CHAPTER VI
GEORGE'S STRANGE BATTLE
That evening some city friends called at the hotel to see the Parkes andDavises, and wishing the children to get a good night's sleep, theparents decided to receive the callers in a parlor downstairs, and turndown the lights in their own parlor.
After they had gone down, George felt so restless he could not keepquiet, so he slipped out of bed and went out to the parlor to amusehimself. The lights were turned up again, and a souvenir book of theWoolworth building was found on the table. This book had been purchasedwhen they were up in the tower, but so much had been crowded in the fewdays in the city, that no one had taken time to look at the pictures.
Now, however, George found the pictures and text very entertaining forwant of company or something better to do. He pored over theillustration of the tower, wondering at the great height of thestructure, and the manner in which it was built.
He sat in a corner of the comfortable couch, his bare feet sticking outfrom his new pajamas purchased that very day. As he read the book, hiseyelids drooped several times, but George always fought off sleep to thevery last moment, so he bravely refused to give in to it now.
Suddenly, as he turned a page of the book, he heard a stealthy stepbehind him, coming from the open window. He turned just in time to see amasked face lean over the couch, and then a great bony hand reached outand grabbed him under the arms and lifted him up.
George immediately essayed to scream for help, but a hand was placedover his mouth, while the man growled: "You help me gag him, then we'lltie this towel tight about his wrists and ankles."
This was done, while poor George was helpless to defend himself. Hewondered if George Washington ever had such a cowardly game played onhim.
"Now we'll sneak downstairs with him and watch our chance to get away,"whispered the man to his accomplice.
George felt himself carried to the door, but in a sudden twist of hisbody he managed to slip out of the villain's grasp, and in rolling uponthe floor, he upset a stand with a jardiniere of flowers on it. Thiscrashed down and woke up the other children, which was just what Georgewanted.
The two rascals quickly caught up their victim again, and rushed out,leaving the door wide open. The three other children were heard runningout and calling "George! George!" but he could not reply.
Just as the two men reached the head of the stairs, the three pajamaedchildren ran out in the hall and saw them carrying George away. He sawthem follow and heard them scream for help, but he himself was helplessto move or utter a sound.
Down the many flights of stairs the two men now rushed with theirburden, the three night-dressed children running after. On the mainfloor, they fled down the wide marble ornamental stairs and through thelobby, throwing people right and left as they rushed madly for the door.The three white-robed friends of George followed close at the heels ofthe villains.
A hue and cry then started, and as the men reached the curb to jump intoa waiting taxicab, the people of the hotel and the crowds on the streetjoined in the chase. The Parkes and Davises, and the children as well,all ran screaming to the sidewalk, yelling to every one to stop therunaways. George could hear this until the cab turned the corner andtore down Broadway.
As the reckless driver flew downtown, George held his breath inconstant fear of being smashed to atoms by colliding with a trolley orautomobile crossing one of the many streets.
Down the densely-thronged thoroughfare flew the cab, the policewhistling signals for it to stop, and shooting revolvers at the tires tocause a puncture, but, strange to say, the cab escaped without a singledamage to windows or tires.
By the time the runaways reached Union Square, a long mob of people weretearing after them, all in hot pursuit of the villains. In the foremostranks ran the parents and the bare-footed, night-robed children. Georgeheard the men say so, as they watched from the window in the back.
Down Fifth Avenue went the cab until it reached Washington Square. Underthe famous Washington Arch it flew, one wheel striking the base andcausing the cab to swerve. As it righted itself again, one of the wheelscame loose, and so on down, down they tore in constant danger ofthrowing the wheel and being flung into a stone building or a passingtrolley.
That fearful shaking and fear almost made George sick, but he rememberedhow Washington must have felt when everything seemed against him and hiscountry. "Did he give up and let Howe get away with him and his army?No, siree! He did not. Neither will I!" thought George.
Finally the cab reached City Hall Park, and around the park it flew,while the two men wondered where they could go with their captive.
"Can't cross the bridge without being arrested, you know. They haveguards there," said one.
"Can't go across to Liberty Island at this time of night. Can't goanywhere except to the Woolworth Tower!" said the other.
"Just the place! If any one follows we will drop him off!" threatenedthe first man.
So the cab pulled up by the side entrance to the Woolworth building, andthe two men hustled George on an elevator inside, and made the man sendthe elevator to the top where the room was that visitors had to passthrough to reach the tower. Here they found the man asleep, as novisitors were expected that night.
They bundled George on the tiny elevator that ran to the very tip-top ofthe tower, and one of the rascals ran it up. Then they went out on thenarrow balcony that circled the tower. As they walked around here,dragging George by the belt of his pajamas, they watched the mob tearingacross City Hall Park in pursuit.
George could look over the parapet, and he was sure he saw his mother infront, calling to him, 'way up in that tower. He wanted to assure herthat he was brave and would be all right, but one of the men thought hewas signalling to his friends.
"What shall we do if some of them follow us up here and try to catchus?" wondered one of the men.
"We'll warn them--we'll throw him over if they try to come up!" saidthe other, shaking a fist at the crowds in the park.
Meantime, as many as could get on the elevators, did come up to theroom, but the small elevator that ran to the tower would only hold fiveor six at a time, and there was no one to run it. The man who slept inthe chair could not be roused, so Mr. Parke said he would run the liftto the top.
The two villains threatened in vain--George's father started for thebalcony to save his son. Then the men lifted George upon the stoneguard, and he could look down into the dizzy depths, where the peopleran about like ants on the earth.
"If you step another inch, down he goes!" roared one of the men.
"What shall we do?" wailed Mrs. Parke, wringing her hands.
While one of the men stood guard at the door that opened on the balcony,the other carried George around to the other side of the balcony. Themoment George found but one man to hold him, he squirmed and wriggled sothat he soon got out of the fellow's hold, and then he managed in someway to free his two hands.
The man tried to hold him again, but with his hands free George alsomanaged to free his feet. Then he jumped up and defied the rascal. Asthe man turned to call his partner, George saw that the mayor hadordered an aeroplane from Governor's Island to rise and save him.Determined to hold off the two villains long enough to give the aviatorstime to reach the tower, George ran around and around the tower--thedoor leading to the balcony having been bolted on the outside by thevillain on guard to keep help and friends from reaching George. Then, asthe aeroplane almost flew over George's head, the men saw it andrealized that they would soon lose their prize unless they could catchhim again. So one of them planned to go one way, and the other the otherway, and so catch George before he could be carried off.
Fortunately for George, an experienced aviator flew the machine, and ashe swooped down in a graceful loop, he dropped a tackle out and caughtGeorge in the back of his pajamas. Just as the two men met in a swiftrun around the balcony and bumped together, they saw their victim liftedout of their grasp, and they jumped to catch hold of him.
The aeroplane reached the water, however, and was speeding over the bayto the island, when George heard an ominous r-r-rip at his back. Hetried to call to his friend, the aviator, to haul him up, but the madraskept right on tearing once it started, and just as George could see theaviation field on the island, and could feel the aeroplane rapidlydescending, the material in the coat gave way entirely and down plungedthe luckless George into the deep water.
The mayor had very thoughtfully ordered the whistles on the bay to blow,and many scows and other craft tied up for the night, showed lights orblew whistles. Just as the coat began tearing, a powerful searchlight,called the Sperry light, shot across the bay, and when George fell, agreat chorus of steam-whistles started their warning signals toferryboats and other ships that were still passing back and forth.
George felt himself going down, down into the water, but it was not ascold as he feared it might be. He soon bobbed up on the surface, and nosooner had his head appeared in the great flashing pathway of light shedon the bay, than a submarine shot past and a long arm lifted him out ofthe water and dragged him into the hold.
Down went the submarine, and George rubbed the salt water from his eyesto find himself a prisoner of some fierce-looking German pirates.
They taunted him at first, but when the captain came in from hisprivate den, they were silenced.
"Who are you?" demanded the captain.
"I am George Washington, commander-in-chief of the American forces!"proudly replied George.
"Yah! Such a fine prize ve never hoped to get in New York vaters.Frents, ve sail home mit him to once, and present him to our Kaiser!"gloated the captain, rubbing his hands together.
Immediately the men in the submarine went to work, and George felt theundersea craft fairly flying through the water. But they left him alone,never dreaming that he was a brave and determined fighter. When no onewas looking, George crept over to the opening where the torpedoes wereshoved in and launched. He had a desperate idea.
He managed to swing a torpedo about and slide it in the tube. Then hemanaged in some marvelous manner, to close the door of the tube, firstseating himself astride the torpedo. He pulled with all his might on acord that hung inside the tube, and simultaneously with the opening ofthe steel plate in front of the torpedo, the swift missile shot forthfrom the submarine.
George had no idea where it might strike, but he clung like a leech tothe slippery sides, as it flew through the green waters. So swiftly didit fly that George never had a good look at the shark that swam up eagerto eat him.
Suddenly something deflected the torpedo, and it rose up on the surfaceand skimmed over the top of the waves. Straight on for Brooklyn Heightsthe awful explosive went, and all George could see was General Howegiving the sign to hang Nathan Hale to a telegraph pole, when thetorpedo struck and blew all of Long Island into the air. George rosewith it, and while he tried to catch his breath, the great Americaneagle flew over his head and stretched out a claw. He was firmly held inthis clutch, and carried dangling over the East River and right up tothe cupola of City Hall, where the eagle had built a nest, all unknownto the citizens.
George was just about to pat the eagle on the head, when the patrioticmayor climbed to the cupola and thanked the eagle for his services. Thenhe turned to George:
"I knew such a great general as Washington could not be carried aprisoner to the Kaiser. I have kept our great American eagle roosting inthis cupola for just such emergencies. I knew there were Black Hands anddangerous spies in the city, but I never dreamed they would dare to makeoff with our Washington! All of the loyal and patriotic Americancitizens of this city agreed with me, that New York needed the eaglehere to keep trouble away, but who could tell to what lengths these badmen would go?--even so far as to kidnap our great and true Washington.Now that we have saved the city from the grasp of the enemy, who wouldhave destroyed it utterly, I wish you would make a speech to the crowdswaiting below in the park."
George consented, and as he stood on the edge of the cupola, holding themayor's hand on one side, and leaning gracefully on the American eagleas it stood beside him on the other side, the throngs of people cheeredand cheered for the great general who blew up the British army on LongIsland.
Just as George cleared his throat to address his countrymen somethingterrible happened, and George found himself rolling on the floor of thehotel parlor, where he had fallen from the couch.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes and stared around to see if the patrioticmayor was safe and sound, and what had become of the American eagle,when the elders came into the room, laughing and talking.
"Why, George! You out of bed?" cried Mrs. Parke.
"Bed! Why, I haven't had a second's time to think of bed! Ever sincethose two masked rascals, who were enemies of the mayor, grabbed me,I've been in so much trouble that the American eagle had to save me!"exclaimed George, getting up from the floor and limping over to replacethe Woolworth souvenir on the table.
"What _are_ you all laughing at, anyway?" cried George testily, as helimped into his room, wishing he had had time to speak that fine speechhe had ready.
The Little Washingtons' Travels Page 6
