunder!" gasped Pete; "that move don't mean any good ter us. I don't like the way things is movin' ternight. What d'ye think them dubs is up to?"

"Shut up an' listen!" whispered Whipple. "They're talkin', an' mebby we can find out what their game is."

"There's the old quarry, on the right, Graydon," one of the men was saying, "and there's the canal on the left. Right around in here is where that air ship ought to be."

"Maybe we're too late, Harris," answered the man addressed as Graydon, "and that the game has been pulled off."

"I hope not. If anything has gone wrong with King and his friends, I'm to blame. Get out and cross the track to the quarry. Look around there and see if you can find anything of the boys. If you can't, my hands will be in the air, and I won't know the first thing to do. While you're nosing around the quarry, I'll walk over toward the canal. If anything has gone wrong with Motor Matt, I'll bet Hector Brady is back of it."

All this, which was plainly heard by Whipple and Pete, rendered them anything but easy in their minds. They knew Harris, the energetic officer from South Chicago, and his activities while helping Motor Matt had left memories anything but pleasant. And then, too, the mention of Brady had set the two scoundrels to guessing.

"We'd better duck while we've got time," whispered Pete.

"Wait!" returned Whipple roughly. "We've got ter find out what's up--it may mean success or failure fer that game we're workin' at La Grange."

"How ye goin' ter find out anythin' more? Them fellers have quit talkin'."

"They've quit talkin'," answered Whipple darkly, "but they haven't got away from here yet. Stick right where ye are, Pete, an' watch."

Graydon had got out of the automobile and started across the railroad track. It was only a moment or two before he was blotted out of sight. Harris had likewise climbed out of the car and was starting slowly in the direction of the canal.

As the officer advanced, Whipple pulled Pete behind one of the trees.

"Leave it ter me," he whispered savagely. "Harris is comin' this way an' I'll take care o' him. We've got a score ter settle with that dub, anyway."

"I won't stand fer no desperate work, Whipple," warned Pete. "We're tangled up a-plenty as it is."

"You stand by an' keep yer mouth shut!" ordered Whipple. "We got ter nab Harris an' make him do some more talkin'. Hist, now! He's comin' close."

The officer, greatly worried on account of Matt and his friends, and utterly unconscious of lurking danger, was making straight toward the trees, evidently intending to pass between them on his way to the canal.

As he drew nearer, he kept his head moving from side to side, plainly hoping to discover something.

Scarcely breathing, the two fugitives waited for him. Whipple, catching his revolver by the barrel, leaped out from behind the tree just as Harris came abreast of him. At that instant the officer's head was turned away. He heard the noise of the spring and whirled--but too late. Whipple brought the butt of his revolver down on the officer's head with stunning force.

Harris, without a word, flung up his hands and crumpled in an insensible heap to the ground.

"Look here, Whipple," cried the exasperated Pete, "if ye've done fer him I'm goin' ter quit ye, right here."

"I haven't done fer him," scoffed Whipple, "only jest laid him out so'st we can handle him."

"What ye goin' ter do?"

"Take him ter La Grange an' find out what he knows. We'll use the automobile."

"That's plumb foolish! He'll git next ter the whole game, then he'll have us dead ter rights."

"If I'm figgerin' this thing right, some 'un's next ter our game as it is, an' we've got ter take the girl an' move. The automobile'll come in handy fer us, an' when we pull out we can leave Harris behind. I've run the engine in the Hawk, an' I know enough about motor cars ter run that machine. Hurry up! We want ter git away from here afore that other dub comes back from the quarry."

Harris, breathing heavily and still unconscious, was picked up neck and heels and rushed to the car.

"You git in behind with him," said Whipple, as the officer was placed in the tonneau, "an' I'll git in the driver's seat. We'll pass up lookin' fer Brady in the quarry fer now. I reckon Harris can tell us all we want ter know."

The two scoundrels got into the car, Whipple pausing first to crank up the engine.

Turning the car around the other way, he headed along the back track, gradually speeding up the motor. The rascals had had one backset, but this move seemed likely to more than make up for it.