Bob Cook and the German Spy Page 13

  CHAPTER XIII

  MISTAKEN IDENTITY

  Hugh had seized the man by his right wrist and as they went down theblackjack was sent spinning. It was man to man, bare hands for weapons.

  Hugh's assailant was not large, but he was extremely agile. He squirmedand wriggled, kicked and butted, in fact he used every weapon at hiscommand. Hugh probably outweighed his enemy, and in addition was asplendid wrestler, but he was young and his antagonist's strength wasmore developed.

  Each fighter struggled desperately to get an arm free. Once Hughsucceeded, but it was his left arm, and when he seized his opponent'sthroat his hold was soon shaken loose. They fought fiercely, bothbreathing hard, their faces were red and blotched, and their eyes werestaring. Over and over they rolled, the stones and twigs on the groundtearing and lacerating their hands and faces.

  Hugh got hold of his opponent's right arm. He bent it back with every bitof strength he possessed, until the man cried out in pain. Hugh knew,however, that he would receive no mercy if he was overcome and he pressedhome his advantage. Suddenly, with a convulsive twist of his body, theman shook loose Hugh's hold, and dealt him a heavy blow in the chest.Hugh felt his wind badly shaken and he seized his opponent around thewaist with both arms, squeezing with all the strength in his body. Hisone idea was to keep as close to his enemy as he could, so that the manwould have no opportunity to strike him again.

  Gradually Hugh felt his strength slipping. He knew he could not hold outmuch longer, and even as he struggled he wondered how soon it would bebefore the other Germans returned and made an end of him. Then when heleast expected it, help came to him.

  Bob had opened his eyes after a moment. He had seen millions of stars,and as he came to his senses again his head felt sore and battered. Hedid not recall for a moment just what had befallen him. Suddenly,however, he heard the sounds of a violent struggle being waged near athand, and sitting up he spied Hugh and his assailant locked in eachother's grasp, and still fighting. Bob sprang to his feet andapproached them.

  He remembered everything now. His throbbing head recalled to him the blowhe had received and he could feel a large lump on the back of it. Hewondered what would have happened to him if he had not worn a hat. Amoment later, however, he had dismissed from his mind all thought ofhimself and was engaged in assisting his friend.

  He grasped Hugh's assailant by his throat and knelt on his shoulderswith both knees. Gradually the man's strength waned; Hugh could feelit slipping. A moment later he lay gasping on the ground too weak tooffer any resistance to the two boys. Hugh held his arms, while Bobreleased his hold on the man's throat and sat on his legs. Theprisoner, his breath rattling in his chest, lay with eyes half-closed,completely done up.

  Suddenly Hugh spied something that made him start violently. The man'scoat lay wide open and pinned on his vest was a badge. More than that, itwas a police badge, one of the badges of the police of High Ridge.

  "Bob," gasped Hugh in alarm, "this man's a detective."

  "What!" cried Bob. "You're crazy."

  "I am not. Look here."

  He released his hold on his erstwhile opponent and stood up. Bob followedsuit. In amazement they looked at the man on the ground at their feet.

  "That's a High Ridge police badge all right," said Bob. "No doubt ofit."

  "Are you a detective?" Hugh asked their victim.

  The man looked at them through narrowed eyelids. "Yes," he said weakly,and started to reach towards his hip pocket.

  "Here, here!" cried Hugh. "None of that! This whole thing is a mistake."

  "Let me help you up," urged Bob, offering his hand to the beaten man.Hugh also assisted him and they raised him to his feet.

  "I guess we were after the same people you were," exclaimed Bob, takingit for granted that the detective had trailed the Germans to the desertedhouse as he and Hugh had done. "They had us locked up in there and we hadjust broken down the door and were coming out. We didn't know you were adetective."

  "You didn't give us a chance to find out," laughed Hugh, greatly relievedat the unexpected turn of events. He also felt safer to have an officerof the law with them.

  The detective rubbed his neck, and looked at the two boys narrowly.

  "Germans in this house?" he said at length.

  "They had a meeting here last night," said Bob.

  "How do you know?"

  "We followed them out here. Look at this too," and he handed over thelist of buildings to be destroyed that they had found in the old house.

  The detective snatched the paper out of his hand and scanned it eagerly.

  "Where did you get this?" he demanded.

  "We found it upstairs," said Bob.

  "Humph," ejaculated the detective and thrust it into his pocket.

  "Weren't you trailing these Germans too?" inquired Bob.

  "How do you know they were Germans?"

  "Who else would want to blow up bridges and ammunition factories?"

  "Did they intend to do that?"

  "That's what that list says," exclaimed Hugh, nettled by the questionsthe man asked as well as by his odd behavior.

  "Well," said the detective, "you take my advice. This is no place for acouple of boys like you to be hanging around. You might get hurt thefirst thing you know." He glanced about him nervously as though heexpected some one else to arrive upon the scene at any moment.

  "A man locked us in that room just before you arrived," said Bob. "Thenhe dashed off in a big gray roadster."

  "Well, you'd better get out of here yourselves," said thedetective shortly.

  "They may come back at any minute and perhaps you'll need help,"protested Bob.

  "I'll take care of that part of it," exclaimed the detective. "You getout."

  Convinced that there was nothing else for them to do, Bob and Hughstarted off through the woods, leaving the detective in undisputedpossession of the premises. They were greatly puzzled by their recentexperience.

  "What do you think of that detective?" demanded Bob, when they hadreached a point out of sight of the house.

  "I think he was an old grouch," exclaimed Hugh. "I don't see why he hadto be so disagreeable to us; all we wanted to do was to help him."

  "Yes, when those Germans come back he's apt to be handled roughly."

  "He was jealous of us, I believe," said Bob.

  "Why so?"

  "Well, we had gone ahead on our own account, and from the way he acted Iguess we knew more about what was going on than he did."

  "Perhaps that's it," said Hugh. "Maybe he was afraid we might take someglory away from him."

  "How silly!" exclaimed Bob. "What do we want with glory?"

  "We'd better tell your father what happened this morning."

  "Of course. He'll think I'm a pretty poor fighter though; a black eyeone day and a big lump on my head the next."

  "How does your head feel anyway?" inquired Hugh.

  "Oh, pretty well. It still throbs though."

  "I should think it might, and you can consider yourself pretty lucky thatyou didn't get your skull cracked open."

  "He was a queer looking man, wasn't he?"

  "Yes, and his actions were even queerer."

  "I guess he was jealous," said Bob. "Oh, well, I don't suppose it makesany difference who corners those Germans, so long as somebody does it."

  "Personally, I'm sort of glad to get away from that house," said Hugh. "Ibelieve that if we had stayed much longer we never would have left."

  "How about the detective?"

  "If he wants to stay that's his lookout, not ours."

  "That's right, and I suppose he'll go for help anyway."

  "Perhaps they'll just watch the house for a day or two," said Hugh. "Itmay be though that now that those Germans know they are watched they maymeet in some other place."

  "True enough. I wish we could find the place."

  Presently they came to the spot where they had left their bicycles. Theywere still there, and a moment later the
boys were wheeling them backacross the field again. Once more in the road, they mounted and soon wereriding towards home. Their minds were busy with plots and Germans and therecent experiences they had undergone. They felt sure that they were onthe trail of a desperate gang, and that quick action perhaps wasnecessary to prevent untold damage, and possible loss of life.

  They were confused, however. Everywhere they turned they seemed to runinto some new angle of the affair, or some other person who might bearwatching. Hugh was still of the opinion that Heinrich and Lena shouldbe looked after pretty carefully, though Bob laughed at him. He knewhis family felt that their servants could be relied upon absolutely.Bob wondered about his father's plant; was it properly guarded? Perhapshis father might consent to let him go down there and help watch overit at night.

  Talking but little they spun along the road. Each boy was occupied withhis own thoughts, and consequently did not notice an automobile rapidlyapproaching down the road.

  "Here comes a car," exclaimed Bob suddenly. They swung over to the rightside of the road to let it pass, and a moment later it roared past themin a cloud of dust.

  "Bob," cried Hugh excitedly. "The gray roadster."

  "I know it. Did you see who was in it?"

  "I didn't notice."

  "Mr. Wernberg."

  "What!"

  "It certainly was."

  "I guess your father was right about him then. He said he was a dangerousman, and I guess he is, if he's mixed up with that gang out there."

  "Well, Frank wouldn't talk the way he does unless he'd heard it at home."

  "Probably not. Do you suppose they recognized us?"

  "Suppose they did?" said Bob, carelessly. "We have a right to the road,haven't we?"

  "Certainly, but the man who locked us in the room! He must have been inthe car and would surely recognize us as the ones who were in the house."

  "That's true," exclaimed Bob. "Do you think they'll turn around and comeafter us?"

  Hugh glanced back over his shoulder. "The car has stopped," he exclaimed."Come on, Bob, we'd better ride for all there is in us."

  The two boys leaned forward on their pedals, bent low over thehandlebars, and rode as hard as they could. They were not far from thetown now and they knew that the occupants of the gray roadster would notdare molest them, when once they had gained the populated districts. Notonce did they look back until they were safely within the city limits.

  "I didn't think they'd follow us," puffed Hugh. "Still it's just as wellto take no chances."

  "I wasn't so much afraid of them chasing us," said Bob. "What worries meis that probably they know who we are now, and consequently we won't besafe no matter where we are."

  "I guess we'll have to report to the police."

  "If we do I hope they treat us better than that detective did."

  "I hope so, too," laughed Hugh. "At any rate we'll ask your father."

  "You are coming to our house for luncheon, you know."

  "Yes."

  "We can talk it over with father then."

  They arrived at the Cook residence without further adventure or mishap.They left their bicycles in the garage, and then started for the house.Half-way across the lawn they met Mr. Cook.

  "Well, boys," he said, plainly relieved at seeing them safely back,"what luck?"

  "Feel my head," said Bob, removing his cap.

  Mr. Cook did so. "Whew!" he exclaimed. "Where did you get that?"

  Bob related the story of their experiences that morning. Mr. Cook offeredno comment until he had finished. "This looks serious," he said atlength. "It's too bad you got such a bump from a detective, a man on yourown side."

  "What do you think of our seeing Mr. Wernberg?" asked Hugh.

  Mr. Cook's face clouded and he shook his head. "I was afraid ofhim," he said.

  "What shall we do about it?" Bob inquired.

  "I think we'd better report it to the police, and do it soon, too." Helooked at his watch. "We've got time before luncheon," he exclaimed. "WasHeinrich in the garage?"

  "No, sir."

  "How about the car?"

  "That's there all right."

  "Well, come along then," exclaimed Mr. Cook. "We'll get it and gostraight down to police headquarters now."

  "Don't you think our friend the detective will make a report?"asked Hugh.

  "Possibly. Still, as Bob says, those men are sometimes very jealous andhe might not tell the whole story, particularly about what you did."

  A few moments later all three were on their way to the police station.Bob's old friend, Sergeant Riley, was still behind the desk and gave thema jovial greeting.

  "Yez haven't got no Germans for me, have yez?" he demanded.

  "No," said Mr. Cook, "we haven't, but we can tell you where to get some."

  "Sounds interesting," said the sergeant laying aside his pen andcarefully blotting the sheet of paper on which he had been writing. "Tellme about it."

  "Go ahead, Bob," his father urged. "Tell your story, and first of all letSergeant Riley feel the bump on your head. That'll convince him."

  "It would indade," exclaimed the sergeant, after examining the swellingon Bob's head. "Not that I'd ever doubt anything a son of yours told me,Misther Cook."

  Bob related the events of that day to Sergeant Riley. The police officerlistened attentively and interestedly until Bob came to the part aboutthe detective. As he began to tell of that the sergeant startedperceptibly.

  "A detective, yez said?" he demanded.

  "Yes," said Bob, "he had a badge on."

  "Can yez describe him?"

  "Well," said Bob, "he was a man about five feet seven inches tall; he haddark hair and a close-cut black mustache. I should think he would weighpossibly about a hundred and fifty pounds; maybe not quite so much. Hehad on a soft brown hat and a dark suit of clothes. I can't rememberanything more about him."

  "That's a plenty," exclaimed the sergeant. He had been jotting down thedescription of the detective as Bob spoke.

  "He was a grouchy fellow all right," exclaimed Hugh. "He chased us awayfrom there as though he was jealous of us and didn't want us around."

  "I daresay he didn't want yez," said Riley.

  "What's his name?" asked Bob.

  "I don't know," replied the sergeant.

  "Come on, Riley," laughed Mr. Cook, "you can't tell me that. Why Ithought you knew every one in High Ridge to say nothing of your ownforce. You don't mean to tell me you don't know a detective that wearsthe same badge you do?"

  "Yes, sir, I do," said Riley soberly. "And I'll tell yez why. That manthese boys met this morning is no detective at all."