CHAPTER X
A GOOD WITNESS
Dick's surprise and concern when he found the cache empty and deserted,with papers and motorcycles alike gone, may be imagined. For a moment hethought he must be mistaken, that, after all, he had come to the wrongplace. But a quick search of the ground with his flashlight showed himthat he had come to the right spot. He could see the tracks made by thewheels of the machine; he could see, also, evidences of the briefstruggle between Harry and Graves. For a moment his mystificationcontinued. But then, with a low laugh, Jack Young emerged from the coverin which he had been hiding.
"Hello, there!" he said. "I say, are you Dick Mercer?"
"Yes!" gasped Dick. "But however do you know? I never saw you before!"
"Well, you see me now," said Jack. "Harry Fleming told me to look foryou here. He said you'd be along some time tonight, if you got away. Andhe was sure you could get away, too."
"Harry!" said Dick, dazed. "You've seen him? Where is he? Did he getaway? And what happened to the cycles and the papers we hid there?Why--"
"Hold on! One question at a time," said Jack. "Keep your shirt on, andI'll tell you all I know about it. Then we can decide what is to be donenext. I think I'll attach myself temporarily to your patrol."
"Oh, you're a scout, too, are you?" asked Dick.
That seemed to explain a good deal. He was used to having scouts turn upto help him out of trouble. And so he listened as patiently as he could,while Jack explained what had happened. "And that's all I know," saidJack, finally, when he had carried the tale to the point where Harryrode off on the repaired motorcycle in pursuit of Ernest Graves. "Ishould think you might really know more about it now than I do."
"Why, how could I? You saw it all!"
"Yes, that's true enough. But you know Harry and I were too busy to talkmuch after we found that motor was out of order. All I know is that whenwe got here we found someone I'd never seen before and never want to seeagain messing about with the cycles. We thought it must be you, ofcourse--at least Harry did, and of course I supposed he ought to know."
"And then you found it was Ernest Graves?"
"Harry did. He took one look at him and then they started right infighting. Harry seemed to be sure that was the thing to do. If I'd beenin his place I'd have tried to arbitrate I think. This chap Graves was alot bigger than he. He was carrying weight for age. You see, I don'tknow yet who Graves is, or why Harry wanted to start fighting him thatway. I've been waiting patiently for you to come along, so that youcould tell me."
"He's a sneak!" declared Dick, vehemently. "I suppose you know thatHarry's an American, don't you?"
"Yes, but that's nothing against him."
"Of course it isn't! But this Graves is the biggest and oldest chap inour troop--he isn't in our patrol. And he thought that if any of us weregoing to be chosen for special service, he ought to have the firstchance. So when they picked Harry and me, he began talking about Harry'sbeing an American. He tried to act as if he thought it wasn't safe foranyone who wasn't English to be picked out!"
"It looks as if he had acted on that idea, too, doesn't it, then? Itseems to me that he has followed you down here, just to get a chance toplay some trick on you. He got those papers, you see. And I fancy you'llbe blamed for losing them."
"How did he know we were here?" said Dick, suddenly. "That's what I'dlike to know!"
"Yes, it would be a good thing to find that out," said Jack,thoughtfully. "Well, it will be hard to do. But we might find out how hegot here. I know this village and the country all around here prettywell. And Gaffer Hodge will know, if anyone does. He's the most curiousman in the world. Come on--we'll see what he has to say."
"Who is he?" asked Dick, as they began to walk briskly toward thevillage.
"You went through the village this afternoon, didn't you? Didn't you seea very old man with white hair and a stick beside him, sitting in adoorway next to the little shop by the Red Dog?"
"Yes."
"That's Gaffer Hodge. He's the oldest man in these parts. He canremember the Crimean War and--oh, everything! He must be over a hundredyears old. And he watches everyone who comes in. If a stranger is in thevillage he's never happy until he knows all about him. He was awfullyworried today about you and Harry, I heard," explained Jack.
Dick laughed heartily.
"Well, I do hope he can tell us something about Graves. The sneak! Icertainly hope Harry catches up to him. Do you think he can?"
"Well, he might, if he was lucky. He said the cycle he was riding wasfaster than the other. But of course it would be very hard to tell justwhich to way to go. If Graves knew there was a chance that he might befollowed he ought to be able to give anyone who was even a mile behindthe slip."
"Of course it's at night and that makes it harder for Harry."
"Yes, I suppose it does. In the daytime Harry could find people to tellhim which way Graves was going, couldn't he?"
"Yes. That's just what I meant."
"Oh, I say, won't Gaffer Hodge be in bed and asleep?"
"I don't think so. He doesn't seem to like to go to bed. He sits up verylate, and talks to the men when they start to go home from the Red Dog.He likes to talk, you see. We'll soon know--that's one thing. We'll bethere now in no time."
Sure enough, the old man was still up when they arrived. He was justsaying goodnight, in a high, piping voice, to a little group of men whohad evidently been having a nightcap in the inn next to his house. Whenhe saw Jack he smiled. They were very good friends, and the old man hadfound the boy one of his best listeners. The Gaffer liked to live in thepast, he was always delighted when anyone would let him tell his talesof the things he remembered.
"Good-evening, Gaffer," said Jack, respectfully. "This is my friend,Dick Mercer. He's a Boy Scout from London."
"Knew it! Knew it!" said Gaffer Hodge, with a senile chuckle. "I saidthey was from Lunnon this afternoon when I seen them fust! Glad to meetyou, young master."
Then Jack described Graves as well as he could from his brief sight ofhim, and Dick helped by what he remembered.
"Did you see him come into town this afternoon, Gaffer?" asked Jack.
"Let me think," said the old man. "Yes--I seen 'un. Came sneaking in, hedid, this afternoon as ever was! Been up to the big house at Bray Park,he had. Came in an automobile, he did. Then he went back there. But hewas in the post office when you and t'other young lad from Lunnon wentby, maister," nodding his head as if well pleased. This was to Dick, andhe and Jack stared at one another. Certainly their visit to Gaffer Hodgehad paid them well.
"Are you sure of that, Gaffer?" asked Jack, quietly. "Sure that it wasan automobile from Bray Park?"
"Sure as ever was!" said the old man, indignantly. Like all old people,he hated anyone to question him, resenting the idea that anyone couldthink he was mistaken. "Didn't I see the machine myself--a big grey one,with black stripes as ever was, like all their automobiles?"
"That's true--that's the way their cars are painted, and they have fiveor six of them," said Jack.
"Yes. And he come in the car from Lunnon before he went there--and thenhe come out here. He saw you and t'other young lad from Lunnon go by,maister, on your bicycles. He was watching you from the shop as everwas."
"Thank you, Gaffer," said Jack, gravely. "You've told us just what wewanted to know. I'll bring you some tobacco in the morning, if you like.My father's just got a new lot down from London."
"Thanks, thank'ee kindly," said the Gaffer, overjoyed at the prospect.
Then they said good-night to the old man, who, plainly delighted at thethought that he had been of some service to them, and at this proof ofhis sharpness, of which he was always boasting, rose and hobbled intohis house.
"He's really a wonderful old man," said Dick.
"He certainly is," agreed Jack. "His memory seems to be as good as ever,and he's awfully active, too. He's got rheumatism, but he can see andhear as well as he ever could, my father says."
They w
alked on, each turning over in his mind what they had heard aboutGraves.
"That's how he knew we were here," said Dick finally. "I've beenpuzzling about that. I remember now seeing that car as we went by. Butof course I didn't pay any particular attention to it, except that I sawa little American flag on it."
"Yes, they're supposed to be Americans, you know," said Jack. "And Isuppose they carry the flag so that the car won't be taken for the army.The government has requisitioned almost all the cars in the country, youknow."
"I'm almost afraid to think about this," said Dick, after a moment ofsilence. "Graves must know those people in that house, if he's ridingabout in their car. And they--"
He paused, and they looked at one another.
"I don't know what to do!" said Dick. "I wish there was some way to tellHarry about what we've found out," Jack started.
"I nearly forgot!" he said. "We'd better cut for my place. I told Harrywe'd be there if he needed a telephone, you know. Come on!"