about noon reed came up bringing bob's dinner, consisting of potatoes, trout, evidently caught nearby, and a glass of milk. "you better make the best of this," he said, "i'll tell you now that you won't get another bite to eat till you tell us what we want to know."
bob gave a sudden start. "so, that's your game, is it?" he asked.
"yes, that's our game, and as you look like a pretty good feeder, i guess it won't take long."
"perhaps not," said bob, as reed left.
poor bob! he ate up every crumb of his dinner. the prospect was dark enough, to say the least, but he had not lost heart, for an idea had occurred to him which he intended to put into practice that night. as there was nothing else to do he spent the time lying on the cot thinking. about three o'clock, king looked in.
"ready to tell us?" he asked.
"not yet," was bob's reply.
"all right, just as you say. i suppose the old 61saying, that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, holds in your case, but if this horse don't drink pretty soon, he'll wish he'd never been born." then, after a moment's pause, he continued, in a kinder tone: "come now, boy, what's the use? we've got all the trump in this game and you've got to give in sooner or later, so why not do it now and save yourself trouble?"
"you seem to be on top just at present, for a fact," agreed bob, "but just the same i'm not going to give in just now." king muttered something about him soon wishing he had and left the room.
that night he got no supper. now, going without his meals did not, in the least, agree with bob's disposition, at any time, and now he had much more than hunger to rouse his anger, and by eleven o'clock, he was, as he put it to himself, fighting mad.
"i haven't heard any dogs and i don't believe they've got any," he thought. "anyhow, i'm going to run the risk if i can get through that door." fortunately, he had not been searched and as he had a good strong jackknife, it had occurred to him that he might cut a hole in the door large enough to get his hand through. he waited till one o'clock, and then began his attack. it was pretty hard cutting, as it was spruce, but he kept steadily at it and in about an hour had a small hole through, and another half hour of hard cutting enabled him to enlarge 62it sufficiently to pass his hand through, turn the key and slip back the bolt. "now for it," he thought. "if they've got a dog i'll give him the fight of his life."
cautiously, he crept down the stairs, which creaked a little in spite of his efforts, holding the open knife in his hand. he finally reached the bottom without any mishap and, so far as he could tell, without being heard. unlocking the door, he stepped softly out on the porch. it was a beautiful starlight night and, although there was no moon, it did not seem very dark. bob was just beginning to feel easier, when he heard a low growl and, looking round, he saw a huge mastiff eyeing him a few feet away. "good dog," he whispered, thinking he might make friends with him, but the brute continued to growl and slowly crept nearer.
bob saw that he was about to spring and braced himself for the attack. as the dog jumped, the boy drew back his right foot, and with a powerful kick caught him fairly in the stomach. with a low whine of pain, the dog fell back and without giving him time to recover, bob sprang forward and, seizing him by the throat, plunged the knife blade to the handle in his side. the dog gave one howl and stiffened out.
"one enemy the less," thought bob as he rose to his feet, but he was not to get off so easily, for 63just then the door opened and reed stepped out.
"thunder and lightning," he gasped, "how'd you get out."
bob did not stop to explain, but jumping off the porch and started on a run down the path.
"quick, jim, he's getting away," shouted reed, as he started after the escaping boy.
bob was a fast runner, but he was sadly handicapped by not knowing which way to go in the darkness, and the path was rough. still, he might have escaped had he not met with a mishap. he had not gone more than a hundred yards, when his foot caught in a vine, and he fell forward on his face, his knife flying from his hand. before he could pick himself up and start again, reed was upon him. bob did not intend to submit to capture a second time if he could help it, and, as he was caught round the body, he gave a sudden squirm, which broke reed's hold, instantly drawing back his right arm, he struck out with all his strength. the blow was a heavy one, and caught reed fairly on the nose, making him grunt with pain. it did not, however, put him out of the fight, and before bob could turn and run, he felt a stinging blow on the ear, which dazed him for a second. he quickly recovered, and grabbing reed, tried his best to force him to the ground.
although a small man, he was no means weak, 64and the struggle waged fast and furiously. finally, bob succeeded in getting a half nelson round his neck, and the next instant reed felt himself hurled to the ground, which he struck with tremendous force. all the fight was knocked out of him, and once more bob started to run, but alas for his hopes, he was too late, for just then king appeared on the scene.
bob was so nearly exhausted by this time, that he could make but little headway, and soon king grabbed him round the neck and bore him to the ground. he realized that it would be useless to struggle against this man, for he was almost a giant in strength.
"so you thought you'd give us the slip, did you? well, you're a slick one, that's a fact, and you're no coward either, but really we can't dispense with your company yet awhile," said the man as he dragged bob to his feet.
by this time reed had managed to get on his feet. "d—— the brat," he growled, "he's strong as a moose. my nose is bleeding like a stuck pig, and it feels as though half my bones were broken."
"well, bill, we can't blame the kid for trying to get away, but it beats me how he got out of that room, and, say, what was that dog doing? guess he's no good."
"i don't think he is much good any more," bob 65couldn't help saying. "you'll find him on the porch."
"if you've killed that dog, i'll take it out of your hide," growled reed.
"easy there, bill," admonished king, "i won't have the kid ill-treated for trying to get away and defending himself, and, if he had to kill the dog to do it, he had a right to. i admire bravery wherever i see it, but we'll fix things after this so that he won't have a chance to show his spunk to such good advantage."
while talking, the two men had been leading bob back to the house. seeing the dog on the porch, reed turned him over; "well he's done for all right, confound him. i wouldn't have taken one hundred dollars for that dog," he said.
"come on now," urged king, "we'll see to him in the morning. i want to find out how this kid got out of that room."
reaching the top of the stairs and holding up the lantern, which he had grabbed up from the porch, the method was plainly apparent.
"well i'll be switched," said king. "bill we ought to be ashamed of ourselves not to have searched him. i never thought of him having a knife that he could cut through that door with. you go down and get a board and some nails, and we'll soon have this fixed."66
the hole was boarded over, plenty of nails being used, and as he drove the last one, king said, "now i'll look him over and see if he has anything else he can use."
bob knew it would be useless to resist, and so allowed himself to be searched, but nothing was found which they considered dangerous.
"i guess, bill, one of us had better stay up the rest of the night," said king, as he finished his search. "i don't see how he could get away again, but we won't take any chances."
as they were about to leave the room, bob asked, "can't you give me something to eat? i'm awfully hungry."
"sure thing," replied king. "there's a fine mess of trout downstairs, which bill caught this afternoon, and i can boil some potatoes in no time. you just tell us what we want to know, and i'll have you a fine meal in less than half an hour."
but bob was not yet ready to give up. "never mind," he said, "i guess i'm not so hungry as i thought i was."
they went out and he heard them go down the stairs. throwing himself on the cot he groaned, "oh dear, to come so near to getting away and then fail. but," he thought, "i did my best, and i'll bet reed's nose will be sore for a few days. if 67that blow had only caught him on the chin, i might have made it before king got there."
he lay for a long time thinking how he could foil his captors. suddenly, he sprang up. "why not?" he said to himself. "it may work if i can carry through the bluff. anyhow, it'll be better than starving here, and i'm going to try it."
having decided on a line of action, he once more threw himself on the cot and was soon asleep.
no one came near him till nearly ten o'clock that morning, and by that time, bob felt, as he expressed it, as though the bottom of his stomach had fallen out.
"how goes it?" was king's greeting, as he entered the room, "getting pretty hungry?"
"hungry!" growled bob, "if you don't look out i may eat you up."
king laughed, "what's the use of sticking it out any longer?" he asked. "you've got to give in or starve."
"i'm beginning to think that's so," replied bob, "i did intend to stick it out, but i'm too hungry."
"that's the way to talk. now you tell me all about it, and then i'll bring you up a good dinner. but mind now," he added, "if you don't tell it straight, i'll—i'll, well, your folks will never have the pleasure of seeing you again, that's all."
"well now, see here," began bob, "i can't tell 68you how to make that cell so that you could do it."
"can't? why not?" demanded king.
"because," continued bob, "the success of it depends on the temperature at which the metals composing the caps are put together, and that point can be determined only by the looks of them, and i couldn't possibly describe it so that any one could detect the right point."
"then how are you going to work it?"
"why, didn't you say that you have a laboratory in boston?"
"yes, but what of it?"
"well, why not take me there and let me make it for you?"
king thought a moment and then said, "i don't altogether like that idea, but i'll talk it over with bill and see what he says."
as he was leaving the room, bob added, "that's the best i can do. if i should tell you about it, and then you failed, you would blame me, and i'd have to suffer for it."
king was gone about half an hour, and when he returned, he brought a good dinner with him.
"we've decided to take you up, and here's your dinner," he said. "but now listen to me. my future depends on this thing; how, is none of your business, but i'd rather die than fail, so if you try any funny business, you can know what to expect."69
"how soon shall we start?" asked bob.
"we shall start, in the car, as soon as it is dark."
"i don't know," thought bob, after king had left the room, "whether i'm jumping out of the frying pan into the fire or not, but that dinner looks mighty good to me, so here goes."
