CHAPTER XII.
TURNING THE TABLES.
This was what happened!
Oscar had for the time being ceased to remember his bruised leg, andeven his grunts had temporarily stopped, which would apparently indicatethat after all his injuries were not so serious as he had made out.
He was now industriously engaged in ridding his garments of some of thedust which they had accumulated at the time he and Josh rolled over inthe road. To the surprise of Rod he even took out his handkerchief, andused this to wipe the sleeves of his coat.
Just then Rod, out of the tail of his eye, noticed the fellow give aquick glance toward Josh and Hanky Panky, both of whom were bending overthe former's machine, anxiously examining to ascertain if it had reallybeen much damaged.
Instinctively Rod made out to be industriously looking at something ofinterest in the near distance. He even shaded his eyes with one hand,though at the same time he could manage to see Oscar.
It paid him well in the bargain, for he noticed that while dusting hiscoat as a dandy detesting all manner of dirt might, the said Oscar alsoflirted that white handkerchief in a strange manner.
Then it suddenly dawned upon Rod that the fellow was actually makingsome sort of signal to an unknown party further off. He used his eyes toadvantage, for he immediately caught what seemed to be an answering wavefrom a patch of trees possibly three hundred yards away, and along theside of the rise!
This complicated matters exceedingly. Oscar, then, was a fraud of thefirst water. His story must be a tissue of lies from beginning to end.Perhaps even his name had been assumed for a purpose, which was toentrap the three American boys.
Rod had to think very fast just then. A plan of campaign must bearranged on the spur of the moment, fitted to cover the case. Of coursehe could not more than give a guess as to what it all meant, except thatthere was danger in the air for himself and chums.
Could the pretended Swiss-American be in truth a German spy, bent ontaking them prisoner for some mysterious reason or other? Rod felt surethis could not be, for he had failed to detect a sign of the Teutonicguttural in the voice of the other. In fact, Rod was inclined to suspecthim of being of French origin, for when speaking he had all the shrugsand grimaces which so often mark the natives of France, especially whenexcited, and making explanations.
The three comrades were almost unarmed. Knowing the constant peril ofcapture that menaced them, should they chance to run upon a squad ofGerman soldiers, Rod had decided that it would be the height of follyfor them to carry firearms; for if found to be armed they were likely tobe considered in the light of guerrillas, since they belonged to neitherarmy as enlisted men.
Of course the three of them would easily be able to overcome Oscar, whodid not appear to be very brawny in build. But if he had accomplicesnear at hand even his capture might not prove sufficient to stave offthe danger.
Rod conceived a better scheme than to simply overpower the suspect. Whynot make him a hostage for the good behavior of his associates? The ideaseized hold of the boy, and in that instant he determined to put it intoimmediate practice.
Oscar would be surprised to find that his cunning plot had been seenthrough. In fact there would be others in the same fix, for Rod couldimagine the astonishment of Josh and Hanky Panky, possibly utterlyunsuspicious regarding the true course of events.
It happened that Rod had in his pocket a little tool shaped not unlikeone of those modern automatic pistols that can be fired as fast as thefinger presses the trigger. He believed this would answer his purposeadmirably, and acting on the spur of the moment he immediately drew itforth.
Oscar was still very diligent with that handkerchief of his, switchingit to and fro, as though determined that not a speck of dust shouldremain to mar the appearance of his garments. It would seem as thoughOscar must be an exquisite of the first water when on his native heath;though Rod was more firmly convinced than ever that this was Gay Pareerather than Cincinnati, Ohio, which he had so boldly claimed as his homecity.
So Rod, sauntering toward the other in an apparently idle fashion,suddenly came up behind him, and clapped the cold metal tool against thenape of Oscar's neck, causing a shudder to pass through the other'swhole system.
"Don't try to make a move or you are a dead man!" said Rod, sternly;"I'll pull the trigger if you so much as turn your head this way!"
"Gee! whilikins!" exclaimed Josh, whirling about; while Hanky Panky,taken completely by surprise, could only stand there and stare as thoughhe imagined Rod had suddenly taken leave of his senses, for up to thatmoment Hanky had not entertained the slightest suspicion toward the manthey were helping on his way.
Oscar apparently understood; at any rate he remained as motionless asthough carved out of stone. His face went white, and his eyes rolledwildly in their sockets, but he knew better than to risk having his poorbrains blown out by an incautious movement.
"Your game is up, my friend!" said Rod sternly. "I've been watching yousend a message to some one with that handkerchief of yours. Don't wasteyour breath to deny it. You have been trying to lead us into a trap,perhaps for the sake of helping your friend, Jules. Well, we are on toyour game, and mean to block it. Josh!"
"On deck, Rod!" exclaimed the one addressed, cheerily, with a wide grindecorating his face; for it amused him to see how after all Rod hadtaken matters into his own hands, and turned the tables on thescoundrel.
"You're getting to be a clever hand at playing the frisking act, Josh,"continued the leader of the trio; "suppose you look this chap over, andremove any deadly weapons you may find. I'll keep him still, dead oralive, while you do it."
"I beg of you to be careful, young M'sieu!" gasped Oscar, betraying hisFrench origin in that unguarded moment; "I assure you I am not thinkingof offering resistance; and it might be your finger it would slip, to myeverlasting regret."
Josh lost no time in commencing work. As Rod had said, of late the otherhad been having considerable experience at this sort of business, andboasted of being quite an expert.
"Whee! here's a nasty looking gun, Rod!" he speedily announced.
"Hand it here, then, and I'll take possession of it," the other toldhim; "then keep on feeling in every pocket, Josh."
"Some papers, Rod--letters they look like," came another announcementpresently.
"Give them to me; when I have time I'd like to look them over, and seeif the hand of our friend Jules is back of this game. Hello! what'sthis. These letters are addressed to M. Armand Marchant, Rue de Rivoli,Paris. Quite a difference between that name and Oscar William Tell, eh?But I'm not surprised a whit. Keep on looking, Josh, especially for moreugly guns."
Apparently, however, that one weapon was all the man "toted," for nomore could be discovered.
"All right, then," said Rod when his chum proclaimed the finish of hissearch; "I'll change to his own revolver, which I see is nicely loaded.It is more to be depended on than my own tool," with which remark heheld the article in question before the eyes of the prisoner, who turnedfiery red with confusion and anger, while Josh and Hanky Panky burstinto peals of laughter at the joke.
"Now listen to me," continued Rod, sternly again, "you are to go with usover the rise here. Remember you are a hostage for our safe conduct. Ifyour friends attempt to attack us your life will be forfeited the firstthing. So I'd advise you not to try and signal again, if you know what'sgood for you."
"One thing I'm glad to tell you, Rod," remarked Josh; "which is thatafter all the damage to my machine isn't worth mentioning. I reckon hemeant it to be put out of commission, and even took chances of gettinghurt himself so as to accomplish it; but the Whitcomb luck stuck by me,all right, all right. Do you think you can move your machine along andattend to him at the same time, Rod?"
"Oh! that's easily fixed," replied the other, cheerily, "because Oscaris going to attend to the trundling act for me. It's the least he can doto make up for the bother he's given us. And his feet have gotten wellin the bargain, just as if a miracle h
ad been wrought. Get busy, Oscar,and start pushing uphill!"
The man did not dare venture any protest. What was the use of his tryingto plead weariness or a bruised leg when they knew that he was a fraudof the first water, and had, as Josh would say, "tumbled to his game?"
So he took hold of Rod's heavy machine, and toiled manfully up theascent. As he went he cast numerous anxious glances to the right and tothe left; but Rod understood now that these were not in hopes of seeinghis confederates suddenly dash into view, since that would be the signalfor his own troubles to begin; rather was the man mentally praying theywould remain in hiding, having grasped the new state of affairs, whichcould not be to their liking.
They reached the crown of the low hill, but did not linger there, forthe position was too exposed. Once down to the level again Rod began toconsider dropping the pilot, as they had no further need of hisprotecting services, with the road level and straight stretching awayfor miles ahead.
Big Five Motorcycle Boys on the Battle Line; Or, With the Allies in France Page 12