CHAPTER IX
TRICKS THAT WERE VAIN
Ned eyed the bullying detective keenly. He did not believe that thecablegram had been demanded by another. That was only a pretext on thepart of his enemies to make their attitude of delay appear morereasonable. If, as was claimed, the message was now claimed by two, theholders would certainly be justified in using great caution indelivering it.
He did not believe, either, that the telegraph officials had been nervyenough to resort to police protection. That would be to bring thematter into the courts, and he did not think those who were opposing himwould care for that.
"You are not telling the truth," he said, coolly, to the detective. "Noone here could honestly claim the message, because no one in Tientsin,previous to my arrival, knew there was such a message here, if I exceptthe telegraph people and the man who sent it. If a claimant has shownup, he is acting under instructions from you."
"You are deceiving yourself!" snarled the other.
"Where is Captain Martin, of the marines?" asked Ned, not caring todispute the point. "If you have arrested him, you'll be having his menafter you before morning."
"You mean the men you left in the cornfield?"
"Certainly, the United States marines."
"Then you don't know that they have gone back to Taku?"
"No; neither do you," replied Ned. This was too cheap!
"But, they have," insisted the detective. "At least, they havedisappeared from the camp in the cornfield."
"You seem pretty well posted as to our doings," said the boy.
"We are pretty well informed as to all crooks who come here," was thereply.
"What are you going to do about delivering the cablegram?" Ned asked,ignoring the insult.
"Wait until morning and deliver it to the American consul."
"In America," Ned said, with a provoking smile, "we elect men of yourslant of mind to the Ananias club."
"You'll see," was the reply. "In the meantime, you are in custody."
Where was Jimmie? Had he escaped from the building, or was he detainedin the room he had surreptitiously entered? If he had indeed escaped,would he have the good sense to hasten to the camp instead of trying toassist his chum single-handed?
Ned asked himself these questions, but could find no answer. He sawthat the detective was not inclined, not yet desperate enough, to marchhim off to prison, however, and took courage from the fact. If he couldsecure a short delay all might yet be well.
Directly the assistant manager entered the room, frowning and red offace. Ned saw that something, perhaps something of importance tohimself, was in progress on the outside.
"The American consul is out there," he exclaimed, storming about thelittle room.
"That's fine!" cried Ned. "I presume I can see him?"
The detective glared at the boy and shook his head.
"No, you can't," he declared. "You'll stay here."
"And in the meantime you'll tell him that I have gone away?"
"We'll tell him what we choose."
Ned made a quick dash for the door, tipped the assistant manager over abroken-backed chair which stood in the way, and passed into the outeroffice. The detective grabbed at him as he sped past, but the boyeluded the ham-like hands which were thrust forward.
There were three persons in the office, when Ned bolted into it. Thesewere the operator, the American consul, and Hans! The German grinned inan apologetic way as Ned hastily greeted him.
The American consul was a pleasant-faced gentleman of middle age. Hewas dressed in rather sporty clothes, and there was just a hint of aswagger of importance in his walk and manner as he extended his hand toNed. Dressler-Archibald Hewitt Dressler, to be exact--was a pretty fairsample of the keen, open-hearted corn-belt politician rewarded with aforeign appointment for rounding up the right crowd at the right time.
Ned was glad to see that the consul recognized him as the lad in whoseinterest he had been pulled out of bed. He took the official'soutstretched hand and shook it warmly.
"I never was so glad to see any person in my life!" Ned exclaimed, whileHans stood by with that bland German smile on his face.
"Oh, we'll have this mess straightened out in no time," the consul said."These people," with a gesture toward the operator, the assistantmanager, and the detective, "are all right. They mean to do the fairand honorable thing, but they have troubles of their own. We'll havethis all ironed out in no time."
"This kid is an impostor!" shouted the detective.
"No hard names, please," said the consul. "Let us get at the facts ofthe case. You claim to be Ned Nestor?" turning to the boy.
"That is my name, sir."
"And you claim a cablegram which is here? A cablegram in cipher--thecipher code of the Secret Service of the United States government?"
"Yes, it would naturally be in cipher."
"You have the key to the code?"
"Certainly."
"Be careful, young man," laughed the consul, "for I was in the SecretService department before I came here, and know the code."
"I'm glad you do," replied Ned.
"Hand me the cablegram," ordered the consul, turning to the assistantmanager.
The detective stepped forward with a frown on his face. He glared atthe consul and at Ned for a moment, and then broke out:
"You can't have it unless you will promise not to reveal its contents tothis impostor."
"Can't I?" said the consul, coolly. "Hand me the cablegram."
The operator and the assistant manager drew back. The consul stood foran instant regarding them angrily.
"One, two, three!" he said. "At the word three, pass it over!"
"Goot sphort, dot feller!" whispered Hans.
During the dead silence which followed Ned watched the face of theconsul for some sign of weakening, but found none. He knew that he hadcome upon an official who would stand by his guns, no matter what tookplace.
There was a little crowd in front of the office, and half a dozen faceswere pressed against the windows and the glass panel of the door. Nedthought he saw a face there he had last seen in the old house at Takuwhere he had been captured. The fellow carried a long cicatrice on hisleft cheek.
"What do you mean by coming in here and giving orders?" demanded thedetective. "I'll put you out if the manager says the word."
Ned, standing close to Hans, felt the muscles of the German's great armswell under the sleeve. Hans was evidently anticipating trouble.
"Will you deliver the cablegram?" asked the consul.
"I will not."
As the assistant manager spoke the detective reached his hand up to theelectric light switch. Ned saw in an instant what his intention was.If the room should be suddenly thrown into darkness, the operator mightescape with the cablegram.
The consul, too, saw what was meditated and sprang forward. Thedetective struck at him, but before his blow reached its intended mark,Hans struck and the detective went down as suddenly as if he had beenhit with an ax. Then, from unseen places, from beneath counters and outof closets, came a horde of Chinamen. The room was full of them.
"Soak um!" cried Hans.
The German was about to adopt his own suggestion by passing a blow outto the nearest Chinaman when the consul stepped before him. For aninstant the threatening natives stepped back. The attacking of theAmerican consul was a thing to be seriously considered.
"Once more!" warned the consul. "Give me the cablegram."
At a motion from the assistant manager the brown men closedthreateningly about the American again. There was malice in their eyesas they pressed closer and closer.
"This looks like another Boxer uprising!" exclaimed the consul. "Mr.Nestor," he added, "if you will assemble yourself at my back, and ourGerman friend will stand by, we'll give 'em a run for their white alley.Hit hard and often."
There is no knowing what might have happened then had not aninterruption fell. Ned saw the
crowd at the door vanish, and the nextinstant the friendly popping of motorcycles rang a chorus in the air.
Then came the rattle of guns and sabers, and a line of bluecoats stoodbefore the door. At their head stood Jimmie, wrinkling his frecklednose as if for dear life.
Ned sprang to the door and opened it.
"Quick!" he cried. "Don't let a man now in the room get away."
"Where is Captain Martin, the officer in charge?" asked one of the men.
"The Chinks can tell you," Ned answered. "Close up at the doors," hewent on, gazing about excitedly, "so that no one can leave."
This was done instantly. In fact, the natives and the men of thetelegraph office were not in a fighting mood now. The guns and sabersof the marines had brought them to a peace-loving state of mind!
They huddled about in the center of the room, the natives milling aroundlike cattle in a storm. The assistant manager pushed out of the pressand handed the consul the cablegram.
"Understand that I am doing this under protest," he said. "Your conductin invading my office with armed men shall be reported."
"I shall welcome any investigation," the consul replied, with a smile,"because I want to know something of your motives in doing what you havedone to-night. You know very well that the cablegram is of noimportance to any person except the one to whom it is addressed. I canread the code, it is true, but you doubtless overlooked the fact that Ihave received such dispatches here. So, let us look at the matter in areasonable light. What inducements were offered you to keep thecablegram away from this young man? Speak up!"
"You are insulting"' gasped the assistant manager.
"Come down to cases!" commanded the consul.
"I don't understand your Bowery slang."
"How much money was offered you to hold this message?"
There was no answer, but the operator glanced slyly in the direction ofthe consul with a frightened look in his eyes.
"Were you to withhold the message altogether, or were you merely todelay this young man?"
"You are insulting!" repeated the other.
"Who bribed you?" came the next question, snapped out like the crack ofa lash.
"You have the message," the assistant manager said. "Get out."
"Only for the marines you'd put me out!" laughed the consul.
"Indeed I would!"
Hans made a threatening gesture toward the fellow and he hastened to theprotection of the counter.
"My office is only a short distance away," said the consul, turning toNed. "We may as well go there and size this extraordinary situation up.I hardly know what to make of it."
"There is one thing you, perhaps, do not understand," Ned said, "andthat is that Captain Martin, in charge of this squad, has been takeninto custody by order of the detective Hans knocked out a moment ago."
The consul's face turned red with anger. He seized the assistantmanager by the shoulder and shook him, over the counter, as a dog shakesa rat.
"Where is he?" he demanded. "Tell your hirelings to bring him here, notsoon, but now."
"He assaulted me!" complained the manager.
"Produce him! One, two, three. At the third word he comes!"
Obeying a motion from the frightened man, a native opened a door back ofthe counter and Captain Martin was pushed out into the room, smiling andevidently enjoying the situation.
"I could have butted out at any moment," he said, "for these Chinks arenot fighters, but I heard what was going on out here and thought I'd letevents shape themselves. If I had been out here a short time ago I amafraid I should have made trouble for myself and for you."
"It is nice to watch a game that you can't lose at," laughed the consul."Come along, with your men, to my office. This lad wants a chance toread his message."
"Sure," was the reply. "I want to know how that Dutchman come to bringyou here, and how my men managed to get here just in time. There aremysteries to explain. What?" he added, with a laugh.
"I guess we'll have to wait for explanations until we know what is inthis message," Ned said. "Come along to the office, Mr. Consul, for wehave lost a lot of time already."
"I am anxious to know what the message contains," said the consul.