The Boy Allies in Great Peril Part 24

"Get some water," commanded the other.

At this moment Robard took a step forward, and seemed about to wrench himself free from his captor's arms.

"If you gentlemen will allow me," said Chester, "I shall make a suggestion that may save us all time and bother."

"Well?" demanded one of the men.

"If you'll give me the gun you deprived me of," said the boy, "I'll give my word to hold our friend here safe until the amba.s.sador is brought back to consciousness. Also, I give my word not to attempt to escape."

The others eyed him closely for a brief moment.

"All right," said the man who had gone after the amba.s.sador. "Here." He pa.s.sed over his automatic.

Chester took it and covered Robard.

"You can release him now," he said to the big Austrian's captor. "He'll make no break while I have him covered. He knows me too well by this time, don't you, Robard?"

The latter's reply was a low growl.

The other Austrian released his hold, and stood back. For an instant it seemed that Robard would spring forward and give battle to all three, but as Chester's revolver covered him steadily, he changed his mind and stood still.

Immediately the others began the work of reviving the amba.s.sador, and five minutes later their efforts were rewarded. The amba.s.sador moaned feebly, and a few seconds later sat up. His eyes fell on Robard, and he jumped quickly to his feet.

"So!" he exclaimed. "Guard him carefully, boy. He's a dangerous man."

"I'll guard him," replied Chester briefly.

Suddenly the Austrian smote himself on the breast.

"The plot!" he cried. "Robard's plot!"

"Has failed," interrupted Chester. Then noticing the look of surprise on the amba.s.sador's face, he explained.

"We overheard the conversation in the room where we were locked, sir. My friends managed to escape and give the warning. The plot has failed.

Robard told me as much."

"I'm glad," said the amba.s.sador simply. "And now, what am I to do with you?"

"Let me go, sir," was the lad's reply.

The amba.s.sador considered the matter.

"I'll tell you," he said at length, "I would like for you to go to Vienna with me and substantiate my story to the emperor. You will say that my story should need no proof, as I am the amba.s.sador, but Robard has influential friends there. He would easily discredit the stories of these two men here. With you it would be different. Will you go?"

"I would rather not, sir," replied Chester quietly.

"I must insist," urged the amba.s.sador.

For some reason that Chester was never afterwards able to explain to himself, he suddenly grew terribly angry.

"No, I won't go!" he shouted, and waved a fist in the very face of the amba.s.sador.

The latter looked at him in amazement; then took his decision.

"You shall go anyhow," he said softly. "Seize him, men!"

CHAPTER XV.

INTO AUSTRIA.

"Any time," said the amba.s.sador gently, "that you are ready to give me your parole, I shall have your bonds removed."

"I wouldn't give my parole to you or any other of your kind," declared Chester grimly.

"I'm sorry you feel that way about it," declared the amba.s.sador, with a deprecating gesture. "I a.s.sure you, I shall see that you are given safe conduct back to Italy. But in the meantime, I can take no chances upon your escaping."

"Do as you please," said Chester.

Again a captive, Chester left Venice.

In a first cla.s.s compartment of the special train that was bearing the Austrian amba.s.sador and his staff rapidly toward Trieste was also Chester, nursing a sore head, the result of trying to vanquish the amba.s.sador and the two other Austrians when the diplomat had ordered him seized. The lad put up such a battle that one of his opponents had found it necessary to tap him gently on top of the head with the b.u.t.t of his revolver. That had settled the argument, and when Chester returned to consciousness he was aboard the special train, bound, and seated across from the amba.s.sador.

"Sorry we had to give you that crack on the head," the amba.s.sador continued, "but you wouldn't behave without it. Does it pain you much?"

"Not so much as the fact that you are a race lacking in all sense of grat.i.tude," replied Chester. "I wish now I had let you lie where you were. The next time I shall keep my mouth shut, you can bet on that."

"Well, anyhow, here you are," said the amba.s.sador, "and I promise that you shall remain with me until I see the emperor in Vienna, if I have to drug you. After that, I promise you safe conduct to the Italian border.

Come, why not be sensible?"

But Chester was in no mood to be sensible, and there is little wonder.

Twice he had almost regained his liberty, and a third time, after he had come to the a.s.sistance of the amba.s.sador, he felt certain he would be set free. He was far from cheerful now.

"We are now in Austria," said the amba.s.sador, an hour later.

"It won't be so long before it will be Italy, I guess," said Chester, with something like a sneer in his voice.

"Come, come, my friend," said the amba.s.sador. "Don't let your feelings run away with you. You are simply talking to hear yourself talk."

"Don't you believe it," declared Chester. "I know what I am talking about. Say! You fellows don't think you can whip the world, do you?"

"Well, we seem to have been whipping a pretty good part of it," replied the amba.s.sador sententiously.

"That's it! That's it!" cried Chester. "That's your Teutonic air of conquerors. Don't forget that some of these days, however, you will be sorry for all this trouble and bloodshed you have caused."