"Now go on," he directed his companion. "I'll squelch the young wildcat."

"You won't! Help! Police-pol--"

The man had Pep down between his knees. He was cruelly brutal, squeezing him down out of view from the street and choking him into silence. Pep gave up all hope now. He was silenced and helpless. The machine made several turns to baffle pursuit, if anyone should follow, and started down a winding road leading into the country.

"Now you sit still there and keep your tongue quiet or I'll do worse for you next time," growled his captor, lifting Pep to the seat and holding to one arm.

"Why don't you pitch him out?" demanded the man acting as chauffeur.

"We're past the hue and cry now."

"Not from a fellow with his sharp wits," retorted the other. "He'd find the first telephone, double-quick. He's made us a lot of trouble. I'll give him a long walk home for his meddling."

They were going at such a furious rate Pep knew that even if they pa.s.sed anyone his shout would be incoherent and borne away on the wind. At any rate they were secure from pursuit except by an automobile like their own.

He foresaw the fate of the little tin box-carried away with its precious contents by these criminals, himself abandoned in some lonely spot to find his way back home as best he might. A desperate resolve came into Pep's mind, as glancing ahead he caught the glint of water. At the end of a steep incline a bridge spanned a small river. Pep got his free hand ready. Just as the front wheels of the machine struck the first timbers of the bridge, his hand shot out for the tin box in its pillow case covering, lying on the cushion between himself and his captor.

It was all done quick as a flash. A grab, a whirl, a splash, and the hurling object disappeared beneath the calm waters just beyond the outer bridge rail. The man beside Pep uttered a shout. He was so taken aback at the unexpected event that he relaxed his hold on his captive.

His cry had startled his companion at the wheel, who took it as a signal of warning of some sort, and he instantly shut down on speed. It was Pep's golden opportunity. Before the man beside him could prevent it, he made a nimble spring out of the machine, landed on the planking of the bridge approach, stumbled, fell, and then, as a crash sounded, dived into a nest of shrubbery lining the stream.

Pep did not wait to look back to trace the occasion of the crash. He heard confused shouts and knew that the two men had gotten into some trouble with the automobile. A light not over a hundred feet distant had attracted his attention. Pep darted forward. He ran into a barbed wire fence, then he crawled under it, and on its other side made out a farmhouse. The light came from the doorway of a big barn, where two persons, a man and a boy, were just unhitching a horse from a light wagon.

"Mister!" cried Pep breathlessly, running up to the men, "two thieves had wrecked their automobile right at the bridge. They have stolen a lot of money and jewelry. They tried to carry me away with them."

"Run for my gun, Jabez," ordered the farmer, roused at the sensational announcement. "Maybe they're the fellows who broke in here last week when we were away at a neighbor's."

The boy ran to the house. He soon reappeared with a clumsy double-barreled shotgun over his shoulder.

"Arm yourselves," directed the farmer, taking the weapon in one hand, the lantern in the other.

His son picked up a rake and handed a pitchfork to Pep. Then the boys followed the farmer as he strode towards the road.

The moonlight showed a wrecked automobile lying where it had been driven into a little clump of saplings-breaking them off two feet from the ground-and wedged in among the splintered branches. Evidently the amateur chauffeur had in his excitement made a turn at the wrong moment.

"Where's your robbers?" demanded the farmer.

"They saw us coming and have run away," declared Pep. "Mister, I want you to help me further and I will pay you for it."

"What doing?" inquired the man.

"As I told you, those men had stolen a lot of valuables. They were in a little tin box. Just as we were pa.s.sing over the bridge here I saw my chance to outwit them. I flung the box into the river."

"What!" exclaimed the farmer.

"Sounds like a fairy story," remarked his son skeptically.

"You find some more help, so if those fellows show themselves we can beat them off or arrest them," observed Pep, "and I will prove what I have told you and pay you well for your trouble."

"Jabez, go and wake up the two hired men," directed his father.

"I'm a pretty good swimmer and diver," said Pep, after the boy had gone on his errand. "Is the water very deep?"

"Six or eight feet."

"Then the rake will help me," said Pep, proceeding to disrobe. He was stripped of his outer garments by the time the boy Jabez had returned with two sleepy-looking men. He was in the water at once. First he probed with the rake. Then he made a close estimate of the spot where the box was likely to have landed and took a dive.

Pep came to sh.o.r.e and rested for a few minutes. Then he resumed his labors. After a long time under water his head bobbed up. He uttered a shout of satisfaction and waved aloft the tin box, its dripping covering about it.

"All right," he hailed.

"A good deal in it, I suppose?" spoke the farmer, curiously regarding it.

"Yes, there is," replied Pep. "Hold it, please, mister, till I get my clothes on. I want you to take me to Seaside Park right away-two of you and the shotgun. If you'll do it you can charge your own price."

"That's fair," nodded the farmer.

He got the rig in the barn ready and told the two hired men they could go back to their beds. They seemed, however, to have roused from their sleepiness. Pep had told of a big fire in town, and that had influenced them to accompany the crowd, "just for the fun of the thing," as they expressed it.

Jabez drove, Pep holding the rescued box, the farmer between them with his shotgun ready for action. They saw nothing, however, of the robbers.

The latter seemed to have decamped. If they were lurking in the vicinity, the sight of superior numbers kept them from making any demonstration.

As they got nearer to the town the glare of the distant fire was noted, and young Jabez whipped up the horse and made good time. The building on fire was pretty well consumed, but the fire department had saved adjoining structures. Pep directed Jabez to drive to the Wonderland by the rear route. He noticed that the living rooms were lighted up.

"Wait here for a minute," directed Pep to those in the wagon, dashing up the steps of the playhouse with his precious box.

CHAPTER XXII-A BIG REWARD

Pep burst in upon his friends filled to the brim with excitement. His impetuous nature antic.i.p.ated a great welcome as he felt that he had done a big thing. As he crossed the threshold of the living room he found that his friends had apparently just returned from the scene of the fire.

Frank and Randy were at the sink washing the grime from their faces. As Pep learned later, they and Jolly and Vincent had been busy saving what goods they could from the burning building. Jolly was brushing the cinders from his coat with a whisk broom. Vincent was applying some court plaster to a burn on the back of his hand.

"There!" exclaimed Pep, planking the package down upon the table with a flourish. "It's been some trouble, but I got it."

"h.e.l.lo, Pep," said Jolly. "Got what, may I ask?"

Pep felt rather hurt at the cool way in which his return was greeted. He did not realize that his friends were in ignorance of the burglarious event of the hour, and his own sensational experiences. He had just been missed and all hands supposed that he was lingering at the scene of the fire.

"Why, the box, of course," almost snapped Pep.

"What box?" questioned Randy.

Pep gave the wetted pillow case a jerk, freeing it of its enclosure, and the little cash box was disclosed.

"That box, of course," he announced. "What's the matter with you fellows? I guess you've been asleep while people have been stealing from you!"