CHAPTER VII
IN THE NIGHT
"They're starting," said Hugh in a low voice. He jumped upon the runningboard as Bob came along, and climbed into the front seat beside him."Let's wait here a minute," he whispered.
Down the street in front of the Wernbergs' house they could see mengetting into the two automobiles. Presently the whirr of the motors cameto their ears and the two cars started. One came towards them and theother went in the opposite direction.
"Which one shall we follow?" whispered Bob.
"Let's follow the one going the other way."
They rolled out of the driveway and started down the street. As theyturned into the avenue the first car passed them, a gray roadsterbespeaking power and speed in its every detail. Two men were seated init. Bob and Hugh obtained a fleeting glimpse of them as they flashed by.The tail light of the car they intended to follow showed a dim, red spotfar down the street.
"Speed her up a little, Bob," urged Hugh. "We don't want to lose them."
"We can't keep too close to them either," said Bob. "Besides, my thumband forefinger are pretty sore from that fuse burn and it's hard to gripthe wheel."
"Mine are sore too," said Hugh. "Put on gloves."
"I haven't any with me."
"I have; take mine."
Still watching the small red dot ahead of them Bob managed to slip onHugh's right-hand glove. It was a great help to him in driving.
"They've turned a corner," exclaimed Hugh suddenly. "Faster, Bob!"
Bob pressed his foot on the accelerator and the car leaped forward as ifit were a living thing. A moment later they reached the cross street andturned into it, peering anxiously ahead. The car they were following wasstill in sight.
"Keep about two hundred yards in back of them," Hugh advised.
"We mustn't lose them."
"No, and we don't want them to get suspicious either."
"They're turning another corner," exclaimed Bob after a few moments.
"Speed it up now that they can't see us."
Bob did so and they came to the corner just in time to see the car theywere following pull up at the curb in front of a white stucco house.
"Go ahead, Bob! Go ahead!" urged Hugh. "Don't turn!"
Bob kept straight on. "What street was that?" he asked.
"Elm Street."
"Isn't that where the German on the bridge told Harold he lived?"
"Why so it is," exclaimed Hugh.
"I wonder what number that house is."
"I don't know. Let's see, Howard Seeley lives on Elm Street, just thenext block down; his number is eleven hundred and something."
"The German told Harold he lived at twelve eighty-two, and I'll bet youthat was the house."
"Whew!" whistled Hugh. "I wonder if it was."
"They probably went to find out why the bridge wasn't blown up to-night,"said Bob. "Do you suppose that could be it?"
"Maybe. We could have told them quicker if they'd come to usthough," chuckled Hugh. "They'll probably give that fellow themischief for failing."
"They can't get at him if he's in jail."
"That's so. Suppose we're called as witnesses at his trial? They'll learnthat we spoiled their game and our lives won't be worth two cents."
"Well, if those men are plotters we must prove it before the case evencomes to trial."
"Do you suppose they have a regular organization to blow up everythingaround here that they can?" said Hugh. "I should think the secret servicewould get after them."
"Probably it has; no doubt the names of all those men are listed."
"That is, if they really are plotters."
"Of course. Where are you going!"
They had kept straight on down the road and were now on the outskirts ofthe city. The houses were fewer and more scattered all the time andpresently the boys would be in the open country.
"I don't know," said Bob. "I was just going ahead without thinking."
"We'd better go back, hadn't we? We must be about three miles from home."
"There's a road up ahead here to the right," said Bob. "We can turn downthere and go back that way."
When they were about two hundred yards distant from the road in question,an automobile came out of it and turned into the main highway. A momentlater it was speeding along in front of Bob and Hugh, the roar of itscutout coming faintly to their ears.
"Bob," exclaimed Hugh excitedly, "that's the gray roadster!"
"What gray roadster?"
"The one we passed in front of your house. It came from the Wernbergs'."
"Shall we follow it?"
"Certainly. It's going like the wind though."
"Well, it can't lose us," said Bob grimly. He advanced the spark, gavethe motor more gas and they were soon tearing through the night at fiftymiles an hour. Over the crest of a hill in front of them, the grayroadster was outlined for a moment and then disappeared.
Up the grade of the hill Bob drove the big car. When they arrived at thetop they peered ahead anxiously for any sign of the machine theyfollowed. Nothing was to be seen of it.
"It's gone," exclaimed Hugh.
"Perhaps not," said Bob. "It can't be very far ahead of us anyway."
They continued down the road at breakneck speed, passing through a clumpof woods that lined both sides. Bob forced the motor to its utmost, butno sign of the gray roadster could they discover. Finally he brought thecar to a dead stop and turned to Hugh.
"What became of that car?" he demanded. "They weren't far enough ahead ofus to have gotten out of sight so quickly."
"They must have turned off into another road," said Hugh. "I don't seewhat else could have happened."
"But there are no roads into which they could have turned."
"Are you sure?"
"Positively."
Both boys relapsed into silence, completely mystified by thestrangeness of the thing. Apparently the roadster had vanished from theface of the earth.
"Wait a minute," cried Bob suddenly. "There is a road back there too."
"I thought there must be."
"Remember those woods back there, just this side of the hill?"
"Yes. That's where we used to go for chestnuts in the fall."
"That's the place. Remember the old house back in there?"
"It's deserted and tumble-down."
"I know it, but there's an old wagon road leading to it."
"Do you think that is where they went?" exclaimed Hugh in surprise.
"Where else could they have gone?"
"I don't know, I'm sure."
"Shall we go back there and see?"
"We can't run the car in there."
"Why not? We can if they can."
"Suppose we should meet them coming out?"
"That's right," exclaimed Bob. "I tell you what we can do though.We'll run back down the road and leave the car and then go to the oldhouse on foot."
"Good scheme," said Hugh readily. "We can hide the car somewhere Isuppose."
"Oh, yes. We'll leave it a little way off the road under some trees."
A few moments later Bob had turned the car around and they were speedingback in the direction whence they had come.
"You know where the road is, don't you?" asked Hugh.
"I do," said Bob confidently. "We'll leave the car about a quarter of amile this side of it and then walk."
"I wonder if they could have gone to that old deserted house,"mused Hugh.
"Maybe. I swear I don't see why though."
"We're probably chasing moonbeams," said Hugh.
"Perhaps we are, but we're having a lot of fun anyway."
"Of course we are," exclaimed Hugh, "and I'm for going ahead."
A moment later Bob slowed down the car. A clump of trees appearedalongside the road, and shifting into second speed Bob carefully steeredhis course toward them. In the shadow of the trees he stopped, shut offthe motor, turned off the lights, and stepped out. Hugh got out on theother side.
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"Here we are," whispered Bob. "I guess it's all right to leave thecar here."
"I should think so," Hugh agreed. "We're about fifteen yards from theroad and I don't believe any one would notice it in here."
They started down the road, keeping well to one side, so that they wouldnot show up against the faint white ribbon of the highway as it stretchedthrough the country. After a walk of about five minutes Bob halted.
"There's the road," he whispered, pointing ahead.
"Come on then," urged Hugh. "Carefully now."
It was a weird sensation to be stealing along in the darkness, and thehearts of both boys were pounding. They turned from the main road andstarted down the narrow wagon track through the woods. It was much darkerthere and difficult to pick one's path.
A dry twig snapped under Hugh's foot and the boys stopped short, theirbreath coming fast. The hoot of an owl directly overhead startled themviolently and unconsciously they clutched each other's arm. The gianttrees loomed black and forbidding in the darkness, and it was easy toimagine all kinds of things lurking behind to spring out at them.
"I don't like this," whispered Hugh. "How far is it from here?"
"Just a short distance. I don't like it either."
Presently Bob tugged at Hugh's sleeve. "There's a light," he said softly.
A faint glimmer appeared through the darkness ahead. Presently the boyswere able to see that it came from a lantern held by some man standing inthe open doorway of the old house. A moment later four others appearedfrom within and came out to the tumble-down porch. Bob and Hugh looked onwith bated breath. What could it all mean?