"it's your turn to get a pail of water, bob."
"all right, just let me finish this chapter."
it was a couple of days after the events related in the last chapter. all the family were on the porch except bob, who was inside reading. the drinking water, used by the goldens, was brought from a spring, about fifty rods back of the house in the woods. the house was supplied with water from a deep well, but all liked the spring water much better for drinking, so the boys took turns going after it.
bob noticed that it was nearly ten o'clock when he closed his book, took his electric torch and getting a pail from the kitchen, started for the spring. the night was pitch dark, as it was cloudy and there was no moon, but the torch lit up the path in front of him so that he had no trouble in following it. as he reached the spring, he thought he heard a slight rustling in the bushes, but beyond thinking, "guess that's a rabbit," he paid no attention to it. 51he was bending over the spring to fill his pail, when suddenly he was grabbed from behind, jerked over backwards and, before he could cry out, a hand was placed over his mouth and he felt himself held to the ground by two men.
"not a sound, if you value your life," hissed one of them, and then a gag was thrust into his mouth and he was rudely turned over on his stomach.
"quick, bill, hand me those ropes," whispered one of the men, and in another minute his hands were securely bound behind his back.
"now let's get him out to the road as soon as we can," said the man who had done all the talking, and whose voice bob recognized as belonging to the man he knew as king.
he was roughly pulled to his feet, and with king clinging to his right and the other, whom bob supposed to be reed, hanging tightly to his left arm, they started for the road, about a half mile distant. the path was very rough, and as they flashed their light but seldom, it was some time before they reached the road. as they climbed the last fence, bob could see dimly a large car standing by the roadside. taking a large handkerchief from his pocket, king bound it tightly over bob's eyes and ordered him to get into the back seat of the car. poor bob had to do as he was ordered, and was quickly followed by king, while the other man took the wheel.52
"now, hit her up, bill," whispered king, and the car bounded ahead.
"it seems to me that bob's an awful long time getting that pail of water," said edna, getting out of the hammock. "i wish he'd hurry up, i'm nearly choked for a drink."
"same here," declared jack. "he's been gone long enough to get a dozen pails. guess i'll go meet him and hustle him up a bit."
so saying, he got his electric torch from the house, and started off along the path. he was somewhat surprised not to meet bob, or to hear his merry whistle, but was not alarmed till he reached the spring and, flashing his light around, spied the pail, lying on its side a few feet away. "well, that's funny," he thought, and putting two fingers in his mouth, he gave two long shrill whistles, their signal to each other. receiving no reply, he made a hurried search of the bushes nearby, but beyond noticing evidence of a struggle, he found no trace of the missing boy.
"something has happened to bob," he thought, now thoroughly alarmed. "there's been a fight here and i'll bet a fish hook that he's been kidnapped." in spite of the darkness, jack nearly flew back to the cottage.
"dad, dad," he shouted, as he bounded on to the porch, "they've got bob."
"who's got bob? what do you mean?" asked 53mr. golden from upstairs, where he was getting ready for bed.
"i don't know who's got him," cried excited jack, "but there's been some kind of a fight at the spring, and he's gone."
"it's impossible," declared mr. golden, who by this time had come down into the living room, where the family had gathered. "there's no one round here who would kidnap him."
"how about those men who held us up on the lake the other night?" asked may.
"by gracious, that's so," said mr. golden. "why didn't i think of them before? give me the phone, quick."
as quickly as possible he called up the police of all the towns nearby, and told them what had happened. they all promised to be on the watch and to do all they could to catch the kidnappers.
"that ought to get them," he declared, as he hung up the receiver. "bob's been gone only about an hour, and they can't have taken him very far yet."
"oh dear, oh dear! do you suppose they will harm him?" sobbed mrs. golden.
"no, my dear," assured her husband, trying to calm her, "i don't think they will dare to hurt him. 'if it is those two men who have him they will try to make him disclose the secret of the cell, for that's undoubtedly what they are after."54
no one in the house thought of going to bed, but sat around eagerly listening for the ring of the phone. suddenly, at eleven-fifteen, it rang and mr. golden eagerly grabbed up the receiver.
"is this mr. golden?" came the voice over the wire.
"yes, yes," he replied eagerly, "who is talking?"
"this is switzer."
"oh, yes, mr. switzer. any news?"
"nothing much, but joe has just come in and says that a big car just went over the bridge at about forty miles an hour. he shouted to them to stop, but they paid no attention, except to turn on more speed, and they were going so fast that he couldn't stop them nor get their number. but he's started off in his car and is going to try to follow 'em, but i'm afraid it's not much use."
switzer was chief of police of skowhegan.
"well, let me know at once if you hear anything," said mr. golden as he hung up the receiver. then he told the rest what he had heard, adding, "there's no telling which way they are heading, even if it were they, which, of course, is not at all sure."
the hours dragged slowly on. from time to time the phone rang, but it was always the same; no other clue had been found.
"if he is not found by eight o'clock," said mr. 55golden, "i shall telegraph to boston for a detective."
meanwhile, what of the missing boy? the car, into which he had been thrust, started off at high speed, and although he tried his best to keep track of its direction, it was impossible, and in less than ten minutes he had lost all idea as to which way they were going. he was unable to speak, owing to the gag in his mouth, and not a word was uttered by either of the men as the car rushed on through the night. they had been traveling for, what seemed to bob, nearly two hours, and his bonds were cutting his wrists cruelly, when suddenly the car slowed up and the character of the road changed. from its roughness and the slow pace at which they were now moving he judged that they must be passing over a woods road. after proceeding in this manner for perhaps twenty minutes, the car stopped and for the first time, the man at the wheel spoke.
"well, here we are."
it was reed's voice sure enough.
king immediately got out and ordered bob to follow him. "you put the car up, bill," he said, "and i'll escort our guest into the house."
so saying, he took bob by the arm and led him forward.
"now, step up," he ordered; and a moment later he announced, "now we're going upstairs."56
as soon as they reached the top, king led him a few steps and then said:
"now we'll have a light and then i'll take off your blinders."
he lit a small lamp, and then, to bob's great relief, removed the gag and blindfold. bob looked about him and saw that he was in a small bare room containing only a cot and a small table.
"say," he asked, "what's the meaning of all this, anyway?"
"ask me no questions and i'll tell you no lies," answered king. "you'll know all about it in good time."
"well, just untie this rope, will you? it's cutting into my wrists like the dickens."
"all right, but mind, now, no funny business. i've got a grudge against you for tipping me into the lake the other night, and if you get gay you'll get hurt, that's all."
he at once untied the rope which bound bob's hands and bob began to pound them together, for so tightly had they been bound, that they were almost numb.
"now you can lie down on that cot and get some sleep if you want to, i'm going to bed downstairs."
"won't you tell me why you have brought me here?"
"not tonight, i won't tell you anything," was the gruff reply.57
so saying, king picked up the light and left the room, and bob heard him lock the door behind him with a key and also shoot a bolt. he had noticed a single window near the foot of the cot and groped his way toward it. it was unlocked, but on raising it, he found that it was protected by heavy iron bars, not more than three inches apart.
"well," he thought, "here's a go for sure. kidnapped in maine in the twentieth century. now wouldn't that jar you?" however, dark as the prospect seemed, bob was a brave boy and by no means lost heart.
"gee, but the folks will be worried to death about me," he thought as he sat down on the cot. "i'll bet mother is crying her eyes out. well," he said to himself a moment later, "guess i might as well lie down and try to get some sleep, for i'll be likely to need all my strength before i get through with this mess." so saying, he threw himself back on the cot, which, he found, made a by no means uncomfortable bed. "if they think they are going to make me tell them about that cell, they've got another think coming," he thought, just before he fell into a deep sleep.
the sun was streaming in through the window when bob awoke, and for a moment, he could not think where he was, then suddenly the events of the night before came back to him, and jumping up, he hastily stepped to the window. he could see 58nothing, however, but a dense forest. at this moment he heard the bolt shot back and the key turned in the lock. a moment later, reed entered the room, carrying an old tin waiter on which were a cup of coffee, some sandwiches and a couple of eggs.
"well," thought bob, "they don't intend to starve me at any rate."
"here's your breakfast, kid," announced reed.
the thought came into bob's mind that he might overpower the man and make a sudden dash for liberty, but just then he heard king below, and realizing that he would be but a child in the hands of so powerful a man, he quickly gave up the idea. laying the tray on the table, reed at once left the room, locking the door behind him. bob lost no time in falling to, for he was very hungry, and soon every crumb had vanished. in a little more than half an hour, he heard steps on the stairs, and both men came in, locking the door after them.
"now, kid," said king. "i'm going to tell you what we want with you. we've got you here a good ways from nowhere and you can't get away, and what's more, no one can find you here either. there isn't a road or a house anywhere near, so you can yell all you blamed please for all the good it will do you. probably you can guess what we want. we happen to know that you have got on to a new kind of a storage battery and we mean to have it. now, you tell us how it is made and as 59soon as we can send word to boston, to our laboratory, and find out that you are telling the truth, we'll let you go. on the other hand, if you are stubborn, and refuse, you'll stay here and get all that's coming to you. we're desperate men and we're going to have it, so you might as well give in at once."
while he had been talking, bob had been thinking rapidly. that they meant to do as they said, he had not the least doubt, but he didn't intend to give in unless he found it necessary to save his life. "let me have a few hours to think it over, will you?"
"i'll give you till three o'clock, but don't think you can escape, for you can't. even if you did get out, we have two of the ugliest dogs you ever saw watching below, and they'd tear you to pieces in a jiffy. come on, bill, we'll leave him awhile, but say, sonny," he added, turning to bob once more, "we don't want to hurt you and you'd better give in and save trouble."
"i'll think it over," was bob's reply as they went out.
