CHAPTER XXI CUTTING THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS
That was what had happened. Rob turned out to be the lucky one. Andymight have run upon the wire a couple of seconds later, for his hand wasat the time groping near that of his chum.
The wire was held down close to the ground by frequent metal wickets, asRob had figured might be the case, for that would have been his ownmethod of concealing the wire, and could be easily accomplished by asecond man who crept after the one allowing the wire to free itself fromthe big spool he carried.
Rob was not bothering himself about these details now. To get that wirecut in twain before the man handling the battery at the other end sentthe electric current along that would discharge the mine—that was hisone endeavor.
Tubby knew he was working to accomplish this end. He watched what wasgoing on so close by, though Rob and Andy could only be seenindistinctly; but Tubby was able to easily supply through a livelyimagination whatever was lacking.
Tubby turned his head and looked toward the span. In imagination hecould see it give a sudden, terrible heave and go flying in manyfragments toward the sky!
Just when it was beginning to get unbearable, so that Tubby was almostforced to shout out, the suspense ended. He knew from the chuckle thatAndy could not for the life of him suppress, that the wire had yieldedto the force Rob was applying, and no longer ran in a connected linefrom mine to battery!
As long as he lived Tubby would surely never, never forget the spasm ofglorious feeling that shot through his whole mind and body when herealized this stupendous fact. When one has been straining might andmain to accomplish a given thing, and at the last gasp victory comesinto his hand, that is the time he feels like a world conqueror andwould not change places with any king living. Tubby passed through thisexperience, even though his may not have been the hand to wield thosemagical little pliers with which the wire had been severed. However, thehonor and glory was great enough to go all around, and every fellow whohad anything to do with the deed ought to share in the result.
Rob, having cut the wire, hastened to wind one end about the neareststout bush he could reach, choosing the base, so as to have it affordeffectual resistance.
This was that portion of the broken wire which had connection with thebattery; the other end he cared nothing about, since the mine had beenrendered harmless. It was just as well that the plotters did not know intoo big a hurry how their cunning scheme had been nipped in the bud.Time enough for that when the fellow finally pressed his battery keyinto service, only to find to his utter amazement and disgust that noroaring response followed his action.
“Well,” Tubby gloatingly told himself, “perhaps those chaps would be asurprised lot when they found out what a mess they had made of it, notonly missing the destruction of the million-dollar munition train, butfailing to even blow up the bridge itself as intended. There’s many aslip between the cup and the lip, they say. I guess it was a bad hourfor your schemes, my boys, when Rob Blake put his foot in this affair.As usual, it promises to wind up in fresh glory for the Eagles.”
Tubby was not the only one who breathed more freely after the wire wascut. Rob and Andy, possibly also Zeb, felt like chuckling as theculminating stroke was given that put it out of the power of the menhidden in the bushes to carry out their dark designs.
Rob suddenly became more ambitious. Why be satisfied with half a job,when still more could be accomplished? What was to hinder them fromgetting help from the guards who watched over the railway property atthis particular point—soldiers in uniform, undoubtedly—and trying toeffect the capture of the unseen miscreants who had dishonored thehospitality afforded by Uncle Sam?
Rob had hardly given this thought any attention up to now, but once itgripped him he allowed it to have full sway. But nothing could be doneuntil the train either stopped short or else proceeded across thebridge. He believed the former was certain to be the case, for Donald,not being sure the danger was abated, would never let his father speedpast and enter upon the danger zone.
“She’s coming fast now,” breathed Andy in the other’s ear. “There, thatwhistle must be meant as a signal to those at the bridge. All trains dothat before getting too close, so the engineer can be given aright-of-way signal.”
Rob somehow did not try to stop Andy from saying this. In fact, he wasnot feeling one half so solicitous over the risk of being heard by theplotters, as before he had rendered their cause hopeless. About thistime he noticed that there was a strange grinding noise in connectionwith the rumble of the near-by train. He understood from this thatbrakes were being hurriedly applied.
They could now see the glare of the headlight. Apparently the train hadshot out from some cut where the banks up to that moment had concealedits presence.
This would indicate, Rob believed, that some one must have signalled tothe man in the cab to pull up; in such troublous times the engineer hadto quickly obey such a summons, especially when approaching this bridge,which was known to be the most dangerous point along the entire line,since it was so vulnerable to an attack from raiders.
Rob could also easily believe that Donald himself was responsible forthe waving of the red light that spelled danger. He must have made uphis mind while climbing the bank that he could afford to take nochances, and that saving the train, as well as his father, was his mostpressing duty.
Well, no one could blame the boy, for in so doing he only obeyed thedictates of his loyal heart. As has been already stated, Rob would havetold him to carry out this very thing if it had occurred to him forciblyat the time they parted company.
The quartette crouching on the low ground not a great way from thetrestle now heard loud voices. The guards were running forward, some ofthem, to find out the reason of the train stopping as it did when theyhad given no signal. Possibly it might be some clever trick of an enemylurking near by, to draw them away from the bridge, so that damage ofsome sort could be attempted; and hence being cautious as well as bravethey divided their force, a portion remaining spread along the structurein order to shoot down any loiterer who could not answer their challengeproperly.
“Rob, why don’t we make a move?” pleaded Andy, unable to check hiscustomary impatience.
“Hold your horses,” the scout master told him. “We ought to wait untilDonald has had a fair chance to explain. Then the soldiers can learnabout our being down here and will not fire on us if we commence toclimb the bank. Only for that, they might let loose; and it’s a mightypoor time to apologize to a fellow after he’s dead. Tubby?”
“Yes, Rob, what is it?” came softly from near by.
“What are you doing?”
“Why, don’t you know, Rob, I’ve just been holding my finger on the pulseof those men who have made such a bad mess of their brilliant plan; and,honest to goodness, Rob, I believe they know by this time that they’vebeen hoodwinked, kerflummixed, and also knocked silly.”
“But how do you know all that, Tubby?” gasped the astonished Andy.
“Oh, I’ve been feeling the wire, you see. It gave several of the mostvicious pulls ever, just like the chap at the battery end couldn’tunderstand why no explosion came along when he pressed the button andturned on the juice, so to speak. It is to laugh, fellows. This lookslike a second Waterloo, only it’s the German neutrality-breakers who areup against it this time, instead of the heroic French.”
Now, both of the others considered that this was quite a clever piece ofstrategy, and particularly for a boy like Tubby, whose wits would sooften go wool-gathering, instead of netting prompt returns. Indeed, Andyfelt chagrined to think that it had never once occurred to him to trythis scheme. Tubby had scored heavily, for once. He was evidently quiteproud of his success, too, for they could hear an occasional queerchuckle emanating from the place where he had squatted down like anenormous toad, ready to stay or go, as Rob decided.
The running guards were drawing near the stalled engine which continuedto pant and throb as lo
comotives do when under a full head of steam andstanding still on the rails. The soldiers would be quickly put inpossession of the main facts by Donald, who would be vouched for by hisfather.
Rob turned and looked in the direction where, as he fully believed, theunknown invaders from the other side of the boundary line had beenrecently secreted. He wondered what they were doing, now that theyrealized how their game was up, and that unless they succeeded in takingthemselves off in a hurry they might yet be made victims of the riflesof the Canadian bridge guards.
By this time Donald must have told the astounded guards enough of thestory to cause them to refrain from using their ready guns when darkfigures were seen coming up the bank. Yes, there was Donald calling outto them, saying the coast was clear and that it was all right for hisfour friends to come up so as to corroborate his amazing story.