CHAPTER XIII.
CHESTER MISSES A CHANCE.
Chester surveyed his captor with a slight smile on his face, although the bitterness of disappointment had touched his heart.
"Well, you've got me," he said quietly. "Now what are you going to do with me?"
The Austrian returned his look with a sour scowl.
"That is not for me to decide," he said. "Come with me."
He waved his revolver in the general direction of the door, and Chester walked out of the room. The Austrian followed closely, keeping his revolver close to the back of the lad's head. Evidently he had decided to take no further chances with him.
Chester smiled faintly to himself.
"Guess he'll hang on to me pretty tight this time," he muttered.
A moment later he found himself back in the same room the three had been locked in when first brought to the house. The lad threw himself down dejectedly when the captor left the room and locked the door behind him.
"Well, I'm in for it now," he told himself. "Hal and Uncle John will warn the Italian general in time, and when Robard fails in his plot he'll come back to deal with me. I hope I am able to give a good account of myself. However, a fellow can never tell what is going to happen, so in order to be prepared, I'll try and get a little sleep."
He lay down and closed his eyes; and in spite of the seriousness of his situation, and the hard floor upon which he lay, he was soon asleep.
Meanwhile, Hal and Uncle John made all haste toward the headquarters of the Italian general staff, which at the moment were in Venice. It took Hal some moments to convince several subordinate officers that it was essential he see the commander himself, but after some explanations the lad, accompanied by Uncle John, was ushered into the presence of the general.
Hal laid bare the details of the plot in a few words, and the Italian commander eyed him incredulously.
"How am I to know you are telling the truth?" he demanded.
"For one reason, because I don't lie," replied Hal. "Besides, if you doubt me, sir, it would be well to be on the safe side, anyhow. It can do no harm to take the necessary precautions."
"What you say is true," replied the general.
"A wire to General Ferrari might tell you we are to be relied upon," continued Hal. "We were so fortunate as to be of some slight service to him recently."
The Italian commander glanced at his watch.
"It is best to be on the safe side," he said. "I shall take the necessary precautions, meanwhile wiring to General Ferrari, as you suggest. In the meantime, I fear I shall have to detain you, at least, until I receive a reply to my wire."
"But, sir," Hal protested, "I would like to go back and find my friend."
"I cannot permit that," was the reply. "How do I know that you are not spies yourselves and have concocted this story for some reason of your own—a reason that precautions I might take against the plot you have outlined might throw my troops into more serious difficulties? No, I shall keep you under guard. That is final."
Hal realized the futility of further protest and subsided. Not so
Uncle John.
"This is an outrage, sir," he exploded. "I repeat, this is an outrage. Here we are, three of us, who have gone out of our way, to do the Italian army a service, and the best we get is trouble, fights and insults. I—"
The Italian commander raised a hand.
"I trust that you are telling the truth," he said turning to Hal, and ignoring Uncle John. "But I must make sure. You say you are a soldier. You can appreciate my position."
Hal nodded affirmatively. But Uncle John refused to be appeased.
"I think you are a lot of savages," he declared. "I wish the Austrians would blow up your whole army and drop bombs on every spot in the country. I'd help 'em do it if I had a good chance. I wouldn't turn my hand over to help you again."
The commander began to grow angry, and Hal realized it.
"That's enough, Uncle John," he remonstrated. "You'll get us in worse trouble than ever if you are not careful."
"Worse?" exclaimed Uncle John. "What can be worse than being in the same room with a bunch like this? I—"
Again the Italian commander raised a hand.
"Enough!" he said sharply. "I am convinced you have come here for no good. I shall send the wire I promised, but I am confident of the reply I shall receive. Orderly!"
An orderly approached.
"Keep these fellows safe," said the general.
"At least, sir, you will still take the precautions," said Hal.
The general hesitated a moment.
"Yes," he said finally, "you may at least have the satisfaction of knowing you have caused me to change my plans. All precautions shall be taken."
Hal and Uncle John were led away.
"I wonder what they have done with Chester?" said Uncle John.
"Whatever they have done will not be a circumstance to what they will do when Robard's plot fails," replied Hal. "That's why I was anxious not to antagonize the general. If the wire goes through we will possibly be in time to save him, if not—"
He broke off with a shrug.
"You mean—" began Uncle John.
"I don't know just what I mean," replied Hal. "I'm afraid. That's all."
Both lapsed into silence.
When Chester opened his eyes in his improvised prison the evil face of Robard bent over him. Chester sat up, stretched and then rose to his feet.
"Hello," he said. "Back again, I see."
Robard scowled fiercely, but made no reply.
"Well, did you blow up the whole Italian army?" asked Chester with a pleasant smile.
Robard stretched out a hand suddenly and seized Chester by the wrist and with his other hand struck the lad heavily in the face. Chester reeled back, but, recovering, promptly sent his right first into Robard's face.
The lad thought for a moment of following up his advantage and attempting to escape, but before he could act, Robard whipped out a revolver and covered him.
"Stand back!" he ordered.
Chester stood still.
"I've a notion to kill you right here," cried the Austrian furiously.
"What do you mean by hitting me?"
"What do you mean by hitting me?" demanded Chester.
"You young American upstart!" shouted the enraged Austrian. "I'll—"
"I wouldn't if I were you," said Chester calmly, as Robard raised a heavy fist. "You may be able to fight with a gun or a knife, but don't come at me with your fists or I'll spank you."
If Chester's object had been to enrage the Austrian he had succeeded. Robard cast discretion to the winds, and, lowering his revolver, struck at the lad.
It was the chance for which Chester had been waiting and hoping.
He ducked under the heavy blow, and instead of returning it, he kicked out with his left foot. His aim was true and Robard's revolver fell to the floor with a clatter. Chester pounced on it, beating the Austrian by the fraction of a second. A moment later the Austrian struck him a heavy blow on the side of the face.
Chester became suddenly very angry—not furiously and excitedly so, but his temper blazed up and his anger was quiet and deadly. Calmly he blocked a second blow from his opponent and took the time to put the revolver hastily in his pocket.
"Now," he said, "I am going to give you a first class licking. I didn't take boxing lessons for nothing, and if you have anything to say when I get through I'll be willing to listen."
At that moment the Austrian rushed. Chester side-stepped neatly, and his left fist crashed to the side of the Austrian's jaw as the latter brushed past. Before Robard could turn, Chester planted his right fist upon the back of the other's neck, sending him staggering.
Then he waited for Robard to come at him again.
Turning, Robard advanced more cautiously this time. Chester feinted with his right, and sent his left to Robard's nose. Blood flowed. Chester danced about the big Austrian, raining blows upon him almost at will.
"Take that, and that, and that," he said gleefully, skipping first this way and then that, skillfully evading the heavy blows launched wildly by Robard.
This continued for perhaps five minutes, and then Chester grew tired.
"Well, we'll end it now," he told the Austrian with a smile. "Watch, here comes the finish."
He stiffened a bit, took a backward step, then danced suddenly forward. He feinted with dazzling rapidity once, twice, three times, and then, his opponent completely bewildered, planted his right fist squarely upon the point of Robard's chin. Robard staggered back, but a second terrific blow, delivered to the stomach, brought him forward again, and Chester straightened him up with another terrific drive to the point of the chin.
The lad stepped back and dropped his hands, watching the big Austrian with a smile on his face.
Clear across the room the man staggered and then crumpled up in a heap.
"That settles him," said Chester. "Now to get out of here."
He turned toward the door, and stopped, a cry of dismay on his lips.
In the doorway stood three figures. As Chester turned, one of them advanced toward him.
"You did a pretty job," he said, eyeing the lad appreciatively, "and we are glad to have seen it. But, we cannot let you escape."
Chester groaned and sat down.
"There're too many of them," he said to himself. "So near and yet so far. If I hadn't let my temper get the best of me I would have been safely out of here. I'll never waste another second on an Austrian. This is what I get for not shooting him like a dog, and using my fists on him, like I would on a gentleman. Never again."