CHAPTER L
AGAINST ODDS
Five minutes after Merriwell and Rattleton left Traeger's the latter came rushing back, hatless, excited and out of breath. He burst in upon the merry party, gasping:
"Quick? quick! They've got him!"
"Hey?" cried several, astounded. "Got who?"
"Merry!"
"Who's got him?"
"Gang with – masks – over – faces!" palpitated Rattleton.
"What's this?" shouted Paul Pierson. "The deuce you say!"
"It's right," declared Harry. "Mason's gang – know it was – Mason's gang!"
Every man was on his feet.
"To the rescue!" shouted Jack Diamond.
Out of Traeger's they poured. Rattleton led them. He took them to the dark street where the gang had suddenly jumped out and pounced upon Merriwell and himself.
"It was right here," he said. "Yes – here's my hat. I got a soaker in the jaw – knocked me stiff for a moment. They piled onto Merry. Had a cab waiting – bundled him into it. Before I could give him a hand, they were carrying him off in the cab."
"How many of them?" asked Pierson.
"I don't know – six or seven."
"Well, they have got away with him. They're gone. There is no cab in sight. What are we going to do?"
"Try to follow some way!" cried Diamond. "We must find them! We must stand by Merriwell! Oh, curse it! We might have known something was up when Jones told us he saw Mason outside."
"Sure!" agreed the others.
"I said there was something in the air," put in Griswold, but no one paid the slightest attention to him.
"We should have gone along with Merry," grated the excited Virginian. "Then, if the gang had tried to jump him – oh, we'd given them a hot time!"
"What do you suppose they'll do with him?" asked somebody.
"Do?" palpitated Rattleton. "The infernal skunks will do something dirty! Mason is playing to get square. He has sworn to hammer the life out of Merry, and he'll try to keep his word."
"It's a dirty trick!" fluttered Diamond. "If Merry is harmed, we should stand together and tar and feather Mason."
"We will!"
Every man there uttered the shout, and they were in earnest.
For some moments they lingered near the spot, and then they started along the street in the direction Rattleton said the cab had taken. They found a policeman after a time, and he had seen a closed cab go past in a hurry. He told them the direction it had taken.
They tried to trace the kidnaped junior, but the attempt was a failure. At last they gave it up. Vowing vengeance on all freshmen in general and Hock Mason in particular, they went back to Traeger's.
The story spread. It was not long before every junior abroad that evening knew what had happened. Fierce were the threats made against the freshmen.
The hour grew late, and some of the fellows decided to go to Merriwell's room and wait for him. They anticipated that he would be released after Mason had obtained his revenge.
To their astonishment, Merriwell's door was not locked. They opened it and walked in.
Merriwell was there!
"Come in, fellows!" called Frank, cheerfully.
He was examining some of his clothes. They were the clothes he had worn that evening, and a glance showed they were torn and ruined.
"Just looking over this suit, to see how much it was damaged," Merriwell laughed. "It strikes me it is knocked out. Won't ever be able to wear it again."
Then he saw them standing and staring at him in astonishment, and he asked:
"What's the matter?"
"Rattleton must have been stringing us!" exclaimed Puss Parker.
"Lot on your nife – I mean not on your life!" spluttered Harry. "I gave it to you straight."
"But Merriwell is here – all right."
"How long have you been here, Merry?" asked Browning.
"Came in about ten minutes ago," answered Frank. "Just had time to change my clothes before you chaps drifted in."
"Then they did carry you off?"
"Rather."
"But you're all right?"
"Never was better."
"Mason didn't get revenge on you?"
"Not this evening."
"Tell us about it!" cried Browning and Halliday, together.
"Yes, tell us," urged Parker. "You've been in some kind of a scrimmage. That's evident by the appearance of the clothes you have taken off. Tell us what happened."
"I suppose Rattles has told you how they jumped us?"
"Yes."
"Well, they had me before I could do a thing. I rather think Mason got his hands on me. Anyhow, it was some big fellow with the strength of Samson. Before I could strike for myself I was bundled into a cab, and two or three of them were in there with me. They told me to keep still. My hands were twisted behind my back and tied. Then they carried me off."
"Didn't I give it to you straight?" cried Harry.
"Where did they carry you?" asked Halliday, eagerly.
"Somewhere out of town. They didn't talk much – didn't want me to recognize their voices, I suppose. I kept still, as they told me, but I was trying to work my hands free all the time. I found I could do it, but I waited till they stopped and bundled me out of the cab. Then – "
"Then?" cried the listening boys, eagerly.
"Then I slipped my hands out of the ropes and sailed into them."
"Wish I'd been there," grunted Browning, with unusual animation.
"Go on, Frank – go on!" cried the others.
"It was a right tight little scrap," laughed Merriwell; "but they were taken by surprise, and that gave me a show. One or two of them got hold of me. They tore my clothes. Once they got me down, but I managed to get away and got onto my feet. I told them I was going to mark the whole crowd so I would know them in the morning, and I think I did it for the most of them. It was dark, or I should have known them, for I ripped the masks off nearly all of the gang. Every time I could, I slugged a fellow in the eye, and some of them will have their peepers decorated to-morrow."
Rattleton fell to laughing.
"Oh, gee!" he cried. "They were monkeying with a cyclone! They'll remember you, Merry!"
"I intended that they should. At last, seeing I could not lick the gang, and they were bound to get the best of me in the end, if I persisted in trying to do so, I took to my heels and ran for it. One fellow gave me a red-hot chase. He was a sprinter, fellows. I found I had drawn him on ahead of the others, and I slacked till he was close at my heels. He thought he was overtaking me. All at once I stopped short and turned on him. He couldn't stop or dodge, and he ran against my fist. Well, I am dead sure he'll bear my mark to-morrow."
Merriwell was congratulated. Alone and single-handed he had bested his enemies, a feat that was sure to add to his record.