'Where do you stop along the Mountain Pike?' he inquired. 'We're going to stay up that direction. We may have to use the bus occasionally.'
'I stop anywhere a passenger wants to get off. You can't ask much better service than that.'
'When is the last bus?'
'Leaves here at eleven thirty, after the last train comes in from Harrisburg. We wait if the train's late. It's usually on time.'
'Do you get many passengers that late?' asked Bruce casually.
'Quite a few that go through to the end of the route. Not many that get off before that.'
'Mostly regular passengers, I suppose,' said Harry.
'Generally. I know most of them on that last trip. Guess I haven't had a stranger for a week - not since the time I left the fellow off at the Ridge Road. Funny thing; I hadn't made that stop in months. Now it seems like some new rider gets off there every week, regular.'
Duncan glanced significantly at Vincent. The Ridge Road was the one on which they had encountered the ape-man.
'Looks like we have everything,' Bruce told Harry as they walked across the street. 'The old cabin must be the meeting place. The letters that were received must have given the directions to go there.'
'The time of the meeting is evidently midnight,' replied Harry. 'With the bus leaving at eleven thirty, any one could arrive at the cabin before twelve.'
'How about your report?'
Harry smiled at the question.
'To-night is soon enough,' he replied. 'It's time for lunch now.'
They reached the Stevens house late in the afternoon. The place was well-secluded in the thick woods; an ideal spot to remain undiscovered. The house contained old furniture; they arranged the beds with sheets and blankets that they had bought at Stevens's store.
'What next?' asked Bruce.
'Come with me,' replied Harry.
He went to the back of the coupe and opened it. Within was a large box which Harry unlocked. Lifting the lid and taking out an inner covering, he revealed a complete radio apparatus - the most compact mechanism that Duncan had ever seen.
'Know anything about wireless telegraphy?' questioned Harry.
'Not much,' admitted his companion. 'I studied the International code and can send messages slowly, but I never went in for radio very strongly.'
'I know a good bit about it?' said Harry. 'This is one of the simplest sending sets ever devised. It has remarkable mechanical improvements. You can help me put up the aerial. I'll do the rest.'
The two men completed the work at dusk. The night was cool at this altitude. They sat before a fire in the main room on the first floor, with the sending equipment and the receiving set close by.
'We'll cook some dinner,' said Harry. 'Then we can make our last investigation. After that we send out information. Fellows said that the Monday night report would be most important.'
Duncan was enthused while they ate. He had wondered why Vincent had been so indifferent about making his report. He had imagined that out here they would be far away from means of communication, and that it would be necessary to go into the village to find a telephone. Instead, they were in direct contact with headquarters.
Harry had pulled down the shades at dark. After they had finished eating, he extinguished the oil lamps.
He went out on the porch. Bruce followed. They found a path in the darkness. It led toward Seth Wilkinson's property.
They felt their way for a considerable distance. Then Harry clutched his companion's arm.
'Look,' he whispered. 'A light through the woods.'
The gleam was from the cabin they had visited during the morning. As they arrived closer, they saw that the light came from a crack at the bottom of a rear window where the shade had not been fully drawn.
'No use going any farther,' whispered Harry. 'We know who is inside; that's enough. We mustn't let Chefano have any suspicion whatever.'
They listened a while in the hope that some sound might come from the shack. But all remained silent.
The companions carefully retraced their footsteps and found their own abode.
Seated by the fire, Harry clicked his first message, tapping the key slowly while he referred to a code that lay before him. He waited a few minutes, then repeated the message he had sent.
A half hour passed while Harry waited with the ear phones on his head. Then his hand became busy with a pencil and paper. He was receiving a reply.
He read the message to Bruce Duncan:
'Watch the house to-morrow night. When the fourth man arrives, be ready to act. Protect him at any cost. Meanwhile, give no sign of your presence.'
Harry sent a brief response stating that the message had been received. He opened a suitcase that he had brought from the car. He took two automatics and gave one to Bruce Duncan. He repeated the operation with two flashlights that were in the bag. Then he bolted the door of the house.
'We'll take no chances to-night,' he said. 'But I am sure that we are safe here. Our real task is tomorrow
- at midnight. I gave full details of our location in my first message, and also described the cabin where Chefano awaits the next victim. We will be ready when the time arrives.'
CHAPTER XXII. A SCHEME FOR VENGEANCE
ISAAC COFFRAN sat in his upstairs room and tapped methodically on the arm of his chair. Before him stood Pedro. The big Mexican wore a bandage on his head.
'Pedro,' said the old man in a sharp voice, 'I am thinking of something that will please you.'
The Mexican did not reply. Isaac Coffran continued as though he had not expected a response.
'I like to talk to you, Pedro. You seldom say anything in return. That is because you do not think for yourself. You do just what you are told to do. You are the type of man that is useful.'
The Mexican grinned.
'That's better,' said the old man. 'You are becoming interested. A few nights ago, Pedro, you made a great mistake. You left a window loose in the cellar. I do not like you to make mistakes. You have suffered for it. That is why you are wearing the bandage on your head. I am going to give you a chance to make amends for your mistake.'
The grin on the Mexican's face broadened until it became an ugly leer.
'This house has been watched,' resumed Isaac Coffran. 'When young Duncan came in he was seen. He was rescued. He was the only man who has ever escaped me. He will be caught later. But it is more important that we capture the man who caused the trouble. Do you agree with me, Pedro?'
The big Mexican nodded.
'The man we want is called The Shadow,' said Isaac Coffran. 'He is clever. Like all clever men, he is not always wise. By watching this house he has learned nothing of my plans. For he is still watching.'
The old man went to the window and raised a tiny section of the iron shutter. Through it he peered into the street below.
'I cannot see him, Pedro,' he said, 'yet I know that he is watching. There are shadows in the street, and among them is The Shadow. Let him watch. He will not enter again. We have gone over every place carefully. While he is here watching, he cannot be elsewhere. That is to my advantage. He will learn nothing here. I am content while he stays.
'But he may go away. Perhaps he will not come here to-morrow night. That would be unfortunate, Pedro. For while he is outside, across the street, we can control him. We can trap him. You would like that, wouldn't you, Pedro?'
'I would like it,' said the Mexican. 'I would like it - very much.'
'I thought so,' said Isaac Coffran with a cunning smile. 'So I am going to trap him, Pedro, and you are to help me.'
THE Mexican's smile disappeared. His face became malicious. He drew the large machete from his belt.
