Lost in the Wilds of Brazil

  CHAPTER III

  Valuable Information

  At the remark Mr. Holton gasped in astonishment.

  "Who would it be?" he asked. "Has anyone got anything against you?"

  "Not that I know of," Joe's father replied. "Let me think."

  He assumed a mood of thoughtful anxiety, and Mr. Holton took the smallbox for a closer examination. It was about eight inches square, with ahole in the top out of which protruded a short iron stem. Inside, analarm clock was still ticking.

  "Hmm! That fire was probably set for ten o'clock," Mr. Holtonmurmured, as he noticed that it was now nearly eleven.

  "How long ago do you suppose it was set?" inquired Bob.

  "Impossible to say," the response came. "It couldn't have been morethan twelve hours ago, however."

  Mr. Lewis looked up.

  "I can think of several people who could be bad enough to do this," hesaid thoughtfully. "But I cannot say which one it would be.

  "First I might mention a man who wanted to buy some specimens from me,but I declined to sell them. He had a sour disposition, and his temperwas thoroughly aroused when, after he had offered large sums of money,I refused him. Said he'd get even some time."

  "What'd he want with them?" Joe asked.

  "Wanted to sell them to a well-known museum. You see they were veryrare birds that I got in New Zealand, and he'd have been offered alarge sum for them."

  "Could be the very man!" Mr. Holton said. "Who else might have doneit?"

  "A rival naturalist," the other returned. "Name is Davis--Thomas T.Davis. Perhaps you remember, Howard. The fellow with the goldeyeglasses and scarred face. Said he got it when a tiger sprang athim. Always----"

  "Yes," Mr. Holton interrupted, his eyes bright with suddenrecollection. "The museum employed him awhile, didn't it?"

  Joe's father nodded.

  "He always had a dislike for me," he went on. "Didn't like it at allwhen I headed that expedition to central Asia."

  There was a short silence. Then Mr. Lewis made a resolution.

  "I'm going to put this matter in the hands of detectives," he said."They may be able to figure it out."

  "That's the thing to do," Bob agreed. "Seems to me, though, that thisfirst man you mentioned is responsible. The one who wanted to buy thespecimens from you."

  "Could be. But I am very much in doubt as to whether he would do sucha thing."

  "Are you certain that there is no one else that has anything againstyou?" Mr. Holton questioned.

  "No. Not certain. But fairly sure."

  Suddenly Bob's face lightened, and he turned to Mr. Lewis.

  "Do you know where this man lives? The one who wanted to buy thespecimens from you, I mean."

  "Why--yes," Mr. Lewis faltered. "That is, I have it in my memorandum.What do you want with it?"

  "Don't know that it'll be any good at all. But we could inquire of hisneighbors what kind of man he is."

  "Good idea. Better let me go, though."

  Bob shook his head.

  "Joe and I haven't anything else to do," he argued, "and we'll be gladto do it."

  "All right. Come in the house and I'll put his name and address onpaper."

  In a short time Mr. Lewis was back with a folded paper, which hehanded to Bob.

  "Now use tact in getting your information," he said. "Remember, don'tlet the people you inquire of in on the secret."

  "We won't," came the response, and after securing permission to useMr. Holton's sedan, they left for the man's address.

  What would they find? Would the people living near know anything aboutthis person? Would the youths find that he had moved and, owing to hiscriminal record, had told no one of his new location? These questionswere in the minds of Bob and Joe as they went farther toward theirdestination.

  After a twenty-minute ride they pulled up on a poor cross street nearthe city limits and gazed to their left at a small house set back fromthe sidewalk. Directly beside it was another house of slightly betterappearance.

  "That's the place," pronounced Bob. "Doesn't look like anyone's athome."

  "Let's go to the house next to it," suggested Joe, getting out of thecar. "We'll trust to luck that the occupants are not related to theman we're after."

  The boys made their way to the door and knocked. For over a minutethey waited in silence. Then, as it was evident that there was no oneat home, they turned to leave. But at that moment a small car moved upto the curb and stopped. Two men got out and started toward the housewhere the alleged crook lived. But the second they caught sight of Boband Joe they turned back to their car.

  "Come on," whispered Bob. "Let's follow them. I have a notion that oneof those fellows is the man we're after."

  Joe nodded in agreement.

  "Did you notice how strange they acted when they saw us?" he asked."Perhaps they thought we were officers that had come to arrest them."

  The youths made their way to their automobile and had the motorstarted just as the other car whizzed away.

  For over ten minutes they followed cautiously, and they were satisfiedthat the men had not noticed them. Then at last they turned up adilapidated street and stopped in front of a small, weather-beatenhouse. Here they left the car and went inside, while Bob and Joestopped a square away.

  "Let's go up and look around," suggested Joe.

  As quietly as possible, the boys walked up to the house.

  "Come around to the back," beckoned Joe. "There might be a window."

  His supposition proved correct, for they found one before they reachedthe back porch. The glass was out and the opening was boarded upfairly tight, but there were several large cracks.

  Cautiously Bob leaned up close and peeped inside. Then he turned toJoe.

  "Four men inside," he whispered. "Two of them are the ones wefollowed. Wait! Let's hear what they're saying."

  Again he leaned over to the window, this time to listen. Joe squeezedup close that he might hear also.

  "Where do you suppose he is?" one man was saying in a gruff voice.

  "Left town, mebbe," another answered. "Just plain slipped out on us,an' him owin' us a lot of dough."

  "The dirty tramp!" a third said with an oath. "We'll get him, don'tyou worry. No guy can put anything over on us!"

  "He's afraid of the cops, no doubt," the first said. "Maybe---- Butsay! Speakin' of cops, we saw a couple of guys at the house next doorto him, and nobody lives there. Haven't for two months. They mighthave been detectives."

  "He means us," whispered Joe. "We scared them off, I guess."

  The man who had been silent now spoke.

  "You may be right," he said. "It don't take them detectives long toget on a guy's trail. If you stick around where you been keepin'yourself they'll get you sure. That's prob'ly the reason why this guyain't home. Give him time. He'll settle with us."

  But the first man was impatient.

  "We want our dough now!" he bawled. "We was supposed to have it atnoon an' he didn't come. He owes us a good many bucks, and for thespark machine too. He was supposed to pay for that, you know."

  Bob and Joe looked at each other. The spark machine!

  "That proves it!" Bob whispered, gritting his teeth. "They're thefellows that set your dad's garage on fire, all right! We'll makethem----"

  "Shhh!"

  "But listen, Tim," one of the men was saying, "there ain't any use toget hot-headed yet. I know this guy pretty well. I've done a lot forhim and he's done a lot for me. He's never backed out on me yet. He'sgot plenty of money, even if he is tryin' hard to get more.

  "Here's what let's do. Let's give him till tomorrow night, and then ifhe don't pay us we can go after him."

  "All right." And the agreement was made.

  Bob and Joe looked at each other. What were they to do now? They hadsecured evidence that these men were the guilty ones. Now would it bebest to report the matter to the police at once, or had they betterwait longer for any further information that the crooks mightunknowingly giv
e them?

  "Let's wait a few more minutes," suggested Joe. "They might leave thehouse just as we made for our car, and then it would be too bad."

  Bob thought this good advice, and he leaned against the house to wait.Joe remained at the window.

  For a minute there was silence inside. Then the man called Tim got upfrom his chair and started for the door.

  "Where you goin'?" he was asked.

  "Over to see if I can't collect that dough," he growled. "Anybody wantter go with me?"

  "What's the use?" one fellow asked. "We was there not more than anhour ago."

  "All right. Leave it to me."

  He walked on toward the door.

  "Come on," muttered Joe. "Let's get to our car before he gets away."

  As hastily, yet as quietly, as possible the youths ran around theback of the house and through the alley for a distance of about asquare. Then they turned out to the street and to their car.

  Joe had the motor started just as the crook left the curb.

  "Let's head him off," suggested Bob. "We can easily get there beforehe does if we cut across and not take the through street."

  "Good idea," and the car was turned up a narrow cross street.

  Before long the boys were in the neighborhood of the house occupied bythat man who had indirectly set Mr. Lewis's garage on fire by hiringcriminals experienced in that line to do it.

  "Be careful and don't get too close," warned Joe, as they neared thestructure.

  "O. K. Let's go around the alley. We can park there for a few minutesand nobody will know anything about it."

  The car was turned into the alley and parked almost directly behindthe house. Then the youths got out to stretch their legs and decide ona plan of action.

  "How will we work it?" asked Joe, glancing around to see if anyonehappened to be watching them.

  For a moment there was no answer. Then Bob had an idea.

  "Let's walk up to the back door," he said. "There are a lot of treesand shrubbery close and we can hide behind them until we are sure thateverything is all right."

  Joe agreed, and they made their way as quietly as possible.

  When close enough, they saw that the door was shut and the blinds weredrawn. It was evident that no one was at home.

  Suddenly there came a noise from the front of the house and both boysconcealed themselves behind a large clump of bushes.

  "Someone's coming around to the back door," breathed Bob.

  "Probably that's Tim who came back here to collect the money owed him.The fellow we headed off, I mean. Yes, it's he," Joe observed, peekingdown the side of the house.

  The sound of footsteps grew louder, and the next minute the manstepped around the corner, fists clinched and face scowling.

  "Come on," said Bob, and leaving his place of hiding he launchedhimself with full force on the back of the crook.