Bob Cook and the German Spy Page 15

  CHAPTER XV

  FIRE

  Staggered, the men all stopped short in their tracks. An instant laterthere was a second explosion. There was a ripping, splitting sound, andthe whole side of the building fell out. The air was filled with bits ofwood and plaster.

  "Keep away from that house!" shouted Sergeant Riley as one of his mendarted forward. "Do yez want to get killed?"

  A minute later flames appeared, and the red and yellow tongues of firebegan to play around the window frames. Black smoke curled from everyopening. It was plainly to be seen that the house was doomed.

  "Look!" cried Hugh suddenly. "There goes a man!"

  Without waiting to see what the others were going to do he dashed off inpursuit of a figure which could be seen scuttling away through the trees.Two of the detectives joined in the race and one of them fired two shotsfrom his pistol at the fugitive. In reply the man suddenly wheeled andshot once at his pursuers. Bob heard the bullet whine past close to hishead. He also had caught a fleeting glimpse of the man, and one look wasenough to convince him that it was the fake detective with whom he andHugh had struggled that morning.

  A moment later the man was out of sight, Hugh and the two detectivesstill after him, shouting and calling to him to halt. Meanwhile the firein the house roared and blazed.

  "She's a goner," said Sergeant Riley. He stood beside Mr. Cook and Bob asthey watched the burning building.

  "I guess she is," remarked Mr. Cook. "There's nothing we can do."

  "Nothing," agreed the sergeant.

  "It's not much loss anyway," said Mr. Cook.

  "No loss at all," exclaimed Bob. "It's a gain if anything, for it makesone less place for spies and plotters to meet in."

  "But any evidence that might have been in there is destroyed,"said Riley.

  "I never thought of that," said Bob. "That's probably why theyburned it."

  "Was that your detective running off through the woods?" asked thesergeant.

  "It certainly was," said Bob. "I guess he was one of the gang after all.I suppose they left him behind to watch us."

  "Then why did he let you get away?" his father replied.

  "Probably he thought it would create less suspicion," said SergeantRiley. "He got the paper away from the boys and as long as he thoughthe could bluff them into thinking he was a detective he thought thatwas sufficient. On the other hand if he had held them prisoners oranything like that there would have been a search for them and troublestarted at once."

  "I guess that's right," said Mr. Cook soberly. "However, I hope theycatch him this time."

  Suddenly a piercing scream startled them. They glanced up to see a whiteface at one of the windows of the house. All around, the fire roared andthe smoke curled up in great clouds. Before they could see who the manwas he had fallen back into the room and disappeared from view.

  "I'll get him," exclaimed one of the detectives, and without furtherado, he sprinted for the burning house. Paying no heed to the warningcries of his comrades he dashed up to the back door and entered, and wassoon lost to sight.

  "That feller Donovan is a dare-devil," exclaimed Sergeant Riley. "He'llstop at nothing. Why should he risk his life for a man that's as good asdead now?"

  "He'll never come out alive," cried Mr. Cook.

  "And all for a man who is plotting against the country," echoedRiley. "Here you!" he shouted to the other plain-clothes man. "Keepout of there. The High Ridge police force can't afford to lose morethan one man a day." The fourth detective showed signs of wishing tofollow his comrade.

  "If he does rescue that man it'll only be to put him in jail," said Bob.

  "Or shoot him more likely," cried Riley angrily.

  Breathless they waited for any sign of Donovan. The fire burned morefiercely every moment, and it seemed incredible that any man could enterthat seething furnace and return alive. The air was filled with sparksand blazing embers; the smoke mounted heavenward in a thick column whichmust have been visible for miles.

  Minutes that seemed like hours passed. Hugh and the two detectivesreturned from their chase. They had not captured their man.

  "We followed him as far as the road," one of them reported. "He had amotor cycle there and got away from us."

  "We'll get him later, never fear," said Sergeant Riley, grimly."Meanwhile that crazy man, Donovan, is in the house here trying to rescuesome one of them German plotters that showed his face at the window."

  The recipients of this piece of news gasped. "He'll never come out,"exclaimed one of the men. "Still, he never did seem to care much forhis life."

  White faced and tense they watched the conflagration. Certainly not oneof the men ever expected to see Donovan again. Yet what could they do? AsSergeant Riley had said, it was folly for any one else to follow him in,and so they were powerless. All they could do was watch and hope.

  Suddenly a figure appeared at the door. It seemed to issue straightfrom the hottest part of the fire. On its shoulder was the limpfigure of a man.

  "There he is!" cried six voices together, and together the six watchersmade for the house.

  Donovan, for it was he, stood on the charred steps. Sparks and blazingfirebrands fell all around him and he tottered uncertainly. Willinghelpers rushed to his assistance, but before they could reach him heswayed and fell. He rolled down the step dropping his burden, and side byside the two men lay on the ground. Close by, the wall threatened to fallon them at any moment.

  It did not take long to seize both men, and carry them away from dangerand a moment later they were stretched out side by side on the grass, asafe distance from the burning building.

  The man whom Donovan had rescued, had a face so blackened by smoke andsoot that he was unrecognizable. His clothes were scorched and his wholebody seared with terrible burns. He was unconscious.

  "Is he still alive?" whispered Bob in a low voice.

  Sergeant Riley put his hand over the wounded man's heart. "I think so,"he said. "Get some water somebody. And look after Donovan."

  "There's a spring back there in the woods," exclaimed Hugh. "I havenothing to carry water in though."

  "Take all the handkerchiefs you can get," ordered the sergeant. "Fill thehats; you'll lose most of it on the way back, but you'll get some."

  Hugh hastened to obey; with him went Bob and two of the detectives. Thespring was not far distant, and they soon were sousing the handkerchiefsin the clear, cold water. The hats, too, were filled and those made offelt held the water fairly well. A few moments later they were hurryingback toward the spot where the injured man was lying.

  It had been found necessary to remove the patients farther away from theburning building, for the heat grew more intense every moment. Donovanhad so far recovered as to be sitting up. He suffered acutely fromnumerous burns, but otherwise seemed to be all right. The man whom hehad rescued, however, still lay unconscious on the ground.

  Sergeant Riley now took charge of the operations. He bathed Donovan'sface with one of the handkerchiefs and gave him another to suck. Mr. Cookunder Riley's instructions poured water from one of the hats upon theother sufferer's face, and then gently sopped it with a handkerchief. Asa result of this treatment the soot and grime disappeared and presentlyit was possible to distinguish his features.

  Suddenly Mr. Cook started back in surprise. "Come here, Bob," he cried."See who this is."

  One glance was enough for Bob. He recognized the man over whom his fatherwas working as Mr. Wernberg.