CHAPTER XXIV At Grips with the Black Shadow
Unconscious of the events at the lodge, Barry crouched in the snow atthe base of the quarry wall and gazed in the direction of the shed intowhich the figure in black had disappeared. His whole plan of action hadto be changed, and for the time being he did not know what to do. He hadplanned to return to the tool house by way of the tunnel and tell hisfriends what he had discovered, but now it was highly dangerous to goback that way.
"The bale of hay sort of slides down on the trapdoor when you pull itdown," he thought. "Perhaps he won't find out that someone has been inthe passageway. I'm glad I closed all doors and walls behind me! Butthere may be footprints or something else to give me away. Gosh, this isa tough situation!"
The man in black was undoubtedly going to the lodge to start his seriesof annoyances, and Barry knew that these things would frighten thegirls. Besides preventing that, he wanted more than anything else totake this prowler a captive, and if it was not done tonight, it mightnever be done. He fairly groaned as he saw the hopelessness of thesituation.
"The boys may not get him, and if we lose him this time we're sunk! If Ihad my hunting rifle I'd go back along the tunnel and call on him tosurrender, but I haven't a thing, and I imagine that the man is armed orat least able to put up a good fight. It would be suicide to follow himthrough the passageway. But I must get back!"
There were just two ways open to him: through the underground tunnel orby way of the woods. Of course the secret passage was the quickestroute, but it was also the most dangerous. Barry decided not to risk it.
"It will take me a little longer to dash through the woods, but it willbe a heap safer," he reflected. "If I went through the tunnel and metthe spook face to face, I'd never be able to get away, and I've simplygot to get back and warn the people at the lodge!"
Rising from his stooping position, Barry began to run toward the shed.He did not like the idea of having to pass it, for the man might havefound out that someone had been in the passage, and might have returnedto investigate the vicinity of the quarry. There was a chance that theblack shadow might step out of the shed just as he passed, and if thathappened things would not be well for the boy. But there was no help forit, and he sprinted past, glancing sideways in some alarm and ready toincrease his speed if need be. The door of the shed, however, remainedclosed, and no one challenged him as he sped past.
"Good luck!" he exulted, as he left the quarry and plunged into thewoods. "I made that all right, and now if I can get to the lodge justabout as soon as he does, everything will be all right."
He did not take the exact path that he and Kent had taken on the nightof the big storm, since they had gone in a roundabout way, but, relyingon chance, he cut across the timber belt in a straight line, hoping thathe was not making any mistake. Running was not easy because the snow wasloose and the under snow had melted and then frozen again, makingslippery footing. Occasionally his foot hit the root of a tree or astone, and once he dropped on one knee and only saved himself from acomplete fall by his outflung hands. But he struggled on, determined toreach the ones in the lodge as soon as possible.
When he reached the edge of the trees he saw the man in black sneakingfrom the tool house toward the rear porch of the lodge. At the same timesomething happened that caused the black shadow to stop and flattenhimself against the wall of the house and made Barry halt in his run.
There was a sudden stir and some shouts, and then Coach Jordan and theother boys came running across the porch and jumped into the snow.Watching with bewildered eyes, Barry thought for a moment that they hadsomehow discovered the presence of the black shadow, but they did notcome along the side of the lodge building, but dashed across the snow inthe direction of the Bronson cabin. Barry followed them with his eyes,and then he noticed that the sleighs were gone. The situation began todawn upon him.
"Somebody has taken the sleighs, and the boys are after them. CarterWolf said he was going to do something to break up our party, and Iguess he'll do it in one way or another. Some of those sleighs areborrowed, and I hope they don't smash them up in any way."
He wondered what the man in black would do and once more looked in hisdirection. The prowler had been as completely surprised as Barry hadbeen, and while the boys were running he remained perfectly still,pressed close against the wall. But now he had glided in swift retreatto the back porch, which afforded more shelter.
There was another exodus from the lodge as the girls followed the boys,accompanied by the leaping, barking Castor Oil. Jennie had been feedinghim marshmallows, and he was completely her slave, so much so that, whenCharlie had run out, his clumsy animal companion had watched him gowithout any desire to follow him. He was content to run with the girls,dashing and barking in a wild display of good spirits.
Barry could hear the girls talking, and he watched them disappear downthe slope that led from the front of the Bronson cabin to the lake.Something had happened down there, and he was anxious to know what itwas, but his duty now was to watch the man who had taken refuge on theback porch of the hunting lodge. No doubt his plans had been upset ashad Barry's, and it was interesting to see what he would do under thecircumstances. Would he beat a retreat down the passageway and be lostto them, Barry wondered? Of course, if the man did, it would be muchsafer for them simply to get some officers of the law up there and tryand trace the tunnel and find out where the man lived. But the thoughtdid not satisfy him. He wanted to catch the prowler on the spot, so thathe would have no loophole through which to escape when accused ofcausing the disturbances at Bluff Lodge.
Perhaps the shadow would go back into the tool house and wait until theygot back, so as to produce rappings and noises. If this was his program,Barry felt sure that he could tackle the man on the spot and hold himuntil help arrived, but he would want that help to be pretty near at thetime. No doubt the prowler was armed, as anyone engaged in a desperatebusiness was likely to be, unless he had scorned to go armed against agroup of high-school boys and girls.
Barry was not left long in doubt. The man had hesitated because he hadbeen doing some rapid thinking, and at last he had made up his mind.Leaving the back porch, he ran hastily to the living-room window andpeered in. Then he bent low to escape the light from the fire and thelamps and passed on to the front, where he crossed the porch and enteredthe front door.
Barry guessed his intention at once. The boys and girls had run out andleft many things behind them, among other things some fairly good coats,and the pocketbooks of the girls were on the table. The black shadow hadmade up his mind to take them and get away, and perhaps to come backwith his knocking pranks later on. Knowing the lodge as well as heseemed to, he would no doubt go out the back as they came in the front.Fate had put him in position to make a daring and completely successfulraid.
Barry lost no time. Running his best, he left the timber and cut on astraight line for the lodge. He did not know what the boys were doingdown there at the lake, and he had no time to go and find out. It washis supreme chance, and he had the feeling that if he lost out now, theghostly prowler of Bluff Lodge would never be captured. He leaped to theporch and ran across it into the dark hall and finally jerked the doorto the living room open, blinking in the light of the lamps as his eyesswept the interior of the place.
The tall man in the black overcoat, hat, and gloves whirled at the soundof his coming and turned two burning dark eyes upon him. But if Barryexpected to see his face, he was disappointed. A black handkerchiefobscured all of it except his eyes, which seemed to glare out above thecovering. He had been feverishly picking up coats, hats, and pocketbooksand was in the act of taking a fur piece belonging to Mrs. Jordan whenBarry burst into the room. As the boy faced him with resolute thoughpale face, the man pointed a black-gloved finger at him.
"Get out of here, boy!" he cried, hoarsely. "Get out or you'll wish youhad!"
Barry had made up his mind, on the way, that talking would be
a waste oftime. From the moment that he had opened the door he was preparing forthe struggle that was sure to come. He had opened his Mackinaw coatwhile running, and now he dropped it to the floor behind him. Then, evenwhile the man was pointing at him, he leaped across the floor at theblack-clad figure.
He was tense and his throat was dry as he closed in on the intruder. Hisgreat fear was that the man would draw a weapon and shoot him down. Butthe truth of the matter was that he had engaged the man at exactly theright time. The outlaw had his arms full of coats and other things, andas Barry grappled with him he was vainly trying to shake a pocketbookloose, the chain of which had become twisted around his middle finger onhis right hand. This incident, small as it was, gave Barry a fightingchance.
His arms went around the man, and with a twist the high-school boy swepthis adversary off his feet. They went down with a resounding crash tothe floor, and the black hat rolled off, revealing a rather well-shapedhead with a high forehead. The black eyes seemed to look into Barry'sface for an instant in surprise.
Then their expression turned to one of deadly hate, and the battle wason. Only for a moment did the man accept his quick overthrow. In thetwinkling of an eye he was fighting like a tiger, snarling exceedinglybad language as his eyes seemed to shoot out fire. Barry felt themuscles under the long black overcoat stiffen and become like steel, andthe fingers that began to creep and grope for his throat were wiry andpowerful. Reaching for one of the man's hands, Barry was tossed forward,and his arm brushed the black handkerchief from his face. Only for aninstant did he see the features of his enemy. The man was about fortyyears old, with a thin face and small mustache. Just now the veins onhis forehead stood out, and his teeth showed slightly as he exertedhimself to overcome the mystery hunter.
The man launched a blow at Barry which caught him off guard and causedhim to pause in his efforts to pin down the hands of the prowler. Thefist of the stranger landed just under Barry's chin, and in the pain andsurprise of it the boy hesitated. This was just what the man was waitingfor. His long thin legs came up, one of them hooked over Barry's neck,and a mighty tug sent the boy tumbling backward. Before the youngmystery hunter could recover, the black shadow was upon him and strongfingers had gripped his throat, cutting off his wind instantly. Suddenfire and aching pain shot through the boy from Cloverfield.
"This is the end!" flashed through his bewildered mind. "I'm completelybeaten!"
At that moment the twins came running in to get a blanket for CarterWolf. They paused on the threshold and stared at the scene before themincredulously.