Page 121 - Adventure Magazine, 1921, July 18th

116 Adve ntu re
smugglers must look, for we were not rough "Ho," volunt eered a policeman, "t here's
and unshaven, though Lord Bob and Jack- a two-ton truck about a block back."
man were dressed roughly. "T here was three men on it," another
"Douse those lights or you'll kill the added quickly. "We nailed 'em. They're
game," said Lord Bob, wholly ignoring the over there- handcuffed. Waitin'."
revolvers, which I confess, had engaged Ile laughed.
my attention. "I've been living with the Our attention was attr acte d almost at
smugglers. It was I lipped you fellows off. the same time by the hurried clzug-chug-
There's another boat due here tonight. chug-chug-chug out on the bay, and we
''Badge? Badge be--! Of course--" turned to see two boat s with searchlights
very ironically-"I've worn a badge for the sweeping ahead making for the wharf.
last month with chinks goin' through my Quick as a flash Lord Bob said-
pockets ever' time I went to sleep. Douse "T hey're closin' in on that other fellow."
those lights an' give us a lift with this stuff." And he gave me a significant tap on the
It was a good bluff, partic ularly that shoulder, and next instant he had cracked
sentence about it being Lord Bob himself a policeman over the head, knockin g him
who had tipped the police off. Now some- cold. At the same time Jack.man thr ew a
body had tipped the police off. That was garr oting hold about the neck of another,
too obvious. And the chances were that no and I presented an automatic so close to
one of the three officers there on watch the face of the third that there could be no
would know who had done it; so Lord Bob misunderstanding·.
claimed the credit . "Ea sy," said Lord Bob as he swooped to
Also rather cleverly he had evaded the the unconscious policeman and stripped
demand for credentials. Perhaps he had him of his weapon. Then:
not succeeded in convincing the police that "Now you two fellows give us a hand
his story was true, but he did succeed in with this box to the truck. Lively!"
creating a doubt; and his next burst of And he plucked their guns.
words was the most effective of all. The box was carried to the truck and
"A nice laugh you fellows'll have on heaved up. .
yourselves if you capture us three Federal He told Jackman to go bid good-by to
agents-and let the crew of chinks escape. the Sea Breeze, and that sturdy fellow
Couldn 't transfer this ton of junk at sea, so started back along the wharf at a gallop,
we brought her in on the smugglers' boat. while Lord Bob, having found one set of
Give us a hand." handcuffs, proceeded to fasten it to the left
Rather warily, but trying not to appear hand of each of the policemen. Had it
too suspicious-for a policeman hates to ,be been fastened to the left and right, the
laughed at for having arrested the wrong policemen could have run about easily , but
party-they did give us a hand with that as 1t was any sudden effort or speed was
box. made rather awkward.
"Gosh, what's in it?" demanded one deep- "How d'you like this game?" said Lord
voiced fellow. Bob cheerfully, poking me with a finger.
"Gold," said Lord Bob carelessly. "Great life, eh?"
Several comments from the police on "Won't they catch hlm?" I asked, mo-
that. Somehow or other it rather tickled tioning in the direction Jackman had gone.
their fancy. Perhaps too, subconsciously "Not in a thousand years-lookl "
they figured that if Lord Bob had been a I was already looking. A burst of light
smuggler he would not so readily have ad- and an explosion had shot from the water's
mitted that the box was weighted with gold. edge. And a moment later Jackman, on
"Come on now, let's get it up on the the run, came up and leaped to the driver's
wharf-out of the way," said Lord Bob, seal. Off we went.
taking control of the party with a sort of "You sec," Lord Bob explained gaily as
careless authority that is never easily re- we rattled and bounced along the street,
sisted. bumpy and full of ruts from much heavy
And on to the wharf we went, all heav- hauling, "they've got something more to
ing except Lord Bob, who had taken charge. think of than smugglers-an' there isn't a
"I wonder," he said, "how they expected phone handy."
to get this thing off?" "But the men they've caught?"