Part 49 (1/2)
”Who calls me Poole? I am the King of Sumatra. My army is following me.”
”To blow up another fort, I suppose,” said Phil, as he commenced to back away.
”Yes.”
”Then I must go, for I don't want to be blown up,” and, so speaking, Phil commenced to retreat.
”The fort is not here--it is in Oakdale, close to the other fort,”
said the wild man, and now he came down from the big rock and stood quite close to Dave. There was a strange look of cunning in his eyes, and Dave had to s.h.i.+ver, although he did his best to keep calm.
”In Oakdale,” said Dave, slowly. ”Say, you blew up that hotel fort in fine shape, didn't you?”
”Ha! ha! so I did! But I was discovered, worse luck, I was discovered!” continued the wild man, with a sad shake of his head.
”The enemy saw me!”
”Somebody saw you?” queried our hero, with interest.
”Yes, worse luck. But it shan't happen again. Next time I shall go masked. I have my mask here.” And Wilbur Poole pulled from his pocket a mask made of a bit of blue cloth. ”I will show you how I wear it.”
And he fastened it over his face by means of a couple of strings.
”Fine! fine!” cried Dave, in pretended delight. He wished to humor the man until Phil returned with the others. ”It couldn't be better. You ought to patent that kind of a mask.”
”I will patent it soon, after the other fort is down.”
”You just said somebody saw you when you blew up the other,” continued our hero. ”Who was it?”
”Ha! that is a state secret. Only the cabinet must know of it--the cabinet and the man who makes shoes.”
”I am sorry you won't let me in on your secrets,” said Dave. ”I want to help you. Won't you hire me as a clerk?”
”How much do you want a week?” demanded the wild man, in a business-like tone.
”How much will you give?”
”To a good clerk forty dollars.”
”Then I'll take the job.”
”Very good. Your name is Crusoe, isn't it--Robinson Crusoe?”
”You've got it.”
”If I give you the job, you must have your hair shaved off,” continued the wild man, looking at Dave's hair critically.
”All right, I'll have that done when we reach a barber shop.”