The Banner Boy Scouts Part 36

"Bring him along into the woods, Was.h.!.+" the tall man continued, turning aside.

"Oh! what are you goin' to do?" cried Ted, in real or pretended terror, as he caught hold of the man's coat, and sought to hold him back.

"You'll find out right soon, son. Before we're done with you perhaps you'll wish you'd told us about that ere bag us the beginning. We're just going to make it warm for a feller of your size. This night air has made you too cold to speak up; but we'll fix all that, I reckon; we know how to do it, don't we, Wash?"

"Do we? Well, I should smile we did. But they's no need of our goin' far, old man. This here is a right smart tree, and looks like it might answer.

'Sides, they seems to be lots o' loose wood lyin' 'bout this part!"

Paul felt a chill pa.s.s over him. Could it be possible these rascals meant to torture Ted until he told; or were they just trying to frighten him?

If it came to the worst they just could not stand by and see such a thing done.

Ted, of course, was considerably worked up when he heard what the shorter fellow said. It was so very plain he could not mistake the meaning.

"Say, mister, you wouldn't go to hurt a poor feller what never done you no harm, now, would you? Wish I on'y knowed where I could find a bag; I'd get it for you like hot cakes. Please don't smoke me. I ain't a ham, mister, an' I never done you any harm. Let me go, won't you? I'll never come up here again, sure I won't. And I'll promise to bring you all the bags in our house, mister."

Paying no attention to his pleadings and his groanings the men stood Ted up against a tree. Then the rope brought from the car was wrapped around both boy and tree several times.

"Get busy, Wash, and sc.r.a.pe up all the dead leaves you can find. Then begin and pile up some brush and stuff. Oh! yes, it's a cold night, but we ain't agoin' to let a poor critter what's lost his way, suffer. Here you, stop that snifflin'. Time enough to beller after it begins to hurt."

He struck Ted again in the face, making his nose bleed. Paul had crept out from the brush and commenced to approach the spot. He knew that the other four scouts were probably close on his heels.

Every boy's heart beat like a trip hammer with excitement. They bit their lower lips to keep from shouting out loud, such was the strain upon them.

But not one had the least thought of turning back. With such a leader, how could they?

The shorter ruffian was scratching right merrily among the dead leaves, making all the noise he could, so as to impress the prisoner with a sense of his perilous condition. While he worked he kept talking, half to himself, and no doubt uttering all sorts of terrible threats calculated further to alarm the boy.

"We forgot one thing, Wash," said the other man, suddenly.

"What was that?" asked the one on his knees.

"To search the varmint. I might as well do it right now, while you go on getting his jacket warmer ready."

At first Ted tried to make all the resistance possible; but this only brought quick punishment in the shape of ugly blows and threats. So Ted had to stand and allow the other to have his way.

A minute later the man uttered a loud cry.

"Look here, Wash, what did I say?"

He was holding something up. Seen in the light from the lamp belonging to the red car it looked very much like a fat wad of greenbacks, tied together with a cord.

Wash sprang up, and bent over to examine the object in the light. Then he laughed harshly.

"It's the boodle, all right, Brad. He found the bag, sure as thunder! And now he's _got_ to tell, or it's all up with him!"

Both men turned furiously on the bound boy. Ted had held out against all odds up to this critical point; but of course he must admit himself beaten, now that they had found the evidence in his pocket.

Nearer crept Paul, with his chums tagging close at his heels. And n.o.body thought to look beyond the line of brilliant light cast by the lamp which rested on the ground at the foot of the tree. Fortunately its powerful rays were directed away from the quarter occupied by the creeping Boy Scouts.

"Now, I reckon you're agoin' to tell all you know about that ere bag, son?" said Brad, in a terrible voice.

"I guess I'll have to, mister. I was just holdin' out to see if so be you was what you says. Now I know you be, and I'm ready to tell the hull thing if you'll only let me go free. I don't want to be smoked, just yet anyway," Ted whined.

"You did find the bag, then?" demanded the other.

"Yep, that's what I did."

"And took this wad of dough out of it?" pursued the other, savagely.

"It looked too nice to throw away, so I cabbaged it, mister. Wisht I hadn't now."

"What became of the bag after you took this out--go on, now, and tell, or--"

"Oh! I throwed that away, mister, right over here in the woods somewhere.

If you look around you'll find her close by. Please let me go when you dig her out!" said Ted, really alarmed now for his safety.

CHAPTER XXIX

THE CAPTURE

Paul knew where that bag was.

By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just then. In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action, and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what it must be.

What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the missing object? Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels? If some one cast Ted loose would he join forces with them, and make common cause against the ruffians?

Judging from what he knew about the fellow, from past experiences, Paul thought no dependence could be placed on Ted. As likely as not if his hands were free, he would seize the very first chance to s.n.a.t.c.h up the bag and scamper off, leaving the others to bear the brunt of the men's anger.

But perhaps they would not have to face the tall chap just yet. He seemed ready to start into the bushes across the way first, taking the lamp with him.

"Keep on piling up the trash, Wash. Get him surrounded good and plenty.

For if we don't run across that bag mighty soon we're bound to make it warm for this Smart Aleck. But don't put a match to the heap till I get back. I wanter see the fun, you understand."

"Oh! mister, it's just like I was tellin' you. I stood in the road and guv the bag a throw when I see your light over the top of the hill. She jest _must_ be close around here somewhere," Ted wailed.

"If Brad finds her, all well an' good; but if he don't--well, you'll have a sweet time soon, that's all," growled the shorter man, still on his knees, and engaged in sc.r.a.ping more leaves together.

"If you on'y would let me, I'd stand on the road jest where I was when I throwed the old bag. Then you could figger where she landed. Let me loose, won't you, mister? I told you the truth this time; and you're sure to find that bag. They'll be wonderin' what's become of me at home, sure they will. I got a mother, and she thinks a heap of me, she does. You wouldn't break her heart, mister, by smokin' a poor boy?"

"Aw! dry up! you fooled us once, but you can't do it no more. It's the bag, or your hide gets a singein', my fine feller. That'll do for you, now."

The man had a temper as short as his stature; and Ted dared not stir him up any further. So he hung there alongside the tree, watching the glow of the lamp further up the road.

And as he stood in this disconsolate position, he suddenly became aware that something was taking place just beyond the kneeling Wash.