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CHAPTER IV
The Treacherous Crook
WITH an oath the man shook Bob off and turned to deal with him.
“You?” he growled in surprise. “You, little more than a kid, would dare to fight Tim Donnahan? Why, I’ll – ”
The sentence remained unfinished, for at that moment Bob’s fist shot out with lightning rapidity and caught the man squarely between the eyes. Without an outcry he went sprawling to the ground and rolled over.
For a second he remained dazed. Then he recovered himself and regained his feet.
Summoning all his power he lunged forward, mouth foaming and eyes glaring with rage.
It was easy to see that Bob was dealing with no weakling. His heaving chest was in itself a symbol of strength, as were also the powerful arms and heavy body. But then neither was Bob a weakling, as he had displayed so many times before. True he did not delight in fighting, but when called upon he was able to give a good account of himself. If the truth be known, he had not only won cups and letters in high school football and basketball, but in boxing as well. Joe was lighter and less robust, although by no means easy to knock out.
Now, as the young men faced this crook, there was a strong desire to win in their minds. Here was a chance – perhaps the only one they would have – to bring these men to justice for their cruel, underhanded way of getting even with Mr. Lewis for a trivial matter.
They possessed two fears. What if this fellow had a gun with him and thought nothing of using it? And what if the arch-crook would emerge from the house?
“If he only stays away,” thought Bob, as he cleverly ducked the large fist that came with all force.
For nearly five minutes the fight kept up, neither of the participants gaining anything.
Then suddenly the man swung around in an unguarded moment and sent his fist crashing into Bob’s jaw. Taken unawares, the youth went to the ground, almost unconscious.
Grinning in triumph, the crook was reaching for a revolver when Joe leaped forward and threw him on his side. The impact hurled the gun several feet away, and both made for it.
But Bob was there first! He had struggled to his senses while Joe did his part to prevent calamity.
“Get back!” Bob commanded, flashing the automatic in the man’s face. “It’s all over now!”
For a moment the fellow could not believe that the tide had turned. He stared first at Bob and then at Joe, muttering to himself. Once he started forward, but, as the gun was pressed in his face, he shrank back, apparently giving himself over to any fate.
“Get goin’,” Joe commanded, advancing a step or two.
The order was obeyed, and they marched out to the alley, where Mr. Holton’s car remained, unmolested.
“Now,” said Bob, handing the key to Joe, “I’ll get in the back seat and guard this man, and you get in front and drive us to the police station.”
No conversation was carried on during the trip, for the boys resolved to take no chances.
“At any minute he might attempt a get-away,” thought Joe, as he increased the speed as much as was consistent with safety.
Through streets and side streets they went, until at last they found themselves near the city’s business district. It was thought best not to travel on the busy thoroughfares for fear of attracting attention.
After rounding a sharp corner, Joe found it necessary to stop quickly at a traffic signal.
Directly to the right was a horde of people, gathered to witness a ceremony of the Salvation Army. There were fully thirty in the crowd, and shrill notes of a trumpet attracted more spectators constantly.
Suddenly Bob and Joe were taken in total surprise. Their captive leaned out of the car window and, hailing the crowd of people, cried, “Help! A hold-up! Help!”
Immediately the people’s attention was attracted, and with wonder and curiosity they rushed toward the screaming man.
The two youths, because of the suddenness of the unexpected happening, could not immediately master the situation.
The crowd enfolded the car and rushed toward Bob and Joe, against whom the criminal had directed them.
“Well, of all the rotten experiences!” muttered Bob Holton, as a tall man grasped him by the arm none too gently. And upon glancing behind he saw that Joe, too, had been taken a mistaken prisoner.
So their captive had won out after all! Thus it seemed to the boys, but they clinched their fists, and Bob especially was determined not to be beaten so easily.
True they might wait and explain matters to the police, and if they did not believe, perhaps the judge would. But there was too much chance of losing, even though there was a possibility of winning.
The next instant they saw that it would be impossible to settle later, for the crook, deciding it best to take advantage of the situation, opened the door of the car, and with the words, “Arrest these fellows,” he ran down the street, leaving the crowd to stare in surprise and wonder.
Thinking it useless to explain to the people in time to recapture the man, Bob suddenly sent his fist crashing into the man who still had hold of his arm with such force that he went down in a dazed condition.
For a second the youth was free and, gathering courage, he broke through the mass of people and dashed down the street in pursuit of the escaped criminal, who could be seen some two blocks ahead.
“I ought to catch him after awhile,” the youth thought, as he noted that the man was rapidly losing ground.
Several more minutes brought pursuer and pursued to the Potomac River, and Bob feared that the man might attempt to swim across but was mistaken.
The youth was now close upon him, and when they came to a small clump of shrubbery, Bob resolved to end the chase.
“Here goes,” he thought, and, exerting himself to the utmost, he caught up and aimed his foot in the man’s path.
With an exclamation of rage the fellow went down head first in a clump of bushes.
Immediately he was up, and with a hoarse bellow he aimed a blow at his young enemy’s chin. But Bob dodged and with expert quickness sent his fist smashing into the man’s nose.
Stunned, dazed, bewildered at this youth’s daring, he again took flight, Bob at his heels.
Had the revolver not been taken from him by the crowd of people, Bob would have been tempted to open fire.
Suddenly a man appeared not far away, and Bob called to him for assistance. The stranger finally grasped the meaning, and not questioning the cause of the chase, started after the criminal from another direction.
“We’ve got him,” panted Bob, as he came within an arm’s reach. “It’s all over now.”
And so it was. With a terrific crack to the chin the youth sent his enemy to the ground unconscious.
“But what does this all mean?” demanded the stranger who had helped in the capture.
“He’s a criminal,” Bob answered. “Set a garage on fire. Tell you later if you’ll give me your name and address. Mine’s Bob Holton. I live at – Wait, here’s one of Dad’s cards.”
The stranger accepted the card and in turn gave his name and address, but it was evident that he was very much puzzled about the whole affair.
The criminal’s eyes were opening, and he squirmed about uneasily. At last he seemed fully revived and sat up.
“Where’s an officer?” Bob asked, looking about.
“Here,” came a shout, and the next moment a policeman stepped up, looked at the downed captive and then at Bob.
“Take this man to the police station,” the youth directed.
“You’re certain you’ve got the goods on him?”
“Yes. I’ll come along with you.”
Tim Donnahan slowly responded to the officer’s command to “rise an’ get goin’,” and they started to a police telephone, where a call for a patrol wagon was to be made.
Meanwhile Joe, who was left behind in the car when Bob made his escape, had resolved to free himself if it were at all possible. He saw that it would be impossible to break away as his friend had done, for the crowd was all the more determined to bring him to justice as a “hold-up man,” which they didn’t doubt that he was. So the only thing left was to do his best to make them believe what he told them.
“I tell you it’s a mistake,” he pleaded. “This first fellow that got away is the guilty person. We caught him after he had set fire to my father’s garage. We were taking him to the police station when he pulled his gag about being held up. You noticed he lost no time in getting away, didn’t you? Would a man who wasn’t guilty have done such a thing?”
His tones were so much in earnest that many of the people were inclined to believe him.
“He’s telling the truth, all right,” declared one man, nodding.
Several policemen now came up on motorcycles, and Joe again told his story.
“My friend is still after the crook down the street,” he said, as finishing words.
“All right,” one of the officers replied, as if he believed. “Suppose we go down the street and investigate. I’ll get in the car with you.”
Joe, glad of the chance to prove that he had told the truth, did as directed.
A little farther down they pulled up beside the crowd that had gathered at the spot where Bob had caught the criminal.
“There they are,” pointed out Joe, as he saw his friend, a policeman, and Tim Donnahan making their way to a telephone.
“Bob did get him,” observed Joe, overwhelmed with joy.
The car was stopped beside them, and a short discussion was held.
Bob was asked to tell his story, and the policemen noted that it exactly coincided with that told by the other boy.
“Looks like a clear case on you,” one of the officers said to Tim Donnahan, but the man remained silent.
“I’ll go with you fellows to the garage that burned,” the other officer said to Bob and Joe. “And meanwhile,” he went on, “we’ll send police out to get those other crooks you were talking about.”
Bob took the wheel, and in less than fifteen minutes they pulled up in front of Joe’s house and got out.
Mr. Lewis and Mr. Holton came out to meet them.
“What’s it all about?” the latter asked, as he noted the policeman.
“We’ve caught the fellows that set fire to Dad’s garage,” Joe answered, and then proceeded to tell of their experiences.
When he had finished, the men looked at their sons with intense admiration and praise. It was evident that the youths had gone beyond their expectations.
“It was a brave deed!” commended Joe’s father, patting them on the back.
But Bob protested.
“We didn’t do much. Catching that fellow wasn’t so hard.”
“You got the whole gang indirectly,” corrected Mr. Lewis. “Now,” he continued, “you fellows are entitled to a reward. What would you like to have?”
“Nothing,” returned Bob. “It wasn’t worth much. We came out all right and had a lot of fun at that.”
“I won’t have it that way,” rejected Mr. Lewis. “You boys must have a reward for your services, and I’m going to see that you get it. What would you like?”
There was a short silence. Then Joe’s eyes twinkled, and he resolved to venture a bold question.
“Let us go with you on that trip you’re about to take to the wilds of Brazil,” he said quietly.
CHAPTER V
A Worth-while Offer
BOTH Mr. Lewis and Mr. Holton smiled. It was evident that they had not expected this.
“That’s the only thing that’ll satisfy you?” the former asked, his mind working rapidly.
The young men nodded.
“We’ll be careful and do all we can for the good of the expedition,” said Bob anxiously. “Please arrange to take us along.”
There was a period of suspense. Then the men looked at each other.
“What will we say?” Joe’s father asked, totally undecided.
Mr. Holton had been mentally debating the subject. Now he was ready for an answer.
“Let’s let them go,” he said. “They’re as big and strong as we and are usually equal to any crisis. You see what they did to this gang of men. Shows they are resourceful, and that’s what you have to be in a strange land where danger lurks at every step. In my opinion they’d be a valuable asset to the expedition.”
The youths looked at Mr. Holton gratefully. They felt that the battle was nearly half won.
For nearly a minute Mr. Lewis was silent. Then he spoke with decision.
“I think you’re right, Howard,” he said. “We’ll have a talk with their mothers this afternoon, and I am of the opinion that they’ll give their consent if we go at them right.”
“Fine!” cried Bob joyously. “Do your best to win them over. I think they’ll agree to let us go, especially since they have so much faith in you. But say! You haven’t told us who all intend to make up the expedition. There isn’t to be a large number, is there?”
“No,” Mr. Holton answered. “We only intended to have three, Mr. Lewis, an anthropologist, and myself, but if you boys accompany us the number will, of course, be raised to five. And perhaps,” he went on, “that would be better than to have so few. You see it isn’t like an expedition into Africa, where there are plenty of native carriers to bear your provisions. We’ll have to rely more on our own resources and be extremely careful that we don’t get lost. Several million square miles of jungle is a wide area to cut into, especially when so much of it is unexplored.”
“Should think it would be great fun,” commented Joe, mentally picturing the many thrills that promised to make the trip interesting.
“It will be,” Mr. Holton returned. “But it will also have its dangers. These are mainly of human character. Why, it is said that there are tribes of Indians so uncivilized that they think nothing of – ”
“Ahem!” Mr. Lewis cut in purposefully.
“What were you going to say?” Joe asked.
“Perhaps I’ll tell you some other time,” came the reply. “Right now I think I’ll have a look at my firearms. In all probability they need oiling.”
He left for the house, and the others remained for several minutes longer. Then Mr. Lewis departed also, leaving the youths to themselves.
“What do you suppose Dad was going to say – about the savages, I mean?” Bob asked, glancing around to make sure that the men were gone.
“Something that shouldn’t go into our young ears,” smiled Joe and then turned to the house.
As he did so he happened to glance out at the street, to see that two men were making their way up to the house. Each carried a small hand satchel. That they were strangers Joe guessed at once, although they might not be to his father and Mr. Holton.
Joe waited until the men were close and then turned to meet them.
“Naturalists by the names of Lewis and Holton,” one man said. “Can we find them here?”
“Yes,” Joe replied, wondering what was meant. “Come in the house and I’ll call them.”
The strangers did as directed, and Joe went around to find his father and Mr. Holton.
Bob took a chair on the porch.
Joe found the men cleaning their rifles. Neither could explain who the strangers were.
“Perhaps they’re from the museum,” said Bob’s father, as he and Mr. Lewis left for the living room of the Lewis home.
During the discussion Bob and Joe remained on the porch, not wishing to intrude on the naturalists’ private affairs. They were not there long, however, till Mr. Holton called them in with the others.
“Boys, this is Mr. Weslowe, and this, Mr. Duncan, both of the Neuman Film Corporation. The young man on my left is Joe Lewis; on my right, Bob Holton, my son.”
After a few casual remarks, Mr. Holton proceeded to tell why the representatives from the film corporation were there.
“You see, they learned of our proposed expedition into the wilds of Brazil,” he explained, “and they have come to make a business proposition. Suppose one of you continues,” he ended, looking at the men, “for if these young men are to be a part of the expedition they should know about this.”
“As you know, we are with the Neuman Film Corporation,” Mr. Weslowe explained. “Now this house is always on the lookout for an opportunity to take motion pictures of little-known places, and here is certainly an opportunity. Unexplored Brazil! Ah! What a chance!
“The minute Neuman learned of this expedition they lost no time in sending us out here to make an offer – one that we sincerely trust you will take up.”
He stopped to open his satchel and get out a folded paper. Then he continued:
“We want you to take motion pictures of Brazil for our company. Will you do it?”
For a few seconds no one answered. Then Mr. Lewis leaned forward.
“Won’t it be difficult?” he asked.
“On the contrary,” Mr. Duncan returned. “Very simple. Hardly anything to it. We’ll give you complete instructions and will not hold you strictly responsible for any lost film. In fact it nearly always happens that at least several score feet of film are lost on such an expedition, where wet and damp have so much to do with the success of the pictures taken.”
“Of course,” said Mr. Weslowe, “we realize that yours will be an expedition for the good of science, not to take moving pictures. It is for this reason that we will willingly place the responsibility, which isn’t very much, in the hands of these young men here – your sons.
“Now this will not mean,” he assured them, “that they must put in all their time for this cause. We only wish several scenes along the journey. For instance, you might start by taking a movie of Pará, or whatever other city you first reach. Then several hundred feet may be used along the mainstream of the Amazon, showing the gradual progress of the expedition. When you turn onto a less-known river, that’s when we want the real show to start. The country you’ll pass through will be wilder, and the pictures will be more interesting. But once again let me assure you that the apparatus we’ll furnish will be of the simplest design, and you need not worry about not meeting with success as far as that goes. And we’ll pay you well for your trouble. Here’s the contract. Read it over. See what you think of it.”
He passed the paper to Mr. Holton, who shared the reading with Bob, Joe, and Mr. Lewis.
CHAPTER VI
Off for the Wilds of Brazil
“WELL?”
It was Mr. Weslowe’s voice after the scientists and their sons had finished reading the contract.
Mr. Holton nodded.
“It’s all right,” he declared. “Contains nothing whatever that would be objectionable.”
Mr. Lewis agreed.
“We’ll leave the matter to the boys,” he said. “They’ll be the ones who will have charge of taking the pictures. And let me say that you can rely on them.”
“You haven’t said that we can go yet,” remarked Bob. “How about our mothers? Will they consent?”
“Yes,” Mr. Lewis answered. “They finally agreed. We were planning to make it a surprise later.”
“What!” cried Bob, while Joe gasped in astonishment.
“Fine!” blurted out Joe, after he had regained his breath. “We don’t know how to thank you enough. And I’ll be more than glad to accept this offer to take the movies. Bob will, too, I’m sure.”
“All right,” Mr. Weslowe said. “Here’s a pen. You men, as the ones in charge of the expedition, must sign here.”
They did as directed, and then the representatives prepared to depart.
“The film, machine, and other equipment will be here inside of a week,” Mr. Duncan said. “And you’ll find it as simple as we explained.”
Then they took their leave.
“A chance to make some money,” said Mr. Lewis to the youths, as they seated themselves on the porch awaiting the evening meal.
“Yes,” said Bob. “And I know we’ll find it interesting.”
“What kind of a camera do you suppose they’ll furnish?” Joe asked.
“Probably the small, simple kind that requires no tripod. All you do is press a button and the film is automatically exposed. But you’ll have to follow the instructions closely or the whole thing will be a total failure. And to a certain extent, Mr. Holton and I will be held responsible.”
Practically all of the next day was spent in the business district purchasing various articles to be used on the coming great adventure. In the evening when they returned home they were satisfied with everything they had bought. Bob and Joe were especially delighted with the new rifles that their fathers presented them, for they were of the very latest design.
“I suppose they’ll bring down anything,” said Bob, in reference to the guns.
“Anything but elephants, rhinos, and the like that have extremely tough hides,” his father answered. “You needn’t fear them, though, for we won’t come across them in South America.”
“What is considered the most dangerous game of that continent?” asked Joe.
“The jaguar, generally,” was the response. “He sometimes attains a length of nearly six feet and is extremely powerful. He has been known to attack a mustang, swim with it across a river, and place it in the thick bushes. Again he has been seen to open fish and heavy turtles with his powerful claws.”
“Poisonous snakes are also dangerous,” said Mr. Lewis, “although they seldom attack a man without first being disturbed.”
“There’s a remedy for every such bite, isn’t there?” inquired Joe.
“Yes. That is, for nearly every one. The strange part of it is that one antidote may be totally ineffective against one kind of poison, while it has effect on another. You see there are several types or classes of venomous reptiles, and each has a different type of poison. Hence several antidotes have to be carried so as to take no chances.”
“Anacondas are not poisonous, are they?” asked Joe.
“No,” replied Mr. Holton. “They are constrictors, that kill their victims by crushing them to death. Another name for them is ‘water boa,’ because they are found near a stream or mud hole. You boys probably know that they are among the world’s largest snakes, often being thirty feet in length and thicker than a man’s leg. They are capable of crushing an ox to death, and often tear up small trees by the roots.”
Joe shuddered.
“I don’t think I’d care to meet one of them,” he said. “Especially since I’m not an excellent shot like you and Dad.”
“And Bob,” added Mr. Lewis. Really Bob was not far behind the naturalists in marksmanship.
After the preparations for the trip were fully completed, the youths and their fathers rested, for the coming venture was to be a tiresome one, and it was wholly unwise to use too much of their energy that was to be so much needed later.
Meanwhile reconstruction work was being done on Mr. Lewis’s garage, and the workmen promised to have the task completed in three days.
“Won’t have to worry about that,” Bob assured his chum’s father. “You can just take it easy until the time comes to leave for Brazil.”
Mr. Lewis nodded but found out later, as did Mr. Holton, that to rest was impossible, much as they would have liked to. Frequent trips to the museum had to be made, visits to various libraries were necessary, and they found at last that a journey to Baltimore was inevitable. As might be expected, they were greatly fatigued when, although every matter was settled, only two days remained before the long mission into the unknown.
That afternoon Professor Bigelow, a noted anthropologist who was to be a part of the expedition, arrived at Mr. Holton’s home, where he was to remain until the expedition would leave. He was a rather small man, with heavy gray hair and a swarthy complexion that the boys rightly guessed was due to his many missions into strange lands to study primitive people. He at once took a great liking to the youths, and together they discussed many strange happenings, which the professor related in breath-taking tales. He told of adventures in darkest Africa, where many little-known clans of natives were studied. He thrilled his listeners with stories of narrow escapes from the Dyaks of Borneo, of journeys into Ecuador to investigate the savage head-shrinkers, into India, Mongolia, Venezuela, islands of the South Seas, and many other strange places. Yes, it was a great life – that pursued by an anthropologist.
“Two more things I’d like to know,” said Bob, the next afternoon. “First, what food will we take along?”
“That is all arranged,” his father replied. “A company in New York packed our provisions in light tin containers that are airtight and will float on water. You don’t need to worry about our having enough, for we took into consideration the possibility of a long, unexpected delay. What’s your other question?”
“This: Where do we sail from, New York? And on what ship?”
Mr. Holton gasped in astonishment.
“What!” he cried. “You don’t know that yet? I thought we discussed that matter several days ago.”
“If you did, I wasn’t there,” Bob returned, grinning. “We’ve been so busy with preparations that I haven’t given it a thought.”
“All right, I’ll tell you. We sail from New York on the steamer Empire, a vessel of ten thousand tons. It is scheduled to arrive in Macapá, which is several miles inland on the Amazon, in twelve days. Fairly good time, considering a stop at the West Indies.”
At frequent intervals Mrs. Holton and Mrs. Lewis expressed the desire for their sons to give up the thought of accompanying the expedition, but the boys did their best to convince their mothers that, while there were dangers attached, they were not as numerous as one might think.
“Come to think of it, you can’t blame them, though,” said Joe. “We’re rather inexperienced in the art of exploring.”
“We’ll come through all right,” Bob assured him. “Oh! How I wish the time would pass quicker!”
Despite Bob’s desire, the great day of leaving took its time in coming. But when it did arrive, everyone was in readiness.
“Weather’s cool and the sky’s clear,” observed Joe, as he and Bob lugged their belongings out to the front porch of Bob’s home, where the members of both households were to gather before the party would leave.
“Just the right temperature,” declared Mr. Holton, who had moved up in time to hear his son’s chum.
The train was to leave for New York at ten o’clock and the party barely had time to get breakfast and prepare themselves and their possessions, which, by the way, included the motion-picture cameras and several thousand feet of film, sent ahead by the Neuman Film Corporation.
Bob and Joe – and the others to a less degree – had studied the instructions on how to take motion pictures and felt that it would be an easy matter to carry them out.
Shortly after breakfast Mrs. Holton and Mrs. Lewis drove the family cars out in front, and the others carried out their belongings and got inside.
“The last we’ll see of good old Washington for several months to come,” sighed Joe, as he cast a final look at the homes they were leaving behind.
There were tears in the eyes of Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Holton as they gave the youths and their fathers a warm farewell. Professor Bigelow also took part in the leave-taking, for he was well liked by all. Bob’s smaller brother and Joe’s sister gave tender good-byes, and with one last adieu the adventurers made their way down the platform and to the New York Limited.
