CHAPTER XIII.
THE RED ROADSTER AGAIN.
Bascomb was ascending the farther slope of the ravine as the _Comet_reached the bottom. He looked over his shoulder at Matt, then promptlyjumped into the rocks and started for Frog Tanks cross-lots. Bascombcould scramble and make headway up the scarred bank, but there was nochance for the motor-cycle to follow.
Nonplussed, Matt came to a halt and waited for Clip to come up withhim, wheeling his crippled one-cylinder.
"Tough luck!" said Clip commiseratingly, "But it's a good thing, too.It wouldn't do for you to go to the settlement while those two men arethere. They're armed. And there's something in their guns that will gooff. How long were you driving the fellow in with that useless piece ofhardware?"
"Something funny about that," muttered Matt.
"Did you know the revolver wasn't loaded?"
"No."
"Well, the other fellow didn't." Clip chuckled. "You're the boy to dothings. Too bad you couldn't win out on this."
"Wait a minute, Clip," said Matt, "and you'll be as much at sea as Iam. Bascomb knew that gun wasn't loaded."
"He did and you didn't?" Clip's eyes widened. "Then why did he let youdrive him ahead with it?"
"That's where the queer part comes in. He must have been willing to bea prisoner."
"Then he changed his mind. Bolted as soon as he heard about the redroadster."
"That makes it all the more mysterious. Bascomb is a mighty hard fellowto understand."
"Let's forget it. He's gone, Matt, and that's the last of him. Wherewere you at five o'clock yesterday afternoon?"
"Potter's Gap!"
"Bully!" Clip jerked off his cap and waved it. "The governor knew whathe was doing when he got Motor Matt to make that 'century' run. Did oursmoke-signals help?"
"Did you send up any?" queried Matt.
"Did we! Why, we started just as soon as you bolted up the canyon.'False alarm; everything O. K.' That's the kind of smoke we sent up."
"Maybe they did help, old chap. I wasn't interfered with until I got tothe divide."
"Then I was of some use, after all. There were two or three men betweenthe notch and the divide. Tell me all about it."
Matt sketched his experiences briefly. Clip's black eyes glistened ashe heard of the clash on the cliffside. Matt followed on down and toldof meeting Bascomb and Jose at the gap, and of his travel Phoenixwardwith Bascomb.
Clip was vastly puzzled over Bascomb, just as Matt knew he would be.
"If he's one of the gang," said Clip, "why is he in such a hurry to getto Phoenix? Why does he want to go to Phoenix at all? It's putting hishead in the lion's mouth."
"That little girl has something to do with it," declared Matt.
Clip was thoughtful for a minute.
"Here's how I size it up," said he. "That fellow, Bascomb, is what hesaid he was, at first. He's one of Burke's men. But he didn't want toargue the case with you. So he let you have your way. All he wanted wasto get to Phoenix as quick as he could. He thinks Rags can tell himsomething about Dangerfield and his gang. Part of the gang's capturedand part's on the run. If Bascomb can find out quick enough, maybe somemore of 'em can be nabbed."
Matt shook his head.
"I don't think you've hit it off, Clip," said he.
"I'll bet money or marbles I have. That red roadster'll get Bascomb toPhoenix in short order."
"If he's one of Burke's men," argued Matt, "what will he do with thetwo roughs who have the machine, and are working for Bascomb?"
"He'll get the best of 'em," persisted Clip. "Anyhow, Bascomb gets theroadster. See if he don't."
"He's not armed, and the other two men are."
"Never you mind, Matt. Watch how it comes out."
Matt got off the _Comet_ and sat down on the rocks.
"How long are we going to be hung up here, Clip?" he asked.
"Till it's safe for us to pass the Tanks. It won't be long, now, ifBascomb gets in his work."
Clip braced his crippled machine up alongside the _Comet_ and droppeddown beside his chum.
"What became of--of your uncle, Clip?" queried Matt, after a moment.
It was a delicate subject, and he hated to approach it. Still itcovered a point that he felt he ought to know about.
The look of hurt pride flashed into Clipperton's face.
"He left me last night, Matt," said he. "I couldn't forget he was ofmy blood, low as he's dropped. I told him the gang was about done for;warned him to clear out. That's what he did. But he helped send up thesmoke-signals."
"You did right, exactly right," approved Matt.
"Fine come-down for me, though," said Clip, through his teeth. "Nicefamily I've got! What's the use of trying to be somebody? Sometimes,I--I----"
A lawless light rose in Clip's eyes. Matt laid a friendly hand on hisknee.
"You've got it in you to be whatever you want to make of yourself,pard," said he. "At least you know who your folks are, but I don't. Iknow that my name's not King, but if I'm square with myself and playthe game fair, what's the odds? I hate a chap who thinks he's somebodyjust because his people amount to something; and I'd hate a fellow justas hard who thought he didn't amount to anything because his relativesweren't all he'd like to have them. The thing to do is to stand on yourown feet, and that's the _only_ thing!"
"It takes you to put heart into a fellow," returned Clip. "You've beena mighty good friend to Tom Clipperton. And in spite of his Indianblood. If it was known in Phoenix that my uncle----" Clip gulped on thewords and did not finish.
"It will never be known there," said Matt.
"I know you'd keep still about it. If it got out in any other way,though, I'd never set foot in the town again."
"It won't get out, Clip, so let's forget it. You stayed in the ravineto wait for me?"
"Sure. I wasn't going back to Phoenix without you."
"You slept on the rocks?"
"Didn't you sleep in the gap?"
"What have you had to eat?"
"The stuff we took away from Gregory's place."
"There wasn't half a square meal in all of it!"
"I started for the Tanks, an hour ago, to get something. Saw the redroadster in front of the _tienda_ and changed my mind."
Matt fished his last piece of jerked beef out of his pocket and put itin Clip's hand.
"Now, regale yourself," he laughed.
Clip began on the meat, and while he was eating the pounding of a motorreached their ears.
"The automobile!" he gasped.
"And coming this way," added Matt, swerving his eyes up the slope.
"The three of them are coming back," went on Clip. "They're after us,Matt!"
"How do you make that out, Clip? If Bascomb is one of Burke's men,he couldn't be coming back with two of the Dangerfield gang. If he'scoming back alone he's unarmed, and we'll be more than a match for him."
"Maybe Bascomb failed to get the roadster! Maybe the two roughs areheading this way! If----"
The words faded on Clip's lips. Just then the red roadster showeditself at the top of the rise. Bascomb was on the driver's seat and theother two men were not in evidence.
Bascomb came down the slope slowly and halted the roadster in front ofthe boys.
"All aboard for Phoenix!" said he calmly. "One of you get in the rumblewith the machines; the other climb up here beside me. Hurry! You knowI'm in a rush, Matt."