[CHAPTER XX]
TAKEN CAPTIVE
So great was the force of the fall that when Joe brought up at the foot of the stairs the breath was knocked out of him, and before he could get to his feet the crowd of rough men were on him like dogs on a wounded wolf. Stunned though he was, Joe would not submit to overpowering numbers without a struggle, and more than one of the crowd bore marks of the fight for many a day afterward. Joe was in the very finest physical condition, and as he fought the effects of the fall wore off somewhat, and he struck out with a force and power that sent his opponents reeling back. At one time Joe actually had his hand on the knob of the street door, but he was dragged back, fighting like a madman. His adversaries were hampered by their own numbers, and in the narrow hall only one or two could get at Joe at once. He was engaged with two of the fellows, when suddenly some heavy object landed on his head with paralyzing force, and he crumpled to the floor.
“Guess that fixes that guy,” remarked one of the fellows, as he returned a “blackjack” to his pocket.
“I hope you haven’t fixed him too well,” said the leader of the gang, a corpulent, flashily dressed man. “It’s all right to put him to sleep, but we don’t want any killings, you know.”
“Leave that to me, boss,” said the other. “He’ll soon come back from the land o’ nod, an’ when he does, we’d better have his hands an’ feet tied. He’s got a punch in each mitt that’s fit to knock a mule out.”
The others seemed to agree heartily with this statement, and they lost no time in following their companion’s advice. When Joe regained consciousness, some ten minutes later, he found himself securely tied in a chair, while the members of the gang sat about at their ease, planning what disposition to make of their captive.
The first thing Joe did was to look for McCarney, but he was nowhere to be seen. During the fight he had kept in the background, and as soon as it was over he had slipped out of the house. He had little doubt that the gang would overcome Joe, but he had a great respect for the capabilities of the young pitcher, and he thought that in case Joe ever got away from them he would accuse him, McCarney, of being an accomplice of the gang. In that case, the less he was seen in their company the better. Besides this, he was anxious to bet some money against the Giants on the coming games, as he knew that Joe’s disappearance would be very likely to demoralize the whole team.
Up to this time the Giants had been considered the favorites in the pennant race, and among the gamblers they had been better than even money. But when McCarney, in sporting circles familiar enough to him, tried to place some cash, he found that already the odds were against the Giants to win, and he was at no loss to guess the reason for this. Some of the gang that held Joe prisoner had begun to plunge heavily against the Giants, and the gamblers who did not know were suspicious and not over-anxious to back the team that was apparently the best in the league by a fair margin. Gamblers as a class are quick to take fright, and those manipulating the “baseball ring” as it was already called in the underworld, were no exceptions to the rule.
When Joe did not put in an appearance at their hotel that night Jim was very uneasy, but he comforted himself with the reflection that Joe might have found it necessary in the course of his sleuthing expedition to keep close to the trail. He fully expected to see Joe at the baseball field the following afternoon, especially as he was slated to pitch that day. But there was no sign of the missing star, and when it was almost time for the game to start McRae sought out Jim where he was warming up with Mylert back of the clubhouse.