Air Ship Boys : Or, the Quest of the Aztec Treasure

by Frank V. Webster

  CHAPTER XII

  NED TO BOB RUSSELL'S RESCUE

  It was a time for quick and fast thinking, and Ned and Alan did it.Alan's instant suggestion that they denounce the disguised tramp wasalmost as quickly voted down.

  "So long as we didn't know who he was he had the advantage of us.Now that we know--" and neither of them now doubted the fact for aninstant. "We have the advantage of him," argued Ned. "Let's turnthat knowledge to profit. We can easily guess what he is trying todo. Major Honeywell's message says our real object is not known.This reporter has learned something, and I suspect he could havefound quite a lot from the train crew. On that he has written agood enough story to attract attention. That shows he is no fool.And he wouldn't come out here unless he had been sent. Who wouldsend him? Why, his paper, of course, to discover our real mission."

  "What can we do to head him off?" mused Alan.

  "There are two ways," suggested Ned, "and we've got to make one ofthem effective. I don't know how he has guessed but he must nothave another guess. And he's seen a good deal."

  "We might have him arrested," suggested Alan.

  Ned thought awhile.

  "I'll tell you, Alan," he said finally. "The young men of the pressto-day may write fanciful stories, and they may even 'fake' where itinjures no one, but personally they won't lie. Let's call our trampin here, confront him with his imposture and give him his choice ofwriting nothing or of being drummed out of town."

  "Who'll make him leave town?"

  "Marshal Jack Jellup wouldn't need two suggestions on that score.And more, he'd see that the order was obeyed. I don't like to doit, but I think we're justified. He's taking that chance."

  Again the thing was gone over, with arguments for and against, andthen Elmer was hastily dispatched to find Jellup and bring him tothe car.

  "And Buck will lose his helper," laughed Alan.

  "Better that than a second expedition on our heels," answered Ned

  "Gus!" he called, throwing open a window. "Come in here!"

  The tramp soon stood before them.

  "Geel Dis is a swell joint," were the tramp's first words as withapparent awkwardness he entered the car.

  Ned acted as spokesman.

  "You say you've promised Buck to go with him without knowing whereyou are going?"

  "Dat's about de cheese."

  "Well, we are willing. But I may as well tell you that this is asecret expedition. If you go you must promise that you will nottell anyone what you see or hear."

  The tramp's face suddenly took on a peculiar look, but it was goneas quickly.

  "I gives me woid. I won't open me trap to no one."

  "Meaning you won't say anything about it?" smiled Ned inquiringly.

  "Dat's it. Mum's de woid. I won't open me trap."

  "Nor write anything?"

  The furtive look came back, this time more pronounced.

  "Me to write! Wit wot? Me new typewriter?"

  "That isn't an answer. Do you promise, if we send you with Buck,that you'll neither tell nor write nor make known in any way whatyou learn about what we are doing?"

  "Say, look here, boss. Quit yer kiddin'. Me name is Lippe andmebbe I shoot it off a bit too frequent now and then, but you don'tneed to be afeered o' me peachin' to de udder'Bos.'"

  "I'm not afraid of that," continued Ned. "We don't care what youtell all the tramps this side of Kansas City. But we don't want youto print anything more about us in the Comet."

  Hardly a flush came on the tramp's face. There was a quick movementof the lips as if he were about to make protest and then he laughedoutright.

  "Bob Russell," said Ned, also laughing, "would you like the use ofour bath tub for a few moments?"

  "Would I!" laughed the young reporter rubbing his tinted and smokebegrimed hands together as if to wash them. "Well, I guess I would.My hands are up. What's next?"

  "Wash up and we'll see," exclaimed Ned.

  The young reporter was still laughing. "And if it isn't too muchtrouble," he asked, "would you mind if Buck took his check over tothe depot and got the suit case that it calls for? Then we'll talkbusiness."

  In less than twenty minutes the sun burnt, dirty Gus Lippe had beentransformed into the dapper Bob Russell. When he reappeared infresh linen, outing clothes and a natty straw hat, he was stilllaughing. Approaching the group in the drawing room, where MarshalJack Jellup had now arrived, the young reporter took out his pocketbook and a five dollar bill.

  "I'll pay that back first," he began; and then noticing one of hiscards he politely handed it to the marshal. It read:

  ROBERT RUSSELLKANSAS CITY COMET

  "Ye'r a purty fresh kid," sneered Jellup.

  "At your service, Mr. Officer."

  Jellup had already received an explanation of the whole affair andwas aching to exercise his authority.

  "Ye'r an impostor," he began, "and ef ye hadn't been caught, ye'dhave taken money on false pretenses. I was onto ye."

  "Oh, now," interrupted Bob, "at two dollars Mex per day I'd havegiven good value."

  "Mebbe," retorted the marshal, "but these gentlemen hev come here onparticular business and they came like gentlemen. The officials o'this city hev give their word that there shouldn't be no interferin'with their plans. And thet's what you're a-doin'. Now git!"

  Ned broke in:

  "One moment, Mr. Marshall"

  "Oh, that's all right, Mr. Napier," exclaimed the reporter, "hedoesn't mean just that. He knows I don't have to leave here so longas I obey the law."

  "Ye don't, don't ye?" retorted the marshal. "Well, there ain't noback east law down here. Our law books mebbe got all burnt up. Andmebbe I happen to be purty much o' the law myself. Ye'll git andgit quick."

  Again Ned interfered.

  "I suppose if we ask you to permit Mr. Russell to stay here he can,"he asked.

  "Well, I reckon that would be so. Ef ye ask it I reckon I'll haveto," he replied surlily.

  Ned and Alan held a brief consultation.

  "We have decided to ask the authorities to permit you to remain hereon one condition."

  The intelligent face of Bob took on a quizzical air as he waited tohear the condition.

  "That is," went on Ned, "that you give us your word that you willnot make known anything you have seen here, or of our plans so faras you may know them."

  Bob's answer was immediate.

  "I can't do that," he said, "I was sent here to do just that thing,and as quickly and as fully as I can. You ought to understand, anddo, I think, that I have a duty to perform. I've taken the troubleto come all the way out here to get a story. I've got it and ofcourse I'm going to use it. I should be false to my duty, to myemployers and to myself if I promised not to do this."

  "But you don't know our story."

  "And I'm sorry. But I should have known it all if I had had alittle better luck."

  "Then you won't promise?"

  "Decidedly not."

  The boys showed that they were as stubborn as he.

  "Then we'll see that you learn no more," Alan exclaimed angrily.

  Bob smiled. "You can't take away what I already know, and it willtake a pretty long story to tell all I am going to guess from what Ihave seen."

  As he spoke his eyes were on Major Honeywell's chart of the TunitChas Mountains, which had carelessly been left lying on the tablewhere it had been in use during breakfast in the last explanationsto Elmer.

  Ned's face reddened in new anger. He did not resent what the youngreporter was doing; he even realized that he might do the same thinghimself; but he was chagrined to find himself caught in such asimple manner. That was a big piece of additional information forRussell to have, and Ned knew it. Hard as the thing was to do hewould at least put the young man out of the way of furtherdiscoveries.

  "All right," he exclaimed, "we've tried to do the fair and decentthing, and if you want to be stubborn Marshal Jellup can do as helikes."

 
"Git!"

  It was the marshal who spoke and he did so as if it were a pleasure.

  "I'll take the Limited west to Gallup at noon," said Russell, "if Ican stop it and catch the eastbound train there to-night."

  "Then ye'll flag it along the road," shouted Jellup, "fur ye'll getout o' here on foot and in a hurry."

  "On foot?" exclaimed Russell in surprise.

  "That's what I said an' ye heerd me."

  Russell looked in appeal at the two boys.

  Ned was mad, and mad all over.

  "You are so quick to have your own way," he said, "you can't blameus."

  "All right," was the cheery response, "it'll lend a bit of localcolor to the story. Goodbye, boys. And good luck to you. I'll seeyou when you come back."

  "Remember," said Alan relenting a trifle, "we'll let you stay untilwe leave if you'll promise to write nothing."

  Bob laughed again.

  "What good would that do me? No experience means anything to methat I can't turn into copy. And as for walking--I'd walk from hereto Kansas City or crawl before I'd lie down on my shop like that."

  "Come on, kid, get busy," exclaimed Jellup again. "An' when yestart, don't bother about lingerin', because I'll be hangin' aroundand I'm good with this at some distance."

  As he spoke he drew a Colt 44 and tapped it.

  "Never fear, Mr. Jellup," laughed Bob. "I suppose I can express mysuit case to the next town?"

  "Ye can't do no business in this city, d'ye hear? Now, come on."

  "Say, partner," interrupted Bob with his usual good humor, "if youwill let me take a snap of you I'll make you celebrated. 'Famousgun man' of New Mexico. It'll be great."

  In another moment the nettled marshal had Bob by the shoulder andwas whirling him out of the car. On the steps he threw the suitcase onto the sandy plain and then pushed the reporter roughly downthe steps. Ned and Alan stood, with flushed faces, watching thereporter pick up his hat and suit case. Then young Russell made aremark they could not hear and the marshal's revolver flashed in theair. They could see the boy's face grow pale at last, but as hestraightened up the two men disappeared around the freight house.

  Like a flash Ned was on the ground and after the marshal and hisvictim. Alan and Buck came running in the rear, for the alert Bucksaw that something was in the air. It was early day and only astraggler or two was in sight at the depot. The sun, alreadymounting high, foretold a day of depressing heat. The steel linesof the railway stretched interminably eastward toward the first stopforty miles away.

  Bob Russell, pale but defiant, stood in the middle of the track, hisheavy suit case in his hand.

  Suddenly there was the crack of a revolver and the dust flew aboutthe young reporter's feet.

  "Jist as a sample!" roared the angered Jellup. "The next one'll behigher up." And his trembling finger pointed down the hot sandytrack.

  There was nothing more to be done. The pale-faced but nervyreporter turned toward the east and started slowly down the track.

  Ned ran forward.

  "Russell!" he shouted, "Russell!"

  As the reporter paused and turned, hearing his name, there was asecond report of the marshal's revolver and Russell's suit case flewfrom his hand, ripped and torn ragged by a forty-four bullet.

  The smoke of the explosion puffed upward and, where it had been, themarshal saw Ned Napier's automatic magazine revolver under his nose.

  The boy was white with indignation. The possible serious resultsthat might come to him and his plans meant nothing in his anger atsuch a dastardly act.

  "It isn't a Colt," he said with dry lips, "but, if you make anothermove like that it's got ten shots and they come out all together."