"Say, you dun let my hosses alone!" cried the colored man, in fright.
"Don't you dare to drive away until you have answered our questions," returned Dick, firmly.
"I—I don't want to git in no trouble, boss—'deed I don't!" wailed the driver of the farm wagon.
"Well, you answer our questions, and tell us the strict truth."
"I—I didn't do nuffin, give you-all my word I didn't!"
"But you saw the auto, with the men and the girls in it?" cried Dick, sharply.
"Ye-as, sah, I—I did, sah," was the stammered-out reply.
"Where did you see them?"
"Down in Snagtown, sah."
"What were the folks in the auto doing?"
"Da was a-waitin' fo' one of de men to fix upde wheel. De rubber on de wheel dun got busted."
"I see. And what were the men in the auto, and the girls, doing?" went on Dick, quickly.
"Say, boss, I don't want no trouble, 'deed I don't! I didn't do nuffin! I jess looked at' em, dat's all. An' dat one man he said he'd mak me suffer if I opened my mouf 'bout wot I saw," explained the aged colored man, in a trembling voice."I'sean honest, hard-workin' man, I is! I works fo' Massah Sheldon fo' sixteen years now, an' he'll dun tole yo'-all I'se honest, an——"
"All right, I believe you are honest," answered Dick, in a kindlier tone. "But those men are rascals, and we want to catch them. They carried those two girls off against their will."
"Dat's wot I was suspicioned of, boss, fo' de young ladies was a-cryin' hard an' wanted to git out, an' de men wouldn't let 'em. I wanted to do sumfing fo' 'em, but the men tole me go mind my own business, or git my haid busted, so I drove on."
"How many men were there?"
"Three men, 'sides de man wot was a-mendin' de busted wheel."
"The doctor and Crabtree and Sobber!" murmured Tom.
"Or Koswell and Larkspur," added Sam.
"How far away from here is that place?" went on Dick.
"About a mile an' a half, sah. But the road am putty stony an' rough, sah."
"Can a fellow ride horseback on those horses?"
"Yo' might, sah, if yo' had a saddle. But da ain't no saddle. Is yo'-all thinkin' of goin'——"
"We'll take those horses," cut in Dick, shortly. "Now, don't worry, we'll pay you well for using them, and see that they come back safely. We have got to save those two girls, and we'll put those men in prison if we can."
The old colored man was so amazed that he was all but bewildered. He did not want to let the horses go, but the boys gave him no choice in the matter. They unharnessed the steeds, and took the blankets on the wagon seat for saddles.
"Sam, I guess Tom and I had better go on ahead," said Dick. "You can follow on foot, if you want to, and you can come, too, if you wish," he added, to the colored man.
"Say, ain't you afraid ob gitting shot, or sumfing like dat?" asked the driver of the wagon.
"Maybe we can do a little shooting ourselves," answered Dick, grimly.
"Is yo'-all armed?"
"We are."
"Den I'll follow on foot, wid dis younggen'men," said the colored man. He was afraid that if he did not follow he would not get the team back.
Once on horseback, Dick and Tom did not linger. Along the rough, hill road they sped, urging the bony steeds along as best they could. Fortunately there were no side trails to bewilder them.
"I hope we get there in time," remarked Tom, as they proceeded.
"So do I," answered Dick. "If they had a blow-out it may take that chauffeur quite some time to put on a new inner tube and a shoe."
"If he had only busted his engine!" murmured Tom.
The way now became so rough that they had all they could do to keep on the horses, and they wondered at the men in the automobile traveling such a road.
"I suppose they came because it's so lonely," said Dick. "They knew they'd be sure to meet more or less carriages and wagons on the turnpike, and if the girls screamed they might be rescued."
At last they topped a hill and could see, on the top of the next hill, a deserted house, the first of the deserted village of Snagtown. This made themrenew their efforts, and soon they were struggling up the hill towards the house.
"Hark!" burst out Tom, suddenly. "What's that?"
"An engine!" exclaimed his brother. "They must have started up their auto!"
"If that's the case, the wheel must be mended!"
"Yes! Come on, there is no time to lose!"
Past the deserted house they rode, and then around a turn where were located several other houses and barns. Then they came in sight of the deserted mill, down in a hollow by a stream. Further still was a bridge and not far from this structure stood a big, enclosed touring car painted dark blue!
"There it is! There's the auto!" cried Dick.
"And they are starting up!" added his brother. "Hi! stop! Stop, you rascals!" he yelled.
The horses clattered through the lonely street of the deserted village and the noise they made and the shouting, made those in the automobile look back.
"Two men on horseback!" cried one of the men.
"The Rover boys, Dick and Tom!" exclaimed another. "Hurry up!"
"It's old Crabtree!" cried Dick, as he saw the head of that individual thrust out of the touringcar. "And Tad Sobber!" he added, as a second head appeared.
"Stop! stop, you rascals!" continued Tom. "Don't you dare to go another step!"
"Save us! Save us!" came in girlish voices from the interior of the touring car. "Oh, Dick! Oh, Tom! Save us!"
"Hurry up—start her up!" screamed Tad Sobber frantically, to the chauffeur. "Put on all power!"
The driver was already in his seat and the motor was humming loudly. He threw in the low gear, and off the touring car started slowly. After it clattered Dick and Tom, still a hundred feet in the rear.
"Let me get out!" screamed Dora. "Oh, let me get out!"
"Yes! Yes!" pleaded Nellie. "Please let us get out!"
"Stop your noise and sit still!" commanded Josiah Crabtree. And he and Sobber and the third fellow forced the two girls back on the seat.
Dick and Tom urged the horses forward with all speed. But before they could reach the touring car, the chauffeur threw in second speed and then quickly changed to high, and away the automobile rattled, over the rickety bridge. The structure had not been built for such a weight, and,just as the machine reached the other side, the bridge went down with a crash.
JUST AS THE MACHINE REACHED THE OTHER SIDE, THE BRIDGE WENT DOWN WITH A CRASH.
"Look out!" yelled Dick, and the warning came none too soon, for both he and Tom were almost on the bridge. They turned their horses just in time, came to a sudden halt in some bushes, and stared blankly at each other.
"Gone!" cried Tom, hollowly. "Oh, what luck!"
"Quick, your pistol, Tom!" cried Dick, suddenly.
"But the girls——" began the other.
"Don't shoot at the car, shoot at the tires," explained Dick. And then he whipped out his own weapon, got into range, and began to blaze away.
Each of the boys fired three shots. One hit the back lamp of the automobile, smashing the red glass, and another hit the differential case and glanced off. But the wheels remained untouched, and in a few seconds the big touring car was out of sight around a bend. The lads heard a scream from the two girls, and then all that reached their strained ears was the sound of the motor, growing fainter and fainter, until it died out altogether.
Dick and Tom felt sick at heart. They had been so near to rescuing the girls, and now theyseemed as far off as ever! Each heaved a deep sigh.
"I suppose we can't follow them, with the bridge down," said Tom.
"We might ford the stream," said Dick. "But what would be the use of trying to follow on horseback? They know we are after them and they will put on all the speed possible."
"Well, what's to do next, Dick?"
"I don't know."
"I'm not going to sit still and do nothing."
"Neither am I, Tom. But what to do next I really don't know."
"Where are they? Didn't you catch up to them? Who fired those shots?"
It was Sam who shouted the words, as he came up on a run, followed by the aged negro.
"They got away," answered Dick, bitterly. "We were just a minute too late!"
"Can't you go after them?"
"Not on horseback, Sam."
"And, if the horses were all right, look there!" cried Tom, and pointed to the fallen bridge.
"Down! What did it, the auto?"
"Yes."
"Fo' de lan' sake!" burst out the negro farm hand. "De bridge hab gone bust down! Say, how is we-all to git ober dat stream after dis?"
"I give it up," said Tom. "The authorities will have to rebuild it, I guess."
"Nobudy ain't gwine to do dat, boss. Kase why? Kase dis road was built fo' de mill an' depeople wot lived heah. Now de mill ain't runnin' an' de people moved away, da ain't much use fo' the road, an' nobuddy ain't gwine to put up de bridge—an' Ike Henry, dat's me, has got to tote things 'round by de udder road after dis!" he added ruefully.
"Well, we can't bother about the bridge," replied Dick. "The authorities can fight it out with those fellows who are running the auto."
"But the shots?" queried Sam. He had dropped on a flat rock to rest.
"We tried to hit the tires—but we failed," explained Tom. "The auto was moving too fast, and the trees and bushes were in the way. Besides, we didn't want to hit the girls."
Dick and Tom walked down to the stream. It was not very deep and they concluded that they could easily get to the other side, by leaping from one bit of wreckage to another,—thus keeping from getting wet,—for at that season of the year the water was decidedly cold.
"Let us go over and climb to the top of the next hill," said Dick. "We may be able to see which direction the auto takes."
The others were willing, and telling the colored man to wait a while for them, and promising him good pay, they climbed over the sunken bridge to the other shore of the stream. Then they racedalong the rocky road, around a bend, and up a steep hill that all but winded them.
"I see the machine!" cried Tom, who was the first to top the rise. "Look!" And he pointed with his hand, down in the valley that lay stretched out before them like a map in the gathering darkness.
At a great distance, moving at a fair rate of speed, was the enclosed touring car containing Dora and Nellie and their abductors. It was headed for a distant main road, lined here and there with farmhouses and outbuildings. Presently it turned into this mainroad, and started westward, at an increased rate of speed.
"My, see them streak along!" murmured Sam.
"They are evidently going to put as much distance as they can between themselves and us," returned Tom.
"Say, do you see any telephone wires?" asked Dick, anxiously.
"Not a wire," came from his brothers, after a long look for lines and poles.
"Neither do I. I guess they haven't any connections at those farmhouses, so it will be useless to walk there."
"But what shall we do, Dick?" asked Tom, impatiently. "We can't sit still and do nothing!"
"We'll go back to theDartawayand fly after them."
"But the wind——" began Sam.
"It has gone down a little, I think, Sam. And anyway, we've got to take a chance—it's the only thing left. If you don't want to go——"
"Dick, stop right there! If you go I'll go," cried the youngest Rover, firmly. "I'm as much interested in this as anybody, even though Grace isn't there," he added, with a show of color in his round cheeks.
But little more was said just then. The three boys ran down the hill to the stream and crawled back over the wreckage.
"I guess those horses can carry the lot of us," said Dick; and so it was arranged, Dick and Sam getting on the back of one steed and Tom and Ike Henry on the other. The boys asked the colored man about telephone connections, but he could give them little information excepting to state that his employer had no such convenience.
At last the boys reached the spot where they had come out of the woods after leaving theDartawayand skirting the swamp.
"Have you a lantern on the wagon?" asked Dick, of Ike Henry.
"Yes, sah."
"Then we'll have to buy or borrow it, my man.Supposing I give you two dollars for the use of the horses and another dollar for the lantern, how will that strike you?"
"Dat's all right, boss," answered Ike Henry, who remembered that the lantern had cost but seventy-five cents.
Dick passed over the bills and received the lantern, which was filled with oil, and also a box of matches, which Ike Henry chanced to carry.
"Wot you-all gwine to do now?" asked the colored man, as he prepared to hitch up his team again.
"We are going back into the woods, where we left our flying machine," answered Tom.
"You-all be careful dat yo' don't git in de swamp. Dat am a terribul bad spot."
"We'll be careful."
"Tell me, where does that mainroad on the other side of the river run to?" put in Dick.
"Dat road?" queried Ike Henry. "Dat way or dat way?" and he motioned first to the east and then to the west.
"I mean to the westward."
"Why, dat's de way to git to Sherodburg an' Fremville."
"Do you know how far those places are?"
"Sherodburg am 'bout eight miles; Fremville am 'bout twenty or moah."
"All right.Come on, boys," said Dick. "Good night, Ike."
"Good night, sah! Much erbliged!" cried the aged colored man. "Hope yo'-all dun catch dem rascals," he added earnestly.
"We'll do our best," answered Tom.
In a few seconds more the Rover boys had plunged into the woods. Here it was quite dark, and Dick took the lead, holding the lantern close to the ground, so that he might follow the trail he and his brothers had made on leaving theDartaway. All were gratified to find that the wind had died down completely.
"I don't know how a run in the darkness will go," said Dick. "But we can try it. But I don't see how we are to steer."
"I've got my pocket compass with me," answered Sam. "That may help some. We know those towns are west of us. We can sail along until we see the lights and then go down and ask about the touring car."
"A good idea, Sam."
Skirting the swamp with only the rays from the lantern to aid them was no easy task, and once Tom slipped from a clump of rushes and went down over his ankles in soft mud.
"Hi! hi! help me out!" he yelled. "Quick, before I get in any deeper!"
"Stand still!" called back Dick, and placed the lantern in another clump of rushes. Then he caught hold of a tree that was handy and took a grip on Sam's hand. "Now catch hold of Tom," he went on, and the youngest Rover did so. Then came a long and strong pull, and with a sucking sound, poor Tom came out of the sticky mud and landed beside his brothers.
"Wow! that's a mess!" said the fun-loving Rover, as he surveyed his feet, plastered thick with the mud.
"Stick to the dry ground after this," advised Dick. "Come on, the dead leaves will soon brush that mud off." And forward he went once more, holding the lantern as before. In a little while after this the swamp was left behind, and then progress through the woods was more agreeable.
"Dick, don't you think we ought to be getting to theDartawaypretty soon?" asked Tom, after a quarter of an hour more had passed and they were still moving forward.
"Yes."
"It didn't seem so far away as this," put in Sam. "Are you sure you are following the trail?"
"You can see for yourselves," answered Dick, and held the lantern close to the ground.
"Footsteps, sure enough," murmured Tom.Then of a sudden he bent closer. "But look!" he cried."Theyare not ours!"
"What?" exclaimed his two brothers, in surprise.
"These footprints are not ours—they are altogether too big. We have picked up and are following the wrong trail!"
All started in astonishment at the footprints before them. What Tom had said was true—the prints were altogether too large to have been made by their own feet in walking through the woods.
"How could I have made such a mistake!" murmured Dick.
"I wonder where you got mixed up?" said Sam. "I looked at the prints down by the swamp. They seemed to be O. K. there."
"Then that is where I must have gotten mixed up—maybe after we pulled Tom from the mud."
"We'll have to go back," came from Tom. "Too bad! But it can't be helped. I don't blame you, Dick," he added, hastily.
"Neither do I," put in Sam. "Anybody might make such a mistake, with nothing but that smoky lantern to guide him."
They turned back, and after a while reached the edge of the swamp. Here, after a long search, they found their own footprints.
"Now we are all right!" cried Sam. "Come on!"
"Yes, and let us be careful that we don't make another mistake," added Tom.
"I don't know about this," said Dick, hesitatingly. "Somehow, it doesn't look altogether right to me."
"Why not?" queried his two brothers.
"It doesn't seem to be the right direction. But they are our footprints, so we may as well follow them."
They went on and proceeded for several hundred feet in silence. Then Tom uttered a cry of dismay.
"Well, this beats the Dutch!" he gasped.
"What's wrong now?" asked Dick.
"Do you know what we are doing? We are heading for the road again, instead of for the place where we left theDartaway!"
"Tom!" gasped Sam. "Are you sure?"
"I am. See that fallen tree? We are about half way between the road and the swamp."
"Yes, I remember the tree, and you are right," said Dick. "This is too bad! And when we are in such a hurry, too!" His voice had a note of despair in it.
"Well, keep to this trail now," said Sam. "Don't miss it,—only follow it backwards."
Once more the three Rover boys turned, and now they scanned every foot of the trail with care. Again they passed the swamp and there discovered how they had made a false turn. Then they hurried forward, under the trees and through the bushes.
The darkness of night had closed in all around them, and the only light was that of the smoky lantern, and from the few stars that shone down through the tree tops. Everything was silent, excepting for the occasional note of a tree toad, or the "glunk" of a frog in the swamp.
"We ought to be there by now," said Sam, a few minutes later.
"There she is!" cried Dick, swinging the lamp up over his head. And in the widening circle of light the three youths beheld the biplane, resting exactly as they had left the craft.
"Thank goodness!" cried Tom. "I was beginning to think we had made another mistake."
They hung the lantern on a tree limb and then lit the lights attached to the biplane, for they had insisted that theDartawaybe supplied with these,—not for the purpose of flying at night, but so that the machine could be lit up in the dark if it rested in the road or in some other place where some person or vehicle might run into it.
It was an easy task to bring the biplane outinto the opening in the woods, and this done the boys took a general view of the situation, so that they might get their bearings. Then all but one lantern were extinguished, and the engine was started up and they got aboard the craft, Dick taking the wheel.
"Now, Sam, it is up to you to give me the points of the compass," said Dick. "And, Tom you keep your eyes open for the lights of Sherodburg and Fremville."
Into the sky with its twinkling stars swept theDartaway, and Sam gave the direction to be taken by consulting the tiny pocket compass he carried. Of course these directions were crude, but they were better than nothing, and soon Tom cried out that he could make out the lights of a settlement in the dim distance.
"That must be Sherodburg," said Dick.
"Why stop there?" asked Tom. "I don't think the touring car did. More than likely they streaked through for all they were worth. Why not go on straight to Fremville? That is a much larger town, and we'll be sure to find a telephone there, or a telegraph office."
"Just what I was thinking," replied his big brother.
They swept over Sherodburg five minutes later, dipping down so low that they could see everyhouse and every store. They looked along the main street for the touring car, but only carriages and farm wagons were in view.
"I wish we had a searchlight," said Dick, with a sigh. "If we had one we could easily keep that highway in view all the way to Fremville."
"Well, we haven't one, so we'll have to make out without it," answered Tom. "Fly as low as you can and we'll try to keep the highway in sight. Most of the farmhouses have lights in 'em, and that will help a little."
Dick flew as low as seemed advisable, and by straining their eyes the boys managed to make out the winding road, lined on either side with farms and patches of woods. Occasionally they swept over small collections of houses,—hamlets located between the town they had left behind and the one they were approaching.
The breeze had died down utterly, so Dick had little trouble in manipulating the biplane. He sent theDartawayonward at a good rate of speed, the engine making a noise like a battery ofgatling guns. More than likely many a farmer and his family were astonished at the sounds and wondered what they meant. If any saw the biplane the Rovers did not know it.
"I guess we are coming up to Fremville now," said Sam, when the distant lights of a townshowed on the horizon. "We'll have to look for some safe place to land, and that is not so easy in the darkness."
Dick slowed down the motor as they drew closer to the town, which was composed of several streets of stores, half a dozen churches, some schools, and a hundred or more houses. He made a circle, and then, seeing a level field back of some of the houses, headed for it, and shut off the engine. They landed without anybody seeing them do it.
"Tom, I think you had better watch the machine, while Sam and I make some inquiries," said Dick, as he alighted.
"Oh, don't you think I had better go too?" asked Tom anxiously.
"We can't leave theDartawayalone."
At that moment a man came out of the darkness, attracted by the voices. He was surprised to see the biplane. He told the lads that his house was close by and wanted to know what they were doing.
"We are on the trail of a big, enclosed touring car that came this way," answered Dick. "Did you see anything of it?"
"Say, that must be the machine Jim Hickey told about!" cried the man. "Jim said it wenttearin' through like mad, about half an hour ago."
"Which way was it headed?" asked Tom, eagerly.
"I don't know—I didn't ask. Jim could tell you."
"Where is he?"
"Jim? Why he keeps the barber shop, down on the corner of Main Street and Lumber Alley."
"Do you know if he is at his barber shop now?" asked Dick.
"He must be—he was going there when he saw the auto."
The boys waited no longer, but asking the man to look after theDartawayduring their absence, they hurried to the main street of the town and then to the barber shop in question. Jim Hickey was busy shaving a customer but he was willing to suspend operations long enough to answer the Rover boys.
"Did I see the car?" he cried. "If I hadn't I'd be a dead man this minit!" he cried. "She was going some, she was!"
"Which way did the car go?" asked all the boys.
"Down Main Street to the bridge and then turned around the church corner."
"Where does that road lead to?" asked Tom.
"Leads to Plankville and Bulltown."
"Yes, but they can't git through on that road," put in the customer, wiping the lather from around his mouth so he could talk. "The bridge is shut off—they're fixin' it—went at the work this morning."
"You are sure about that?" queried Dick, eagerly.
"Sure, I saw 'em takin' up the plankin' of the bridge. They will have to come back."
"How far is that bridge from here?"
"About three miles."
"Is there any other side road?" put in Sam.
"None that would be good enough for an auto. The north road is all sand an' mud."
"Come on!" cried Dick to his brothers. "I think we've cornered them! Come on!" And he rushed from the barber shop, and Sam and Tom followed, leaving the barber and his customer staring after them in astonishment.
Once in the street the three Rover boys halted and looked at each other. The same thought was in the mind of each; should they follow the touring car on foot, or go back for the airship?
"We'll get theDartaway!" cried Dick. "We can follow them so much more quickly that way."
At top speed they raced for the spot where they had left the biplane. They found the strange man on guard, smoking his pipe.
"We saw the barber," said Dick, "and now we are going after that touring car and the fellows in it. Much obliged for looking after the biplane," and he handed the man a silver half dollar.
"Thank you," said the man. "Want to catch 'em, eh?"
"Yes, they are rascals who ought to be in jail," answered Tom. And then, before the man could ask any more questions, the boys started up theengine and propellers and swept into the air once more.
The late moon had come up, and this light, added to that of the stars, made it possible for them to keep the road well in view. Over the town they swept and then over the church near the bridge. Then they commenced to follow the road leading to Plankville and Bulltown.
It must be confessed that all of the youths were deeply excited, and Tom and Sam looked to their pistols, to make certain that the weapons were ready for use. They felt that the rascals who had abducted Dora and Nellie in such a high-handed fashion would not give in without a struggle.
As they went on, Dick slowed down the engine, and ran closer and closer to the road.
"There is a sign and a big plank, closing the road!" cried Tom, presently. "And there is the bridge, just ahead."
Scarcely had he spoken when Dick shut off the engine entirely and volplaned to the broad roadway and only a short distance from the bridge. All looked around eagerly. Not a sign of a touring car could be seen.
"Maybe they made a mistake——" commenced Sam, when Dick, who was examining the ground, uttered a cry.
"Here are the tracks of the rubber tires!" exclaimed the eldest Rover boy. "See, they pushed the plank aside and steered right for the bridge!"
"But did they get over?" asked his brothers.
"I suppose so. Wait, I'll go over and see."
Lantern in hand, Dick crossed on the beams of the wooden bridge. On the opposite side he saw the same tracks of the tires in the dust and dirt.
"Yes, they came over!" he shouted.
"But the planking——" came from Tom.
"They must have thrown it into place to cross and then taken it up again, so that they couldn't be followed,—that is, in a carriage, or an auto, or on horseback."
"Yes, but they can't stop a biplane!" cried Sam, eagerly. "And this must have taken time to do! We must be close behind them!"
"Let's get right after 'em!" put in Tom, and all three ran once more for theDartaway, and soon the quick explosions of the motor sounded on the night air.
If the boys had been excited before, they were more so now, for they realized that the touring car at the best could be but a few miles away. Could they catch up to it before those running the machine had a chance to slip them in the darkness?
"They must have their lights lit," said Dick. "They'd not dare run without them. Look andsee if you can't spot their headlights. Their taillight we smashed with a pistol shot."
On and on swept the biplane. As the late moon came up higher, the way became brighter, until they could distinguish the road below quite plainly. But nothing like a touring car came into view.
"They must have had more time than we thought, or else they ran mighty fast," remarked Dick, after several miles had been covered.
Presently they saw two bright lights coming towards them, down on the road. At once Dick shut off the power, and allowed the biplane to come down in the centre of the highway. Then Tom waved the lantern, and at the same time all three lads took hold of their pistols.
It was a runabout that was coming up, an old affair, carrying two men that looked like farmers.
"Hello, what's this, a hold-up?" cried one of the men. "By gum! if it ain't an airship!" he gasped, as his machine came to a standstill in front of theDartaway.
"We'd like some information," said Dick, stepping forward and holding up the lantern. "We are looking for a big enclosed touring car that came this way. Did you meet it on the road?"
"A tourin' car? No, we didn't meet any kind o' an auto."
"None at all?"
"Nary a one," answered the second man.
"May I ask how far you've come?" went on Dick.
"We came from Plankville."
"How far is that?"
"About six miles."
"Are there any side roads between here and Plankville?"
"Plenty of 'em, but none good enough fer a car. Them that ain't sand is mud, an' deep mud, too. This is the only road in these parts fit for autoing."
"You are sure that car didn't go through Plankville? It was a big enclosed car, painted dark blue."
"I was sittin' on the hotel stoop fer an hour before we came along an' there wasn't nary a car went through."
"Well, that car was on this road," said Tom. "It must have gone somewhere."
"I don't see where it could go," said the second man, and shook his head slowly. "All the side roads is terrible in these parts."
"Well, we are much obliged for the information," said Dick. "Wait, we'll soon have our biplane out of the way." And then he and hisbrothers wheeled it to one side, so the runabout could pass.
The men were curious to see the machine fly and remained while the boys started up the engine.
"What are you going to do next?" whispered Sam.
"We'll take a look at the side roads," replied Dick. "Maybe the touring car tried one of them and got stuck. I hope it did."
With a rush and a roar, theDartawaysped down the highway and then arose in the air, and as it did this the men in the runabout gave a cheer and clapped their hands. Then the Rover boys continued their hunt.
They kept close to the main road and did not fly any higher than was necessary. Whenever they reached a side road Dick would make a circle, coming back to the highway and going forward. Thus they kept on until they came in sight of Plankville.
"Hark!" cried Sam, as a distant bell tolled out. "Ten o'clock!"
"Only ten o'clock!" murmured Tom. "It seems like a week since we left Brill!"
"And we haven't had supper yet," went on the youngest Rover.
"Who wants any supper?" came from Dick. "I'm sure I don't."
"Not a mouthful, until we rescue Dora and Nellie," answered Tom.
"I'd like a drink—I'm as dry as a herring," said Sam.
"We'll look for water when we go down again," answered Dick.
Presently they descended once more, and, as a brook was handy, each drank his fill. Then Dick turned back in the direction from which they had come.
"Now what?" demanded Tom.
"I'm going to find out where they went, Tom. They didn't come this far, I am sure of that."
"Why?"
"Because I can't find their tracks in the road. The tracks of the runabout are there and that's all. They didn't come this far. They stopped or branched off somewhere between here and that bridge the road men are repairing."
"Why can't we search the road for tracks?" asked Sam.
"Just what I am going to do. We can go down every half mile or so and look the ground over."
This was done three times, and twice they saw no tracks. Then they located them once more, about half way between the bridge and Plankville.
"Perhaps we had better follow them up on footfor awhile," suggested Dick. "They aren't in the roadway half a mile from here."
"Well, there are no side roads nearby," returned Tom. "And no houses or barns, either," he added, searching the moonlit landscape.
Lantern in hand, Dick led the way, the others following. Thus several hundred feet were covered. Then all came to a halt and stared at each other. The tracks of the touring car led from the roadway directly into a big field, backed up by what looked to be a dense woods.
"We are getting closer!" cried Dick. "Now, to put theDartawayin a safe place and then we'll follow them on foot!"
"Let us run the biplane down the road a way and then into another field and down among the trees," suggested Tom. "No use of leaving it too near here—some of that gang might come and ruin it."
Tom's advice was considered good, and once more the three Rover boys hurried to theDartaway. As there was still no wind, it was an easy matter to roll the machine along on its wheels. They found a field where the fence was down, and ran the biplane across this and in among some trees and bushes.
"Are you going to take the lantern?" asked Sam. "It seems to me it won't be wise to let them see us, at first."
"I'll take it along unlit," answered his big brother. "It may come in handy later."
"Let us get some clubs," suggested Tom. "They may come in handier than the pistols."
"Right you are!" cried Dick. "We don't want any shooting if it can be avoided."
"Evidently you think they are close at hand," remarked Sam, while they were cutting stout sticks from among the brushwood.
"They can't have gone so very far, in that dense woods," answered Tom. "Why, the auto couldn't get through."
At last the boys were ready to continue the search, and stick and lantern in hand, Dick led the way, with Tom and Sam close behind. They had to bend close to the ground, to make sure that they were following the tracks of the touring car.
The trail led among the trees onto what was evidently a road used for hauling out timber. Following this for about a quarter of a mile, the youths discovered a dark object, resting near what looked to be the end of the road.
"It's the auto!" whispered Dick.
"Anybody around?" questioned Tom, in an equally low voice.
"I don't know. Be careful and we'll see."
With extreme caution the boys walked closer to the touring car and then all around it. Nobody was at hand, and not a sound broke the silence of the night.
"Deserted!" whispered Sam. "Where did they go to, I wonder?"
"Hush!" returned Dick. "They may be close enough to hear you."
With strained ears, the Rover boys listened for some sound that might indicate the presence in that vicinity of those they were after. But they heard nothing but the call of a night bird and the far-off hoot of an owl.
"They have gone on," said Dick, at last. "We'll have to find the trail and follow. Maybe I'll have to light the lantern."
"Say, let us fix the auto first—so they can't use it, if they come back!" exclaimed Tom.
"A good idea, Tom," answered his big brother. And, as soon as Dick had lighted the lantern, Tom and Sam set to work to render the touring carunusablefor the time being by turning off the flow of gasoline from the tank and disconnecting the spark plugs.
"That will keep 'em guessing for a while, if they try to run it," was Sam's comment.
In the meantime Dick was examining the ground, and soon he found the mark of many footprints in the moss and leaves. They led along a well-defined footpath running through the woods and up something of a hill.
"They went this way," he said. "The fact is,I don't see how they could go any other,—the brushwood is so thick."
"Maybe there's a house back there," suggested Tom.
"I shouldn't be surprised. That path must lead to somewhere."
The boys had just started to move along the footpath when from out of the darkness came an unexpected hail:
"Hello, there! Who are you?"
The call came from ahead, and at a turn of the trail the lads saw, by the dim rays of the lantern, the form of a man, wearing a fur coat and an automobile cap.
"The driver of the car!" burst out Dick.
"I say, who are you?" called the man, coming to a halt. Evidently he was coming back to take care of the automobile, or run it away.
"Hello, yourself!" answered Dick, boldly. "What are you doing here this time of night?"
"Humph! Is that any of your business?" growled the man. He was evidently a rough customer and not pleased at being thus surprised.
"I don't know; perhaps," answered Dick, drawing closer. "Don't let him get away," he whispered to his brothers.
The boys made a rush forward, raising theirsticks as they did so, and before the man could think of retreating they had him surrounded.
"Say, look here, what does this mean?" demanded the fellow, trying to put on a bold front, although he was much disturbed.
"You'll find out what it means before we are done with you," cried Tom, hotly. "More than likely it means state's prison for you."
"State's prison!" The man shrank back. "Why—er—I haven't done anything wrong."
"Oh, of course not!" returned Dick, sarcastically. "Abducting two young ladies isn't wrong I suppose!"
"I didn't abduct anybody," growled the man. "Somebody hired my car, that's all I know. Now the job is done, and I'm going about my business."
"Not just yet," said Dick, quietly but firmly. "Tell me, what have they done with the two young ladies?"
"That ain't my business," commenced the chauffeur, savagely. "You let me go, or I'll—— Oh!"
He stopped short and let out a yell of pain and fright. He had tried to push Dick out of his path. The oldest Rover boy had dropped the lantern and struck out fairly and squarely with his fist, and the blow had landed on the man's jaw, nearly taking him from his feet.
"Now behave yourself and come along!" cried Dick, and caught the man by the arm. "Don't let him escape!" he cried, to his brothers. "Use your sticks, and your pistols, too, if it is necessary."
The boys closed in, and the sight of the sticks and the pistols frightened the chauffeur greatly. He saw that he was trapped, and that resistance might put him in a worse hole.
"I didn't do it!" he whined, as the boys hurried him back towards the automobile. "I was hired for a certain job, that's all. The men said they had a right to carry the young ladies off—that one of 'em was the old man's stepdaughter, and that both of 'em had run away from a girls' school and wouldn't learn their lessons."
"And you mean to tell me that you believe such stuff!" snorted Tom.
"Well, that's what they told me," answered the man doggedly. "They hired the car first without telling me what sort of a job it was. Then they told me they wouldn't give me a cent if I didn't do what I was told to do. I'm a poor man, and——"
"You tell it well, but I don't believe a word of it," interrupted Dick. "You have committed a serious crime, and the only way in which you can help yourself at all is by helping us."
"Will you let me go if I help you?" demanded the chauffeur, eagerly.
"We'll see about that later," answered Dick, briefly. "For the present we intend to keep you a prisoner."
"A prisoner! You haven't any right——"
"We'll take the right."
"That's the talk!" put in Tom.
By this time the party had reached the automobile. As Dick had surmised, several straps and ropes lay in the box under the back seat, and with these they bound the man's hands behind him. Once he started to resist, but when Tom raised his shining pistol he wilted.
"Now you tell me where they took the young ladies," said Dick, after the fellow had been strapped fast to his own automobile.
"They took 'em up to the house."
"What house?"
"The old mansion back there on the hill."
"Who was in the crowd?"
"The old man and the old lady, and the two young ladies, and the three young men, and the doctor."
"The old lady!" cried Dick. "Who was she? What was her name?"
"I think they called her Sobber, same as oneof the young fellows. They had her along to look after the girls."
"It must be the one from Boston!" cried Sam. "Tad's aunt, or whatever she is."
"Where did they pick her up?" asked Dick.
"Down at Fremville. She was waiting with one of the young men, a chap they called Koswell."
"Are they all up at that old mansion now?"
"I suppose so. They were there when I left."
"Who lives at the place?"
"I don't know,—I didn't see anybody."