Several hours later Tom had a curious dream. He imagined he waswandering about in the polar regions, and that it was very cold. Hewas trying to reason with himself that he could not possibly be onan expedition searching for the North Pole, still he felt such akeen wind blowing over his scantily-covered body that he shivered.He shivered so hard, in fact, that he shivered himself awake, andwhen he tried to pierce the darkness that enveloped him he wasstartled, for a moment, with the idea that perhaps, after all, hehad wandered off to some unknown country.
For it was quite dark and cold. He was in a daze, and there was acurious smell about him--an odor that he tried to recall. Then, allat once, it came to him what it was--chloroform. Once his father hadundergone an operation, and to deaden his pain chloroform had beenused.
"I've been chloroformed!" exclaimed the young inventor, and hiswords sounded strange in his ears. "That's it. I've met with anaccident riding my motor-cycle. I must have hit my head, for ithurts fearful. They picked me up, carried me to a hospital and haveoperated on me. I wonder if they took off an arm or leg? I wonderwhat hospital I'm in? Why is it so dark and cold?"
As he asked himself these questions his brain gradually cleared fromthe haze caused by the cowardly blow, and from the chloroform thathad been administered by Featherton.
Tom's first act was to feel first of one arm, then the other. Havingsatisfied himself that neither of these members were mutilated hereached down to his legs.
"Why, they're all right, too," he murmured. "I wonder what they didto me? That's certainly, chloroform I smell, and my head feels as ifsome one had sat on it. I wonder--"
Quickly he put up his hands to his head. There appeared to benothing the matter with it, save that there was quite a lump on theback, where the club had struck.
"I seem to be all here," went on Tom, much mystified. "But where amI? That's the question. It's a funny hospital, so cold and dark--"
Just then his hands came in contact with the cold ground on which hewas lying.
"Why, I'm outdoors!" he exclaimed. Then in a flash it all came backto him--how he had gone to wait under the church shed until the rainwas over.
"I fell asleep, and now it's night," the youth went on. "No wonder Iam sore and stiff. And that chloroform--" He could not account forthat, and he paused, puzzled once more. Then he struggled to asitting position. His head was strangely dizzy, but he persisted,and got to his feet. He could see nothing, and groped around In thedark, until he thought to strike a match. Fortunately he had anumber in his pocket. As the little flame flared up Tom started insurprise.
"This isn't the church shed!" he exclaimed. "It's much smaller! I'min a different place! Great Scott! but what has happened to me?"
The match burned Tom's fingers and he dropped it. The darknessclosed in once more, but Tom was used to it by this time, andlooking ahead of him he could make out that the shed was an openone, similar to the one where he had taken shelter. He could see thesky studded with stars, and could feel the cold night wind blowingin.
"My motor-cycle!" he exclaimed in alarm. "The model of dad'sinvention--the papers!"
Our hero thrust his hand into his pocket. The papers were gone!Hurriedly he lighted another match. It took but an instant to glancerapidly about the small shed. His machine was not in sight!
Tom felt his heart sink. After all his precautions he had beenrobbed. The precious model was gone, and it had been his propositionto take it to Albany in this manner. What would his father say?
The lad lighted match after match, and made a rapid tour of theshed. The motor-cycle was not to be seen. But what puzzled Tom morethan anything else was how he had been brought from the church shedto the one where he had awakened from his stupor.
"Let me try to think," said the boy, speaking aloud, for it seemedto help him. "The last I remember is seeing that automobile, withthose mysterious men in, approaching. Then it disappeared in therain. I thought I heard it again, but I couldn't see it. I wassitting on the log, and--and--well, that's all I can remember. Iwonder if those men--"
The young inventor paused. Like a flash it came to him that the menwere responsible for his predicament. They had somehow made himinsensible, stolen his motor-cycle, the papers and the model, andthen brought him to this place, wherever it was. Tom was a shrewdreasoner, and he soon evolved a theory which he afterward learnedwas the correct one. He reasoned out almost every step in the crimeof which he was the victim, and at last came to the conclusion thatthe men had stolen up behind the shed an............