CHAPTER IX. TURNING THE TABLES ON TWO ROGUES.
"Arrested! Oh! my stars!" ejaculated Hiram, falling to trembling when hefelt the hand of the tall stranger drop heavily upon his shoulder.
"Whew! this is a warm reception to California for a fact!" burst outAndy, in considerable consternation, as he dropped his bundles, and stoodthere staring at the two mysterious men.
Rob, too, was somewhat staggered at the abrupt accusation, though hequickly rallied his senses, and found his tongue.
"Where's your warrant for doing this?" he demanded of the shorter man,who immediately flipped back his coat to disclose some sort of nickelbadge pinned to his vest, not giving Rob enough time to make it out.
"We don't need any warrant, being in the service of the Government," thisworthy assured him in as gruff a tone as possible.
"But who do you take us for, and what are we accused of doing?" askedRob, continuing to keep a firm grip on his suitcase through it all,though he allowed his eyes to rove around in search of a policeman.
"Never mind about that, my boy; you will find it all out after we havearraigned you before the United States Commissioner. We've been watchingyour party for some time, and believe we've bagged the right birds. Now,for your sake, we don't want to make a scene, so we'll just lock armswith you, and pass out of the station that way to take a vehicle. If youknow what's good for you, pay no attention to any one; and if you attemptto escape, remember, we're prepared to shoot."
The tall man at that eagerly thrust a hand through the left arm of Hiram,who made no resistance. Rob, even in that exciting moment, noticed thathe had managed to get on the side nearest the pocket where the inventorhad placed his valuable papers, now snugly reposing on Rob's person. Itwas very significant, to say the least; and Rob began immediately todiscover what Hiram would have called "the nigger in the woodpile."
"Come on, then, boys," said Rob, "we're in for it, and there's no need ofkicking up any disturbance. We'll go before the Commissioner and proveour innocence."
"That's right sensible of you, young fellow!" declared the shorter man,as he took hold of Rob's arm and escorted him along.
Other people were pushing past, but were so busy with their own affairsthat they did not seem to pay any attention to the little drama beingenacted on the station platform.
A minute later and Rob believed the time had come to act.
"Not that way, son; we're meaning to take a carriage over here," said thetall man, designating the opposite direction to that in which Rob hadturned.
"Please yourselves, gentlemen," said Rob, suddenly displaying quite adifferent manner. "We've decided that _we_ want to go out this way; andthat policeman standing there has his eye on us this very minute. I thinkI had better call him over and ask him to get you to show your colors."
"That's the stuff!" said Andy, recklessly, all the pent-up indignationthat had been boiling within him breaking loose.
Had a bomb fallen near them, the two men could not have shown moreconcern. They must have realized that their shrewd little game had beencalled.
"Guess we've made a mistake about this business, McGuire!" said the shortman, hastily looking around him as though desirous of discovering a goodopening for flight.
"Seems that way to me, Colonel; and we'll say good-by to you, boys!"
"Why, they've gone!" cried Andy, as though he could hardly believe hiseyes.
Rob had really been on the point of summoning the officer standing there;but since the rascals had chosen to run and mingle with the out-pouringcrowd, and Rob did not wish to have attention called to himself andchums, he wisely held his tongue.
Hiram was laughing to himself as though it struck him in the light of agood joke.
"What ails you, Hiram?" asked Andy, not yet able to grasp the situationsufficiently to see the humorous side of it.
"I'm only wondering what they'll say when they come to find out howthey've been so badly sold, that's all," replied the inventor, againindulging in one of his laughing fits.
"Did they get it?" demanded Rob, instantly, guessing that there was areason for all this hilarity on the part of the other chum.
"Oh! he slicked it out of my pocket the cutest way you ever saw," repliedHiram. "I felt his hand going in, so I held my breath to give him all thechance I could; and he did it, too, sure he did!"
"Got the papers, you mean, don't you, Hiram?" asked Rob.
"The dummy you made up for me, Rob."
Then both the others had occasion to smile broadly.
"Hope they'll enjoy reading those letters the boys wrote me while we wereover in Europe last fall," Rob remarked.
"I'd give a heap to see them when they find what a wonderful windfallthey've struck to pay them for all their trouble," said Andy.
"Well, let's get a conveyance and start for the Alexandria without anymore delay," advised the scout leader.
"Me for a comfy bed to-night," Hiram laughed; "better get a room withplenty of space for all of us, Rob. After this excitement to greet us onreaching California, I think it would be as well to stick together tillwe've unloaded our cargo, and have our time to ourselves."
They were soon at the hotel. They were taken up to the fifth floor, onwhich were three connecting rooms.
"High enough up so we needn't be afraid of any one climbing in at thewindow," Hiram remarked, after he had first of all taken in the view,with the late moon just peeping above the mountains in the east.
"Oh! no danger of those two fellows chasing after us any longer," laughedAndy. "They got their fill of it, and will pick out somebody besidesscouts for their next victims. Who got bit, I want to know?"
As everybody laughed and seemed satisfied, it could be set down aspositive that the three scouts were not feeling badly over the adventurethat had marked their introduction to the Coast.
The night passed without any incident worthy of recording. Hiram declaredthat he never knew a single thing after his head touched the pillow; hewas so much in need of a good night's sleep that he must have dropped offinstantly, to be finally aroused by hearing Rob announce it was time forbreakfast.
They determined to put their valuables in the hotel safe, and spendseveral days in and around Los Angeles, though they would not have timeto run down to San Diego and visit the other big exposition which was infull blast there.
This they did, and enjoyed every minute of the time, though they werenever long in one place, so many things did they have to see.
It being Hiram's first chance to look upon tropical vegetation, he washighly delighted with what he saw in the streets and public gardens ofthe bustling city.
Then they went out to visit an orange grove, and besides that, inspectednumerous enterprises connected with the great fruit-growing belt aroundRiverside. This place the boys were ready to declare--with its grovescovering the broad valley, and with the mountains, their topssnow-covered, looming up beyond--to be the most delightful town on theface of the earth.
But the boys came to the conclusion that while all these things weretruly wonderful and especially delightful, they had not come out to thecoast on a pleasure jaunt; and hence no further time should be spent inthis way until they had accomplished the several duties that awaitedtheir attention.
"I've made arrangements for seats in the parlor-car with the trainleaving to-morrow morning," Rob announced on the second evening, as theydiscussed supper and the many things they had seen since early morning.
"When will we get to San Francisco then?" asked Hiram.
"After dark," Rob informed him. "It's more than three hundred miles away,you know, for California is a big State, especially from north to south."
"According to that, then, Rob," continued the other, "on the day afterto-morrow we ought to be taking in some of the sights of the World'sFair."
"That's our programme," admitted the leader and guide of the expedition,as he threw down his napkin, and pushed his chair away, in which he wascopied a litt
le reluctantly, perhaps, by both his companions.
"Excuse me for not asking if you were through, Hiram," said Rob in anaside, "but honestly I was afraid Andy would founder if he ate any more.He's developed such an enormous appetite since landing here, there'sliable to be an explosion unless we watch him pretty close."
"He'll eat up all your spare cash, that's the worst of it," complainedHiram, who was a little inclined to be close with his money as a rule;possibly because he had found a pressing need for every dollar inconducting his numerous experiments, for it costs more or less to"potter" with schemes along the line of invention.
Rob only laughed, and it was very evident that this contingency did notworry him to any great extent. He knew there were ample funds at hand forall ordinary expenses, with more coming if needed.
They were off on the morning train, and all through that day enjoyed thescenery that was spread out before them--through Santa Barbara and on upuntil it reached San Francisco.
That day's journey would never be forgotten by any of the three scouts.They stored a thousand incidents away in their memories for futureenjoyment.
As evening came on they knew they must be getting in the vicinity of thegreat city that had recovered from the horrors of the earthquake anddestruction by fire with such marvelous speed as to awaken the admirationof the whole world.
"You can see the light in the sky whenever the train makes a turn,"remarked Andy to Hiram who, as usual, had his nose glued against theglass.
Taking a carriage after they had left the train they soon foundthemselves installed at the Fairmont Hotel, which Rob had been told topatronize by Judge Collins, because of its fine view of San FranciscoBay, and the Golden Gate, as well as possibly the glimpses to be obtainedof the illuminated towers in the Exposition grounds along the shore.
It was after nine when they arrived, and of course the boys were notfoolish enough to think of attempting anything until they had slept, andfelt reinvigorated.
Looking from the windows of the large room they had taken, with twodouble beds in it, they went into raptures over the scene. The moon,though due before long, had not yet risen, and it seemed as though amillion lights dazzled their eyes in every direction, and made it looklike a scene from fairyland.
And so, in due time, they sought their beds, and slept so close to theGreat Exposition that it would seem as though the whirr of innumerablewheels in Machinery Hall, or the murmur of the multitude of visitorsroaming about the extensive grounds, must of necessity be borne aloft tothe ears of the three eager lads who had come thousands of miles to viewthe wonders of the display.
But, at any rate, they managed to put in a restful night, and whenmorning routed them from their beds, they were in fine fettle to beginthe first day's sight-seeing.
The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific Exposition Page 9