CHAPTER XXVII
THE CAPTURE
For one instant Jerry Hopkins was almost inclined to believe thatwhat he had seen was part of a dream. Then as the nerve-racking yellscontinued to vibrate through the barn, he knew that they came from realmen.
And the faces of those men!
It was like some vision of the night. He racked his brain for aremembrance.
"Where have I seen them before--those wounded men? I'm sure----" Hepaused irresolutely.
His musing was interrupted by the breathless entrance of Ned and Bob.
"Jerry!" cried the stout lad. "Are you hurt?"
"What's the matter?" gasped Ned. "Was that you calling, Jerry?"
They could not see him at first, coming in from the bright sunlight,but in a few seconds they could make out the form of their tall chum,as he stood staring at the closed door of the harness room whence camethose terrific cries.
"I have it!" fairly shouted Jerry. "Now I know who they are! Boys we'vefound the bank robbers!"
"Found the bank robbers?" repeated Ned.
"Yes. Brown and Black! They're in there--in that harness room! I hada glimpse of them. They're both wounded. They must have met with anaccident. They can't get away. We've found them!"
"Now for the ten thousand dollars reward!" cried Ned.
"And this is why that farmer didn't want us to come in the barn," wenton Jerry. "He had these men hidden here!"
Hardly had he spoken when the farmer in question came fairly burstinginto the barn, entering from the big main doors. Mr. Rossmore wasgreatly excited. He saw the boys at once.
"Here! What does this mean?" he cried. "Didn't I tell you to keep outof here? Now get out at once and stay out. Clear out of my place! Getaway, do you hear?"
"Yes, we hear, but we're not going," said Jerry calmly.
"We came to see that sick horse," spoke Ned, sarcastically.
"Get out!" cried the farmer angrily, advancing toward them, with athreatening gesture.
"Don't move, boys," came the advice from Jerry. "We'll have this thingout. Go call the professor, Bob," for Mr. Snodgrass had been catchingbugs in a field near where our heroes were working when Jerry decidedto investigate the mystery of the barn.
"Look here! What does this mean?" blustered Mr. Rossmore, as Bobslipped out of the small door.
"It means just this," went on Jerry, while another of the strangecries, though not so loud as the previous ones, echoed through thestructure, "it means that you are concealing here two men who robbedthe Harmolet National Bank of two hundred and ten thousand dollars, andcarried it away in an airship! It means that Brown and Black--to givethem the names they go under--are in that harness room, and it meansthat we have discovered them. It also means that we are going to causetheir arrest, and that if you interfere with the course of justice youlay yourself liable to a charge of aiding criminals. That's what itmeans!"
Jerry spoke with great firmness, and the attitude of himself and Nedwas such that the farmer was cowed.
"Rob--robbers!" he stammered. "Two hundred and ten thousand dollars!Why that's nonsense! Those men are not thieves."
"What are they then?" asked Ned.
"One of them has been wrongly confined in a lunatic asylum," went onthe farmer. "He is Mr. Hendrix, and the other man is Mr. Clark, afriend of his. Mr. Clark managed to get his friend out of the asylum,and was taking him away in an airship. They got over my place and hadan accident. They both fell from the airship into a tree, and werebadly hurt. They appealed to me for help, and offered me a large sumif I would conceal them, so that they would not be captured by theasylum authorities. The asylum people want to keep Mr. Hendrix in theirpossession so they can get his valuable property, but his friend istrying to prevent this. That is why I am concealing them, and why I didnot want you to go near the barn. I deceived you, I admit, but I cannotbelieve that they are robbers. If I had known that they were----"
"Suppose you come in that room with us, and let us ask them a fewquestions, about the box of strange tools they carried on theirairship," suggested Jerry. "I think that will convince you."
"I'm willing," agreed the farmer. "I never would have believed suchnice gentlemen could be robbers. They told such a straight story. AndI saw them fall from their airship. So when I saw you arrive in yoursI thought you were from the asylum after them, and I tried to get youaway from the barn."
"Just confront them with us, and we'll soon prove that the story theytold you was all made-up," said Jerry eagerly.
"All right, come on," agreed Mr. Rossmore. "I don't want to do nothingwrong."
Again there came that terrifying yell.
"My gracious! What's that?" gasped the professor.
"That's Mr. Hendrix--the supposed lunatic. He is badly hurt, anddelirious from pain," explained Mr. Rossmore. "His friend and I have togive him quieting medicine whenever he gets one of those fits. That'swhy I ran here. He is suffering greatly."
"Well, we can't let even a bank burglar suffer," said the scientist, towhom Jerry quickly explained what the farmer had told them. "I'll takea look at him, and you boys can make sure you are not mistaken in youridentity. Then we can decide on what to do. They can't get away."
With the farmer leading the way the boys and the professor entered theharness room. If any other confirmation was needed that the suspicionsof our heroes were true, it came when Clark, _alias_ Black, exclaimedas he caught sight of the boys:
"Well, the jig is up!"
"Yes, I guess it is," said Jerry grimly. "You made a bold effort, butfate was against you. Where is the money?"
"We haven't got it," growled the least injured of the two burglars.
"Haven't got it?"
"No, it's in the airship. I might as well tell the truth now."
"In the airship? And where is that?" demanded the professor.
"How should I know?" snapped Black, while his companion tossedfeverishly on the narrow cot. "We both fell out when it nearly turnedturtle, then it righted itself again, and sailed off over the forest,the engine set at full speed. It'll run until the gasolene gives out,or until it's wrecked, I suppose. But we'll have to have a doctor forhim," and he nodded at his companion. "He's getting worse. The game'sup. I'm ready to take my medicine. One of my legs is broken, and I'mhurt inside. Oh, how I suffer! We did rob the bank. I confess. We laidour plans a long time ahead and thought if we used an aeroplane no onecould trace us."
"He must have a doctor, and that soon," declared the professor. "Heis in a bad state; indeed both are. Boys, word must be sent to theauthorities at once, and these men must be taken to a hospital underpolice guard."
"And to think they told me they were escaping from an asylum," murmuredMr. Rossmore. "I can't get over it!"
"Was it true what they said about the airship going on after they fellout?" asked Jerry eagerly.
"It was," replied the farmer. "It went sailing over the trees like abig bird."
"Which way?" asked Ned, for he was thinking of the treasure on board.
"I didn't notice," was the answer.
"Which way did it go?" went on the tall lad, turning to the robber whowent by the name of Black or Clark.
"Hey?" The man gazed almost stupidly at Jerry. There was a strangelight in his eyes.
"Which way did the airship go?" repeated the lad.
"It went to Africa," was the unexpected answer. "The engine was setto carry it to Borneo, and from there we are to pick up the JapaneseMikado and go on a pleasure jaunt in the Andes mountains. We're goingto race with the condor birds. Ha! Ha! We'll lead a jolly life. Passover that juice, Bill, I've got the hole drilled!" he exclaimed. "Lookout now! It's going off! Oh, maybe we haven't made a haul this time."
With a shriek he fell back on the cot, beside his companion who wasmoaning in pain.
"Delirious--out of his head," murmured Professor Snodgrass. "I doubt ifwe can get any more information from either of them right away. Theymust have medical attention, and the police must come here."
r /> "I'll go for them," volunteered Jerry. "Ned and I can manage the_Comet_ if you and Bob will stay here and guard them."
"I'll help," volunteered the farmer. "I'm with you boys now."
They accepted his offer. Professor Snodgrass administered some quietingmedicine to both wounded men. A little later Ned and Jerry started forthe nearest town for a doctor and the proper authorities.
"And then we'll go off after the airship treasure," decided Jerry.
"We'll have a hard time hunting it," declared Ned.
Both robbers were in the delirium of high fever when the doctor reachedthem. He at once took charge, and the constable formally placed thestrange men under arrest as the bank robbers, though Brown and Blackof course did not realize this. Then, being made as comfortable aspossible, they were taken in the airship to a hospital, Mr. Rossmoreremaining at his farmhouse a very much surprised man.
A telegram was sent to the bank authorities telling them of thecapture, and stating that the boys would try to recover the treasure.Then, arranging to have the robbers sent to Harmolet for trial assoon as they were well enough, the boys and the professor entered the_Comet_ and headed her once more back toward the farmhouse.
"We'll get the direction as nearly as we can from Mr. Rossmore in whichthe _Silver Star_ disappeared after the men fell out," said Jerry, "andthen we'll go on a hunt. Think of a big fortune being lost somewhere inthese woods!" and he pointed to the vast, lonely forest below them.