Dave Porter and His Double Part 35

"That was certainly a mean piece of business," was our hero's comment.

"It didn't do anybody a bit of good, and it's going to make a good deal of work to repair the damage."

Several days pa.s.sed, and the camp at last settled back into its usual routine. Dave and Roger worked as hard as ever, and both were much pleased when Mr. Obray told them that they were doing very well.

"I am going to write a letter to Mr. Ramsdell," said the head of the camp, "and tell him that I am well satisfied with his pupils," and he smiled faintly.

A day or two later word came to the camp which interested the chums as much as it did anybody. It seemed that Jack Pankhurst had been subjected to a "third degree" of questioning. He had broken down completely and confessed that the two other Americans in the raid with him had been former employees of the Mentor Construction Company--one a fellow named Packard Brown, and the other William Jarvey. Pankhurst had also let fall the information that Jarvey had once been an officer in the United States Army, and that he was traveling under an a.s.sumed name.

"A former officer of our army and acting in that way!" exclaimed Dave, when he heard this report. "I certainly do hope they'll catch him and punish him as he deserves!"

"My sentiments exactly!" added Roger.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE CHASE ON THE BRIDGE

"My, Dave! but it's hot!"

"I agree with you, Roger. This is the hottest day we've struck yet.

And such a hard day as it's been too!" and our hero paused to wipe the perspiration from his brow.

"What do you say if we take a swim this evening?" went on the senator's son. "A plunge into the river would feel good to me."

"I'm with you, Roger. Let us eat a light supper and get down to the river before it grows too dark."

Four weeks had pa.s.sed since the events narrated in the last chapter, and matters in and around the construction camp had once more quieted down. Work was being pushed forward rapidly, and Dave and Roger were making excellent progress in their chosen profession. They had made a warm personal friend of Frank Andrews, as well as a friend of Mr.

Obray, and both of these individuals gave them many instructions during off hours which proved highly beneficial.

No more had been heard from the Mexican raiders, and it was hoped that those bandits had departed for some other locality along the Rio Grande. The prisoners taken during the raid were still in jail, awaiting trial.

Down along the stream over which the new Catalco bridge was being constructed there was a favorite swimming place used by the civil engineers and their a.s.sistants, the men and boys of the construction gang using another spot farther down the stream.

"I'll beat you getting in, Dave!" cried Roger, as the pair neared the bathing place that evening, and he started to take off some of his clothes.

"Don't jump in too quickly, Roger," warned our hero. "Remember you have just been eating and you are rather warm. Better take it easy on the bank for a little while."

"I guess you're right," was the reply. "I don't want to get a cramp or a chill, or anything like that."

To reach the swimming spot, the chums had to pa.s.s one end of the new bridge. As they drew closer they saw somebody high up on the skeleton structure gazing at them curiously.

"h.e.l.lo! who's that up there?" remarked Dave.

"I'm sure I don't know," answered Roger. "I thought all our men were back in camp."

As they came still closer the individual on the bridge turned to walk toward them. Suddenly, however, he stopped short and tried his best to hide himself behind some of the steel work.

"Say! that looks rather queer to me," remarked Dave. "He acts just as if he didn't want us to see him."

"Just what I thought, Dave." The senator's son gave a sudden start.

"You don't suppose it's one of those Mexican raiders, do you?"

"I can't say anything about that. I'm going up there to find out who he is. It seems to me he is acting very suspiciously. Maybe he's trying to plant some more bombs."

Dave turned back to a point where he could get up on the bridge, and his chum followed. From this point they could not see the person above them nor could he see them. When they reached the flooring of the big bridge they were less than two hundred feet from where the unknown person stood. He was leaning over the side of the structure, evidently trying to find out what had become of them.

"Why, Dave, he--he--looks like you!" burst out the senator's son, as both hurried in the direction of the unknown person.

"I do believe it's Ward Porton!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed our hero. He began to quicken his pace. "Yes, I'm almost sure it's Porton," he added, a few seconds later.

"If it's Porton what in the world tempted him to follow you to this place?" queried Roger.

"I don't know. But I do know that I'm going to capture him if it is possible to do so," answered Dave, with determination.

The two chums were still almost a hundred feet from the other person when the latter glanced up suddenly and discovered them. He looked them full in the face for just an instant, and then turned and began to run away towards the opposite end of the long bridge.

"It's Porton, sure enough!" burst out Roger.

"Hi there, Porton! Stop!" cried Dave. "Stop, I tell you!"

"You go on back!" yelled Ward Porton, in an ugly voice. "Go on back, I tell you! If you don't it will be the worse for you!" and he shook his fist at the chums.

"You might as well stop," continued Dave, undaunted by the threat.

"You can't get away from us. If you try to jump off the unfinished end of the bridge you'll break your neck."

"If you fellows don't go back I'll shoot," returned the fellow who resembled Dave. "Stop right where you are! Don't dare to come a step closer!"

"Oh, Dave! do you suppose he is armed?" questioned Roger, hastily and in a low tone.

"Maybe he is. But I am going to keep on after him until he shows his pistol," was the rapid reply. "You need not come if you don't want to.

I'm going to capture him and make him give up the Ba.s.swood fortune."

"If you are going after him, so am I," returned the senator's son, st.u.r.dily. "Maybe it was only a bluff about shooting after all."

While running along the bridge Dave's eyes fell on a short steel bar left there by one of the workmen. He stopped just long enough to pick the bar up, and then went after Porton with all the speed at his command.

It was a perilous chase, for in many places the flooring of the big bridge was still missing and they had to leap from girder to girder of the steel structure.

"Stop, I tell you!" yelled Ward Porton once more, when Dave was within ten yards of him. And then he turned squarely around and our hero and Roger saw the glint of a pistol as the rascal pointed it toward them.

"He is armed!" cried Roger, and now there was a note of fear in his voice, and not without reason.

"Get behind the steel work," ordered Dave, and lost no time in dodging partly out of sight. As he moved, however, he launched forth the steel bar he had picked up.

More by good luck than anything else the bar sped true to its mark. It struck Ward Porton in the forearm, the hand of which was holding the pistol. In another instant the weapon was clattering down through the steel work of the bridge to the river far below.