CHAPTER VIII
A STRANGE OCCURRENCE
The man with the lantern advanced to the edge of the porch, holding thelantern at arm's length and shoulder high. In the flickering light Boband Hugh could see the others putting on their overcoats. Presently therewas a flash of light as the powerful searchlights of an automobile wereturned on; only for a second or two, however, as they were quicklyextinguished.
"There's the gray roadster," whispered Hugh.
The two boys were crouched behind a fallen tree, an obstruction they hadbeen on the point of climbing when they had spied the lantern. They couldhear the men walking about near the house, and frequently could evencatch the sound of voices.
Presently they heard the whirr of a motor. Dimmed lights were turned onin the roadster and soon it started.
"Lie low," whispered Hugh. "They mustn't see us."
Bob needed no cautioning on that score, however.
The car rumbled toward them as if it were feeling its way. Thewagon-road was some ten yards to the left of the spot where the two boyswere concealed. Directly to it the roadster went, its two glowing eyesgiving it the appearance of some gigantic bug. With bated breath Hugh andBob watched its progress. Presently it passed them and lumbered away overthe rough road.
"How many men were in it?" whispered Hugh.
"Three, I think."
"There were only two when we passed it in front of your house."
"I know it. There must be a couple more men here, too."
"Ssh," hissed Hugh softly, grasping his companion by the wrist.
Voices could be heard, coming nearer and nearer to their hiding place.Once again the two boys almost stopped breathing while they waited forthe speakers to pass. They could make out two shadowy forms following thesame course taken by the automobile. The two men conversed earnestlytogether in tones so low, that the listeners could not overhear what wassaid. After a few moments the sound of the voices died away and Hugh andBob were left alone. That is, they were alone as far as they could tell.
"Well," said Hugh finally. "They're gone."
"Seems so," admitted Bob. "We can't be sure though."
"Were those men talking German?"
"I couldn't tell."
"Neither could I for sure, but I thought they were."
"Probably so," said Bob. "At any rate it looks to me as if there was somequeer business going on in this place."
"It certainly does. I wonder what's in that house?"
"Shall we go and see?"
"You don't catch me in that house at this time of night," saidHugh grimly.
"How about coming out here to-morrow, then?"
"To-morrow's Saturday, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"All right," said Hugh. "I'll come out with you."
"And now we'd better go home."
"I guess we had. It must be nearly midnight."
They arose from their cramped positions on the ground and stealthilybegan to retrace their steps. They were even more wary on their way outthan they had been going in, for they could not be sure that they wouldnot meet some of the men they had seen about the old house. Just beforethey came to the end of the wagon-road they heard the sound of a motorand saw the lights of an automobile speeding down the main road in thedirection of High Ridge.
"Sounds like our car," said Bob. "All those motors make the same sortof noise."
"Pretty good ears you have," remarked Hugh.
"You ought to see old Heinie," said Bob. "He may look stupid, but he cantell almost any make of car just by the noise it makes."
"What'll he say when you get home?" queried Hugh.
"He'll be mad. He doesn't think I know how to drive the car, and if thereis any dirt on it he'll be madder yet."
"The roads aren't muddy now though."
"I know it, but he'll be cross if there's dust on it even."
They emerged on the main road, looked carefully in both directions, andthen still keeping to the side of the road, started back toward the spotwhere they had left the car. A ghostly moon, in its last quarter, shedits pale light on the highway, and aided the boys to distinguish theirsurroundings.
"There's the place," said Bob a moment later.
They ran quickly across the road and hurried towards the clump of treeswhere they had hidden the car. Both boys would feel relieved when theywere seated in their conveyance once more, and on their way home. It wasnervous work prowling around the countryside at night with a suspiciousgang of men lurking near.
Bob and Hugh hurried along side by side and presently came to the patchof trees, which was their destination. A feeling of relief came over themthat soon they would be speeding back to High Ridge.
Suddenly Bob uttered an exclamation of surprise and stopped short.
"The car is gone," he gasped.
Bob Cook and the German Spy Page 8