Messenger No. 48 Part 22

"Jet, Jet! Is it you?"

He could not reply in words; but he managed to give vent to a faint moan, at the same time moving his feet over the dead leaves to make a yet louder noise.

"It's me, Harvey," the voice continued. "I heard a couple of men talking about having left some one tied up, and thought it must be you."

While he spoke the detective continued to advance, drawing himself along the ground by the hands, as if his lower limbs were useless, and on reaching Jet raised his body with an effort until he could feel the bonds which held the boy.

It was but the work of an instant to remove the gag, and untie his hands, after which he could finish the work without a.s.sistance.

"Did you send the message?" Harvey asked, eagerly.

"Yes, and made a fool of myself afterward," Jet replied, quickly.

"Tell me what you mean, and speak quickly, for there is no knowing how long we may be able to talk with each other."

In the fewest words possible the boy related the events of the night, sparing himself not one whit, and when he had finished the detective said, soothingly:

"An older hand than you might have been taken in. They probably got a glimpse of your telegram, and were thus able to deceive you, so don't feel badly."

"But they will now be able to get into the house."

"I'm not so sure of that. Those there must fancy that one or both of us were hurt in the scrimmage, and would look mighty close before letting two enter without a struggle."

"Are you wounded badly?" Jet asked.

"My leg is useless, and I lost considerable blood before I had time to get a bandage around it."

"How did you give them the slip?"

"After you left I fired two rounds, and then crawled into the bushes.

They didn't dare to hunt me out while it was dark, because I could have killed the first who came near, so I had a chance to circle around the clearing. I wanted to be here when you came up with the reinforcements."

"Have the fellows in the woods done much firing?"

"No; they have kept mighty quiet, and I'm hoping that some of our bullets. .h.i.t the mark by chance. We must get out of here as soon as possible. Can't you find something that would answer as a crutch?

Thus far I've hunted in vain."

"I'll do better than that, Mr. Harvey, if you'll get on my back."

"You can't carry me."

"Indeed I can for a while, and at a good pace."

At that instant a shrill whistle sounded twice, and Jet said, in a mournful tone:

"Now they are trying to get into the house."

"There's the answer," the detective said, a moment later. "We shall hear some firing soon, whether they are successful or not."

He had hardly ceased speaking when the sound of firearms rang out on the still air, and Harvey exclaimed, as he pointed toward the sky:

"We'll hope they tried their plan too late. Day is breaking, and in the clearing it should be possible to distinguish the forms of men quite distinctly. If our fellows are fooled, I fancy we shall never see them again."

"Are we to leave without making one try to give them warning?"

"It is too late now, and was when I first found you. I'll see if you can carry me a short distance, and then we must find a hiding-place, for whether they are successful in this scheme or not, the counterfeiters will soon be on the hunt for me."

CHAPTER XIV

A CAPTURE

For Harvey to attempt to walk, however good a crutch might be found, would have been foolhardy, for it was only with the greatest difficulty he could stand upright.

Jet understood this quite as well as did the detective and he also knew there was no time to be lost, if they expected to find a hiding-place before the day had fairly dawned.

"I am going to take you on my back," he said in a decided tone, "and we mustn't fool around here talking about it. Will you climb up without making a row, or must I use force?"

"I will obey," Harvey replied with a smile, as Jet backed toward him, and a few seconds later the boy was making his way through the underbrush.

Jet's burden was heavier than he had antic.i.p.ated, and he staggered from side to side before twenty yards had been traversed, causing Harvey to say firmly:

"It is no use for you to try anything of the kind, Jet. This will only result in both of us being overhauled."

"Here's a place where we can stop for a rest," and Jet halted in front of a thick clump of fir bushes. "By crawling in there we shall soon be out of sight, and I'll start back for the depot as soon as you think it is safe."

He lowered the detective gently to the ground, aided him in making his way through the tangled underbrush to the center of the clump, and then returned to the outside of the little thicket, in order to replace the branches and foliage generally to their ordinary position, that those who should come in search might not be able to see the trail.

This done he skirted around to the opposite side, and entered in a manner which would have done credit to an Indian.

"Now you've got a chance to tie up your leg as it ought to be," he said. "Shall I take that handkerchief off?"

"I don't think it will pay to disturb it, my boy. The flow of blood has been stopped, and might start again if the compress was removed.

Besides there is no water with which to wash it."

"How long are you counting on staying around here?"

"Until you can get to the town, and send some one back to help me in.

I couldn't crawl that far in a month."

"Then the sooner I go the better," and Jet rose to his feet, despite the fatigue which almost overpowered him.

"Wait a while. In the first place, you need rest, and secondly, those men will soon come back to find you, after which a hunt is certain to be made for both of us. Hold on until we see what they are going to do, in order to the better decide upon our own course of action."

Jet was not sorry to sit down again, although, in view of the desperate situation, he knew he could afford to halt but a short time.