Jack Danby

“ Unless the Blues have corrected their mistake, they will be working on the assumption that Bean's brigade is out of it entirely, and that they can eat up the main body of our army, and then turn around and capture Bean when they like. While they're working on that idea, General Harkness is making a desperate effort to turn the tables on them, and lead them into just the same sort of a trap that Jack Danby has enabled him to escape. His strategy is perfectly sound, and he can't lose seriously, even if his plan fails. But I think the umpires will call the fight to-morrow a drawn battle. ”

“ He guessed, even before he saw the evil face of the man who sat up in the bow, stripped now of his black mask, and gloating over his success, that it was one of the trapped and disappointed train wreckers who now had him in his power, and he shivered a little at the thought of what his fate might be. A man who had planned such a fiendish crime was not likely to be anything but brutal in his treatment of one of those who had helped to foil him, and Jack understood that perfectly well. ”

“ Here when we need what little brains we have, we use them by acting like fools. If I could only think! If I could—only—think,” he muttered, while his head dropped wearily to his knee.
“Jack, Jack!” Tom cried, springing to his feet. “I can’t stand it! I’ll go mad if I have to stay here much longer! Can’t you hear the birds singing out there? Can’t you hear the murmuring of the brook? Can’t you smell the air sweet with the glorious sunshine filtering through the leaves and touching all the flowers with gold? ”

“ He gave himself an extra hour and a half, however, to allow for any possible hindrance and left camp at about seven o’clock.
[141]
It was a splendid morning. A slight haze tempered the heat of the sun and made walking a delight. As Jack swung into his stride, the charm of the morning took possession of him. The full tide of youth and strength ran through his brain. The balsam of the woods filled his nostrils. The woods were full of life. Birds sang in the trees overhead. He caught glimpses of chipmunks and squirrels gliding through the bushes and occasionally crossing the path. ”

“ Meantime, if Jack has the best name in the world, it wouldn't do him much good if it had to be carved on a tombstone before he's had a chance to use it at all, and if that fellow that carried him off from our camp ever gets another chance at him, that's what he'll be needing. ”

“ Meanwhile Don had sprung at the man nearest him, who happened to be Lavine, and had caught him by the leg. Lifting his cudgel high in the air, the man would have felled him if he had not heard Jack’s command to the dog to “come along.” Quickly the dog dodged and started off in the direction his master had taken. By that time the second ex-lumberjack, O’Brien, had caught sight of the boys and had started off hotly in pursuit. Don knew that the boys’ safety depended on the time they had to get away, so he raced off after O’Brien. ”

“ There around the bend, about a fourth of a mile away, appeared the express, ten minutes behindhand, and in consequence putting on extra speed.
Jack planted himself firmly in the middle of the track and waved the red danger signal to and fro, his heart singing with joy. He expected to see the express slow down, but to his amazement it did nothing of the kind. They did not seem to see him!
What should he do? The train, with the broken trestle ahead of it, must not be allowed to take that awful plunge. He must stop it! ”

“ Dick stood perfectly still and listened with all his might, but not a human sound could he hear. Other sounds there were in plenty. The soft gurgling of the little brook that wound down the mountain side, and at its deepest part the quick splash of an otter, as, his small head glistening in the light, he swam rapidly across. There was the low murmuring of countless insects, the soft rustle of leaves as a frightened jack-rabbit scurried to his burrow. ”

“ If they strike against him once more they are more than likely to realize that to have a chance against him, they must strike quickly. If that scoundrel had had the slightest idea that the alarm had been given, or that poor Jack was conscious, I am afraid Danby would have had very little chance of his life. ”

“ All their passions were unleashed. Red fought for his liberty and Flannigan for his life. Neither one thought of giving in. Neither intended to give any quarter. They were more like wild beasts than men.
As Lavine lifted his cudgel to strike Mr. Scott, the latter dropped the reins and, snatching the whip from the socket, swung the heavy butt on the robber’s shoulder. With a savage curse Lavine dropped his cudgel, and at that instant Jack hurled himself upon him and bore him to the ground.
They rolled over and over like a pair of wild-cats. Lavine was the stronger, but Jack the quicker. ”

“ Jack himself suffered no ill effects worth mentioning from his rough experience, unpleasant as it had been.
"Gee, Jack," said Pete Stubbs, when he saw his chum the morning after his rescue, "one would think, just to look at you, that you liked having a chap chloroform you and kick you around a little bit of a boat. You look great!" ”

“ Jack and his two companions sprang at once from their own car and ran quickly, glad of the chance to loosen their tired and aching muscles, stiff, sore and cramped from the confinement in one position that the wild race had forced, toward the group that was gathered around the captured car. Colonel Abbey, himself, the type of a true cavalry leader, was questioning the prisoners.
"I'm Captain Beavers, of the regular army," said the man who had driven the car, "detached from my regiment to serve on the staff of General Bliss. ”

“ Pete Stubbs went on, "was trying to find out where Jack had gone from Woodleigh. He didn't know that our Jack was the one he was looking for, or we don't know what he'd have done. So he had a double reason to be after him, though all he knew was that Jack might give dangerous evidence against those pals of his who were mixed up with the train business."
"I see! He was really playing against himself, without knowing it, wasn't he?"
"Yes. That was the funny part of it. Well, Broom and some other crooked people got an old gentleman and his daughter to trust them. ”

“ They might think it better to fool her, Jack, than to let her deal with people who would treat her honestly. If she thought they were helping her, and trying to earn a reward, if there is one, she and her father would be unlikely to go to anyone else. ”

“ It's much easier to make other people believe a thing if you half believe it yourself, even if you know down at the bottom of your heart it isn't so at all."
A few rods farther on Jack swerved the car into a field.
"Here's a good place to stop, I guess," said Jack. "It's pretty quiet here, and we'll get along, Pete, and find out as much as we can before we let them catch us. You'll be all right here, Tom. Turn the car around and keep it right here, no matter what happens. If there seems to be a chance of your being caught, leave the car, but keep the spark plug in your pocket. ”

“ Jack listened to his instructions carefully.
"This is a harder job than any you've had yet, Jack," said his commander. "But it counts for more, too. Are you sure you're not too tired to handle your car?"
"Not a bit of it, sir!" protested Jack. "I've had all the sleep I need. What the General wants to know chiefly is whether there are enough troops of the enemy between Colonel Abbey and Newville to prevent a junction between the cavalry and General Bean's brigade, isn't it?" ”

“ As he gets older, naturally, it means a great deal to him that he isn't like all the rest of us, and doesn't know all about himself. It doesn't make any difference to his real friends, but it bothers him, naturally. I think we'll have to see if we can't help him solve that mystery, don't you?"
"I'd give anything if I could make Jack happy by telling him all about himself!" cried little Tom Binns, full of love and loyalty for the friend who had always done so much for him.
"Well, we'll see," said Dick. ”

“ Durland, his voice broken with emotion. “He’s coming around all right!”
“Yes,” murmured Jack, smiling faintly, “I guess I’m worth a dozen dead men yet.”
“Sure yez are,” said Flannigan, his massive frame yet panting with his exertions. “It’s a broth of a b’y yez are, and ’tis glad and proud I’d be if I had a son like yez! Sure, ’tis a fighter yez are, by the powers! It takes no baby to tackle Jacques Lavine. And don’t yez be worrying about that knife play,” he said, turning to the group. “There’s nothing bad’ll come of that. ”

“ Swiftly he adjusted the spark plug, which he had carried with him, and, just as the first of the trains from the east appeared in sight, the car was ready to move. But Jack, instead of returning to the road, and retracing his course toward Fessenden Junction, headed north across the field, toward the State line.
"I'm going to take a short cut to General Bean's brigade and get him word of the chance he has to end things right now," he cried. "If he can capture this brigade of the enemy, the war will be as good as over. It's the best chance we've had yet." ”

“ I don't know, Jack, but it looks possible. Not that she might not be looking for someone else. But she was with these people, and one of those men had a letter about you from the lawyer up at Woodleigh. I don't believe they really meant to lead her to you at all. I think that there are people who are spending their time in making it impossible for those who are really interested in you to get any trace of you. ”

“ He's a good deal of a coward, and he likes to have a lot of help when he tries anything, so that there is practically no chance for his opponent. His idea is to fight when he is in overwhelming force, and only then. What do you think of it, Dick?"
"I don't trust him, sir, and yet, if it is at all possible that he has given up his designs against Jack and is willing to tell him what we are so anxious to find out, it would be a great pity to let the chance slip."
"That's what I think, sir," said Jack. "Pete Stubbs and Tom Binns heard him, and they think I ought not to meet him. ”

“ Our cavalry is pursuing him, and I think we will be in Hardport again to-morrow. Whatever fighting remains to be done will be on their side of the line, and the capital is safe."
"Will there be any more fighting to-night, Captain?" asked Jack.
"Only by the cavalry. They are worrying Bliss as much as possible in his retreat, and we'll probably pick up a few guns. We outnumber them decidedly now, as we have taken nearly eleven thousand prisoners in the last two days, and there is no chance at all for them to take the offensive again. ”

“ Now as he barked joyfully and leaped and ran from one to another, Ben remarked, “Well, [133] there’s no use talking, there’s something wrong with a man who doesn’t love a good dog!”
“Right you are!” said Tom, who, since Don had saved his life, had redoubled his affection for the dog. “They’re the finest animals in the world.”
“Yes,” said Jack, while Don squatted on his haunches and looked in his eyes adoringly, “they’re the most faithful and affectionate beasts on earth. They’ll never go back on you, no matter what happens. You’re just the same to them whether you have a dollar or a million ”

“ There isn’t a thing about carpentering or mason work that he doesn’t know. And he has to make his house strong, too, because he has a good many enemies. The wolves and wolverines are after him all the time and unless he had something that they could not bite through or claw through, it would be all up with Mr. Beaver.”
By this time all the boys had become interested in Jack’s description and had gathered around him.
“You’re a lucky dog, Jack,” said Bob. “You’ve seen a whole lot of things that us city fellows don’t know anything about.” ”

“ That chased the headache the drug gave me, and set me up in fine shape."
"I tell you why, Jack. It's because you always take a lot of exercise and look after yourself all the time, that things like that don't upset you."
"Say, Pete, Tom Binns is coming around here again, later. I feel so good that I think I'd like to go and do something this afternoon. What do you say? I think it would be fine to go down to the lake and have a great old swim. Summer don't last so long that I want to miss any of the swimming while it's as good as it is now." ”

“ They did not have to, to discover that Hardport was occupied by a Blue regiment, which had outposts well scattered around the place, anticipating an attack, just as Captain Durland had said he thought would be the case.
"We'll do some more circling, now," said Jack, "and get around their outposts. I know a way we can do that. What they're planning is to let General Bean advance and walk into a trap. They've got enough men waiting for him along here to smash him on a frontal attack. ”

“ We will occupy Newville, and then close in on the enemy, supporting Colonel Abbey by an attack on the enemy's rear."
He rubbed his hands together delightedly as the officer rode off to give the order.
"Do you know the enemy's position now?" he asked Jack. "He's the nut, and Abbey and I are the crackers. You've done good work. This is the second time within twenty-four hours that the information you have obtained has rescued us from a situation of a good deal of danger. Did you learn what General Harkness's plans were?"
"He intends moving at once to Bremerton, sir," said Jack. ”