CHAPTER VI

A MURDEROUS ASSAULT

As Clay had said, it took but a little while for Alex and Case to learn to handle the new motor and they soon became delighted with its simplicity.

"The only bad feature about it is that it has to be cleaned more frequently than a gas engine," Clay observed. "The kerosene soots up the piston and coats the rings and then the motor does not work well. It ought to be cleaned thoroughly at least once a week. I've been thinking that we had ought to make the cleaning of it a new punishment for slang using. Our present penalty is too light--the dish washing has been tried and found wanting. After a man has spent a day down in that stuffy hold, covered with grease and oil, it will make him careful of his language for a long time."

"All right," agreed his companions, but Alex, with an eye to the present, past and future, added craftily: "Of course this doesn't apply to past offences, nor to future ones. It only goes into effect when we are actually started on our trip up the Yukon?"

"That's about it," assented Clay.

"Then I want to say that we are a lot of boneheads running around wasting our precious oil. We are dippy, all of us. Case has got bats in his belfry, you have a few wheels in your head, and I'm not quite right in my upper story. Let's go in and overhaul our stores instead of casting money."

All the afternoon the boys labored on the more careful repacking of their hastily stored cargo and overhauling their personal belongings. When the afternoon began to wane, Alex betook himself to the kitchen to prepare the supper which they had agreed should be quite a spread in honor of Ike's coming. As the sun went down, Case tied a rope around Teddy Bear and led him up on the dock, followed by Captain Joe. "I'm going up the street a bit and meet Ike," he said. The animals need exercise and I guess Ike will be pretty tired with his luggage before he gets down here."

Alex, assisted by Clay in the preparation of the feast, took but little notice of the passage of time until the cabin grew so dark that they had to turn on the lights to see.

"Gee, I wonder what's keeping Ike so long," Alex exclaimed. "If he doesn't come pretty soon the supper will be spoilt."

"Strange Case doesn't come back," Clay said uneasily. "He's been gone over an hour. I hope he didn't take Teddy up town. If he did, he's liable to have got into trouble and Ike may be trying to help him out. One of us had better go up and see what's the matter."

He had scarcely spoken when there came the sound of slow foot-steps on the dock and Alex snapped on the prow light.

The first to come inside of the half circle of light was Teddy and Captain Joe, then followed Case, half carrying, half supporting a limp form.

Alex and Clay leaped to the wharf to receive the strange possession.

"It's Ike," said Case, as he stopped, and stood panting, but still supporting his heavy burden. "Give me a hand to get him down into the cabin. I'm about played out."

The three carried him down into the cabin and laid him in a clean bunk, just taking off his shoes and loosening up his clothing so that he might rest easier. In the bright light, he looked ghastly, his face pale and many blood stained handkerchiefs around his head.

"Don't look so scared," said Case with a smile. "He is not going to die. He will be all right in a day or two. Let's have supper and I'll tell you all about it. The supper was placed upon the table and all three fell to eating while Case told his story. "I waited up the street a little ways until I began to feel uneasy and restless, then I moved further up the street, almost opposite that lumber yard. It was almost dark when I saw Ike coming. He was carrying a suitcase and walking fast. Just as he came to the other end of the lumber yard, two men sprang out on him. One hit him over the head and he went down like a stone. The other grabbed the suit case out of Ike's hand, tore it open as though it was paper and dumped the contents out on the street. While he was pawing it over, the other fellow went through Ike's pockets. For a full moment I was helpless with surprise, then I ran for the spot. Teddy and Captain Joe right behind me. The men saw me coming, but they stood their ground until I was about one hundred feet away. They evidently wanted to make a thorough search. When I got that close they ran and turned off the street into an alley."

"Did you see their faces?" questioned Clay eagerly.

"I did," Case replied. "They were the two men who wanted to take passage with us. Well, I did not follow them up. I got Ike laid out as comfortable as I could and called for the ambulance and then ran back to Ike. The ambulance got to him as quickly as I did. He soon came to under the doctor's treatment. The doctor shaved his head, put ointment and sticking plaster on it, and bound it up. To save him a bad night of pain, the doctor gave him some sleeping, quieting dope, and then he ordered the driver to bring us down to the pier and pick him up on the way back. Well, the horses refused to go out over the water and we took Ike out of the wagon. I told the driver that I had a job on my hands. I guess the dope had taken good effect for he was unconscious and breathing heavily. I fairly had to carry him to the boat."

"Did you notify the police?" Clay asked.

"No, Ike was conscious all right until the doctor gave him that dope and he begged me not to tell the police, for we might be held as witnesses so long that our trip would be spoilt."

"Well," said Alex. "I'll be glad when we are off at last."

"And that will be tonight," Clay said. "I'm going to run the _Rambler_ around tonight and anchor her close to the railroad dock. We start in the morning and it will be best to have her on hand. Besides I want to get out of here. There's too much trouble going on around this pier. Do you think the noise of the motor would wake Ike, Chase?"

"You would have to hit him again with another pair of brass knucks--that's what the doctor said was used on him--to wake him up," laughed Case.

So the moorings were cast off. And the _Rambler_ was run around close to the big railroad dock and anchored, while the boys, deciding that they had had enough excitement for one day, at once turned in. At daylight they were up again and tied up to the railroad dock. Here they passed strong ropes under the _Rambler_ and fastening them above the boat had a strong, well-fixed sling, which would lift equally on all parts of the heavily-ladened boat, when the dock hoist was attached. This done there was nothing to do but wait until their train backed down to take them on.

Ike had been awakened by the noise on deck and, when the boys descended into the cabin, they found him sitting up on the edge of his bunk swinging his legs. "No, I ain't sick, you understand," he said in answer to their inquiries. "That low-life what hit me over the head he don't do nothing but make my head ache some. Did them loafers steal anything from me when I no got my senses?"

"They broke open your suit case and scattered your things all over the pavement," Case said. "I picked up all I could find but of course I did not know whether anything was missing."

"Give me my clothes first," Ike demanded. He examined the pockets of pants and coat and grinned. "They gets nothing here," he said, "except a Canadian quarter, a lead half dollar, and a dime with a hole in it. I have a false lining here on the inside and it makes a dandy place to carry money, you understand." He slapped the seat of his trousers and it gave back a crisp rustling as of stiff new bills. A careful examination of the torn suit case discovered nothing missing and Ike, feeling better in mind and spirit, declared he would like a bite to eat.

While Clay hustled around to cook him a slice of toast, some soft boiled eggs, and a cup of coffee, Alex ran up town and was soon back with a couple of morning papers.

They contained only a brief notice of the assault on Ike, probably given out by the ambulance surgeon, but flaring across on the first front page was:

"Chicago's open season for hold-ups and murders has begun." Then below the head lines followed.

"Mr. Austin, a rather prominent retail merchant, was on his way home last night when he was attacked by foot-pads who darted out on him from the old lumber yard on L street. Mr. Austin had been unable to get to the bank during the day and carried in a wallet in his breast pocket, over $1,000. While one man held him and choked him, the other relieved him of his money, and of the fat wallet. Then they tripped him up and took to their heels, escaping, as there are no policemen and few pedestrians on this lonely street. Mr. Austin describes the two as being very big, roughly clothed men, one of them having a red scar on one cheek. Of course they got away. Even if Mr. Austin had been able to obtain a good photograph of each it is doubtful if our bone-headed police would recognize the men if they accidentally met them."

Just then came the rumble of a train coming down the dock. Clay pushed his head out of the window. "It's our train," he shouted. "Take those dishes off the table and set the pots off the stove. She may list a bit when they go to hoist her."

A huge crane swung slowly over the _Rambler_ and from it a huge hook attached to a chain was gently lowered. The boys quickly caught the hook in the sling. The chain slowly tightened and the _Rambler_ was lifted bodily and lowered gently onto a flat car, where she was quickly shored up with timbers to keep her on an even keel.

It was only a few minutes before the train backed off the docks, switched onto the main track and began to crawl slowly out of the dingy city.

"Hurrah!" cried Alex in his joy. "We are off, off at last." And the others joined him in his jubilation.

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