CHAPTER VIII.
A PEG TO HANG SUSPICIONS ON.
"Vell, oof dot don'd grab der banner!" mumbled Carl, when he wasfinally able to speak. "I hat dot in my bocket und don'd know noddingaboudt it! Somepody must haf put him dere for a choke."
"That's a nice way to explain it!" growled Burton. "It cooks yourgoose, all right. Anything in the bag, McGlory?"
"Nary a thing," answered the bewildered cowboy, turning the bag insideout.
"Go on with the search," ordered Burton.
Mechanically the cowboy finished looking through the Dutch boy'sclothes, and all the money he found consisted of two ten-cent piecesand a couple of nickels.
"Where did you hide that money?" demanded Burton sternly, stepping infront of Carl.
"I don'd hite it no blace," cried Carl. "You make me madt as some vethens ven you talk like dot. Ged avay from me or I vill hit you vonce."
"Carter," went on Burton in a voice of suppressed rage, "call apoliceman."
The ticket man had scrambled to his feet, and he now made a move in thedirection of the tent door.
"Hold up, Carter!" called Matt; then, turning to Burton, he went on:"You're not going to arrest Carl, Burton, unless you want this outfitof aviators to quit you cold."
The red ran into Burton's face.
"Are you trying to bulldoze me?" he demanded. "I've got eighteenhundred dollars at stake, and I'm not going to let it slip through myfingers just because you fellows threaten to leave the show and takethe a?roplane with you. I tell you frankly, King, I don't like the wayyou're talking and acting in this matter. We've got good circumstantialevidence against your Dutch friend, and he ought to be locked up."
"I admit that there's some evidence," returned Matt, "but you don'tknow Carl as well as I do. It isn't possible that he would steal anickel from any one. If there was ten times as much evidence againsthim, no one could make me believe that."
"You're allowing your friendship to run away with your better judgment.What am I to do? Just drop this business, right here?"
"Of course not. All I want you to do is to leave Carl alone and let themotor boys find the thief."
"I want that money," said Burton, with a black frown, "and I'msatisfied this Dutchman knows where it is."
"And I'm satisfied he doesn't know a thing about it," said Matt warmly.
"How did that bag get into his pocket?"
"If you come to that, why isn't there some of the stolen money in thebag? Do you think for a minute, Burton, that Carl would be cleverenough to plan such a robbery, and then be foolish enough to carryaround with him the bare evidence of it? You don't give him credit forhaving much sense. Why should he keep the bag, and then come in herewith it in his pocket?"
Burton remained silent.
"Furthermore," proceeded Matt, "if Carl is one of the thieves, or theonly thief, why did he come in here at all? Why didn't he make a run ofit as soon as he got his hands on the money?"
"Every crook makes a mistake, now and then," muttered Burton. "If theydidn't, the law would have a hard time running them down."
"I'll tell you what I'll do," said Matt. "Leave Carl alone. If I can'tprove his innocence to your satisfaction, I'll agree to stay four weekswith your show for nothing. You'll be making more than two thousanddollars, and you've only lost eighteen hundred by this robbery."
Burton's feelings underwent a change on the instant.
"Oh, well, if you put it that way," he said, "I'm willing to let theDutchman off. I only want to do the right thing, anyhow."
"You vas a skinner," averred Carl contemptuously. "I knowed dot fromder fairst time vat ve met."
"Sing small, that's your cue," retorted Burton. "Remember," and hewhirled on Motor Matt, "if you don't prove the Dutchman's innocence,you're to work for me for four weeks without pay. I'm willing to let itrest in that way."
With that Burton took himself off. His show was doing well and he wasnot pressed for funds. As for the rest of it, he had shifted everythingconnected with the robbery to the shoulders of Motor Matt.
McGlory was a bit dubious. He had not known Carl as long as Matt had,and had not the same amount of confidence in him.
"Matt," remarked the Dutch boy with feeling, "you vas der pest friendtvat I efer hat, und you bed my life you don'd vas making some misdakesven you pelieve dot I ditn't shdeal der money. I don'd know noddingaboudt der pag, nor how it got in my bocket. Dot's der trut'."
"I know that without your telling me, pard," said Matt. "The thing forus to do now is to find out who the real thieves are."
"There must have been only one," said McGlory.
"There must have been two, Joe."
"How do you figure it?"
"Why, because both Carl and Carter were knocked down at the same time.Neither saw what had happened to the other. Two men must have donethat."
"Vat a headt it iss!" murmured Carl. "Modor Matt vould make a finetedectif, I tell you dose."
"You've got a bean on the right number, pard, and no mistake," exultedMcGlory.
"Did you see any one near the wagons when you led the ticket man inbetween them?" asked Matt, turning to look at the place where he hadlast seen the ticket man standing.
But Carter had left. Presumably, he had followed after Burton.
"I don'd see nopody aroundt der vagons," answered Carl. "Der t'ievesvas hiding, dot's a skinch. Day vas hid avay mit demselufs in blacesvere dey couldt handt Carter und me a gouple oof goot vones. Ouchagain!" and Carl rubbed a gentle hand over the red cotton handkerchief.
"Take us to the place where you and Carter were knocked down, Carl,"said Matt. "We'll look the ground over and see if we can find anything."
The Dutch boy conducted his two friends toward the rear of the circustent. Here there were two big, high-sided canvas wagons drawn up in aposition that was somewhat isolated so far as the tents of the showwere concerned. The wagons had been left in the form of a "V," and Carlwalked through the wide opening.
"Dis iss der vay vat ve come in," said he, "I in der lead oof derdicket man. Ven I ged py der front veels oof der vagon, I turn around,und den--_biff_, down I go like some brick puildings had droweddemselufs on dop oof me. Shiminy grickeds, vat a knock! I don'd knowvere Carter vas shtanding, pecause I ditn't see him, I vas hit sokevick."
Matt surveyed the ground. The turf had retained no marks of theviolent work. He examined the rear tires of the wagons. The rims, forthe whole of their circumference that was off the ground, were coveredwith a coating of dried mud; and this caking of mud was not broken atany place.
"Carter must have stood here, in this position," observed Matt, placinghimself between the two rear wheels. "He says that he fell against oneof the wheels and cut his cheek on the tire. I can't find any trace ofthe spot where Carter came into such rough contact with either of thetires."
"Don't you think he was telling the truth, pard?" asked McGlory in someexcitement. "Is it possible he was using the double tongue, just to----"
"Easy, there," interrupted Matt. "Carter was dazed when he fell, andcould hardly have known whether he struck against the tire or againstsomething else. He may have dropped on a stone----"
"No stones here," objected McGlory, with a quiet look over the surfaceof the ground.
"Well, then it was something else that caused the injury to his cheek.He----"
"Here's something," and McGlory made a dive for the ground and liftedhimself erect with an object in his hand. "I reckon it don't amount toanything, though."
"Let's see it," said Matt.
McGlory handed the object to the young motorist. It was a peg, perhapshalf an inch thick by three inches long, and had a knob at one end asbig as a marble.
"Great spark-plugs!" exclaimed the king of the motor boys, staring fromthe peg to McGlory and Carl.
"What's to pay?" queried McGlory. "You act as though we'd foundsomething worth while."
"We have," declared Matt, "and everything seems to be helping us ontoward a streak of luck in this robbery m
atter."
"How vas dot?" queried Carl.
"This peg belongs to the Hindoo," said Matt. "It's the contrivance heused for fastening down the lid of that flat basket in which he carriesthe cobra."
McGlory went into the air with a jubilant whoop.
"He's the thief!" he cried. "I've had a feelin' all along that he was atinhorn. This proves it! Sufferin' blackguards, Matt, but you've got ahead!"
"Vere iss der shnake?" came from Carl, as he looked around in visibletrepidation. "Oof der pasket iss oben, den der copra is loose on dergrounds. Vat a carelessness!"
"And remember," said Matt, addressing the cowboy, "that I had set Pingto watch the Hindoo before the robbery took place. If Dhondaram is therobber, then Ping was on his trail at the time and must know somethingabout it."
"Speak to me about that!" exulted the cowboy. "Our friend theHindoo has been putting in some good licks since he joined the BigConsolidated! He hasn't let any grass grow under his feet."
Motor Matt whirled around and walked out from between the wagons.
"Let's find Ping," he called back, "and get a report from him. Thatought to settle everything."
McGlory and Carl, feeling that something important was about to beaccomplished, hurried after Matt as he moved off across the showgrounds.