front door and Mr Huffendorf got out, followed by the dog. The dog looked around, sniffed at the air, and gave an enthusiastic bark. Then it followed Mr Huffendorf into the house to be introduced to Max and Maddy.
“This is Rudolf,” said Mr Huffendorf, and as he spoke the dog held out a paw to be shaken.
It was a splendid dog, and like all Swiss dogs it was extremely obedient and well-mannered. It sat politely on the floor, and stood up when asked. When you called out, “Come here!” it trotted over to sit at your side, and when you said, “Lie down!” it lay down exactly where it was standing at the time, with no questions asked.
After they had spent a while getting to know Rudolf, Mr Huffendorf asked Max to explain his plan.
“It’s quite simple,” said Max. “One of the best rules for being a good private detective is this: It’s much easier to get the crooks to come to you than for you to go to them! So, if we put an advertisement in the newspapers saying that the best-trained St Bernard dog in Switzerland is looking for a home, that might just be very interesting to the bank robbers. After all, their robberies are going so well that they’ll be needing more dogs to help them.”
Mr Huffendorf looked doubtful. “Perhaps,” he said, and then, “Well, we can at least try. But do remember that we have to give Rudolf back. His owner is very fond of him. He won’t come to any harm, will he?”
“I hope not,” said Max.
At this, Rudolf gave a loud bark, as if he had understood everything that had been said. He was clearly a very intelligent dog, and it was just possible that he had picked up some of the plan. Dogs, after all, understand much more than they would like us to believe, and Rudolf perhaps had heard and taken in the word ‘robbers’. Yes , he thought. Robbers! You’ve picked just the right dog to help you! Oh, yes! Grrr! Just let me at them!
The advertisement appeared in the newspaper the next day:
EXCELLENT ST BERNARD DOG SEEKS HOME.
Rudolf, our beloved St Bernard, is a hard-working dog who is also very obedient. But St Bernards are very big, and we are moving to a very small house. So could some kind person please look after him?
There were one or two telephone calls that morning. One of them was from a lady who wanted Rudolf to pull a dog cart for her. Another was from a man who wanted him to scare cats out of his garden. Neither of these sounded like a bank robber though, and Mr Huffendorf thanked them politely and said that he would have to think about it. Then the doorbell rang, and this time it was a rather suspicious-looking man.
“Where’s the dog?” he said rudely. “I’d like to see him.”
Mr Huffendorf invited him in while Max and Maddy went to fetch Rudolf.
“Rather a scruffy-looking dog,” said the man, with a sneer. “I’ve seen much better.”
Max shot Maddy a glance. As detectives they could tell that this was the man. When you looked at him, his eyes slid away and his nose twitched ever so slightly. That was always a sign.
“He’s a very obedient dog,” said Maddy. “Look, if I tell him to lie down he’ll do so immediately.”
The man watched as Rudolf went through his paces.
“I suppose I can take him,” he said at the end of it all. “Over here, dog. You’re coming with me.”
Rudolf seemed unwilling to go off with his new owner, but with a little encouragement from Max he eventually allowed the man to fit a lead on to his collar and to drag him out of the door.
The man walked down the road, with a rather miserable-looking Rudolf walking beside him, glancing backwards from time to time to see if his new friends were coming with him. They were, of course, but they remembered everything they had read in their parents’ book How to Follow People without Being Seen—Ever and Rudolf would never have noticed them. When he looked behind him, as he did from time to time, did he think that there was something odd about that bush on the
“This is Rudolf,” said Mr Huffendorf, and as he spoke the dog held out a paw to be shaken.
It was a splendid dog, and like all Swiss dogs it was extremely obedient and well-mannered. It sat politely on the floor, and stood up when asked. When you called out, “Come here!” it trotted over to sit at your side, and when you said, “Lie down!” it lay down exactly where it was standing at the time, with no questions asked.
After they had spent a while getting to know Rudolf, Mr Huffendorf asked Max to explain his plan.
“It’s quite simple,” said Max. “One of the best rules for being a good private detective is this: It’s much easier to get the crooks to come to you than for you to go to them! So, if we put an advertisement in the newspapers saying that the best-trained St Bernard dog in Switzerland is looking for a home, that might just be very interesting to the bank robbers. After all, their robberies are going so well that they’ll be needing more dogs to help them.”
Mr Huffendorf looked doubtful. “Perhaps,” he said, and then, “Well, we can at least try. But do remember that we have to give Rudolf back. His owner is very fond of him. He won’t come to any harm, will he?”
“I hope not,” said Max.
At this, Rudolf gave a loud bark, as if he had understood everything that had been said. He was clearly a very intelligent dog, and it was just possible that he had picked up some of the plan. Dogs, after all, understand much more than they would like us to believe, and Rudolf perhaps had heard and taken in the word ‘robbers’. Yes , he thought. Robbers! You’ve picked just the right dog to help you! Oh, yes! Grrr! Just let me at them!
The advertisement appeared in the newspaper the next day:
EXCELLENT ST BERNARD DOG SEEKS HOME.
Rudolf, our beloved St Bernard, is a hard-working dog who is also very obedient. But St Bernards are very big, and we are moving to a very small house. So could some kind person please look after him?
There were one or two telephone calls that morning. One of them was from a lady who wanted Rudolf to pull a dog cart for her. Another was from a man who wanted him to scare cats out of his garden. Neither of these sounded like a bank robber though, and Mr Huffendorf thanked them politely and said that he would have to think about it. Then the doorbell rang, and this time it was a rather suspicious-looking man.
“Where’s the dog?” he said rudely. “I’d like to see him.”
Mr Huffendorf invited him in while Max and Maddy went to fetch Rudolf.
“Rather a scruffy-looking dog,” said the man, with a sneer. “I’ve seen much better.”
Max shot Maddy a glance. As detectives they could tell that this was the man. When you looked at him, his eyes slid away and his nose twitched ever so slightly. That was always a sign.
“He’s a very obedient dog,” said Maddy. “Look, if I tell him to lie down he’ll do so immediately.”
The man watched as Rudolf went through his paces.
“I suppose I can take him,” he said at the end of it all. “Over here, dog. You’re coming with me.”
Rudolf seemed unwilling to go off with his new owner, but with a little encouragement from Max he eventually allowed the man to fit a lead on to his collar and to drag him out of the door.
The man walked down the road, with a rather miserable-looking Rudolf walking beside him, glancing backwards from time to time to see if his new friends were coming with him. They were, of course, but they remembered everything they had read in their parents’ book How to Follow People without Being Seen—Ever and Rudolf would never have noticed them. When he looked behind him, as he did from time to time, did he think that there was something odd about that bush on the
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