CHAPTER XXVI
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
"Where in the world did you come from?" asked Jerry of Tommy.
"How did you get here?" inquired Ned.
"How did you know where to find us?" Bob wanted to know.
But to all these questions Tommy turned a deaf ear. He was so overjoyedat seeing his father, and the hermit was so excited at seeing his sononce more, that neither had eyes nor ears for anything or any one exceptthe other.
The crowd looked on curiously, the interest divided between theautomobile and the meeting between father and son. Finally, when Mr.Bell and Tommy had, temporarily, exhausted the theme of telling eachother how glad they were at being united, the boys had a chance to get aword in edgeways, and Tommy answered a few of their questions.
He told them that he had remained for several days with his friend inLas Cruces, and how a traveling miner had, in a general conversation,mentioned the lake and told of the queer hermit that lived on the shores.
Something in the description of this odd character impressed Tommy withthe belief that the hermit might be his father, who had taken thatmethod to escape the gang which wanted him to sign away his rights.Accordingly, the boy had started from Las Cruces and made his way toDeighton, the town where Mr. Bell expected to start in search of his son.
"I got here this morning," said Tommy, "and I found a little work to doto earn some money. I was going to start up the mountain to-morrow andtry and find the lake."
"Now you don't have to," said Mr. Bell. "Well, it certainly is a queerworld."
The travelers spent the night at the Deighton hotel, and, in themorning, after a good breakfast, assembled to talk over their plans forthe future.
"Do you intend to go back to Lost Lake, Mr. Bell?" asked the professor."If you do, you and your son can ride that far in the automobile, sincewe are going back in that direction."
"Where are you going after you leave Lost Lake?" asked Mr. Bell.
"To Arizona," answered Jerry. "We have a mine there, and we must go tosee how things are getting on."
"That's rather odd," commented the hermit. "I have an interest in somemining property in Arizona, though I don't suppose it is anywhere nearyours. But I have made up my mind not to go back to Lost Lake, except tobring away a few things that I left in the cabin. I would also like toprovide for poor Kate. After that I think Tommy and I will go to Arizonaand try our fortunes over again."
"Then why not go with us?" spoke Jerry. "We have plenty of room in themachine, and we'd be glad of your company."
"I would like to very much," said Mr. Bell, "if I thought I would notbother you."
He was assured that he would be very welcome, and then he consentedto go. A new stock of provisions was purchased, together with someammunition and some other supplies for the auto. Then, amid the cheersof more than half the populace of Deighton, the travelers began theirjourney toward Lost Lake again.
Mr. Bell had made arrangements with a family in the town to take chargeof Kate whom he promised to send to them, for he knew he could dependon the woman to obey him and make the journey alone.
Lost Lake was reached on the second day, for the travelers were delayedby a landslide, and had to camp out one night. They found the camp andthe hermit's hut undisturbed.
"I guess none of the gang has been around lately," remarked Jerry.
"I hope we have seen the last of them," put in Mr. Bell. "They certainlycaused enough trouble."
A few blasts on the horn brought Kate, and the poor demented woman wasoverjoyed to see her friends again. She made much of Tommy, who, shesaid, looked enough like his father to be recognized on the darkestnight.
At first the crazy woman objected to being sent to Deighton, but Mr.Bell knew how to reason with her, and after some argument, she consentedto go. She started away on the second morning, and, as the travelerslearned later, eventually reached the family that had consented to carefor her. Under skillful medical treatment Kate partly recovered herreason, and continued to live in Deighton for many years.
"Now," remarked the professor, when they had seen Kate started off onher journey, "I suppose it is time for us to move. So let's get startedtoward our mine, for I'm sure Nestor must be quite anxious to see us."
"Onward it is, then!" exclaimed Ned. "All aboard, and may we have a safetrip!"
With Ned at the steering wheel the auto was started off. The way wasrather rougher than any they had yet traveled over, and for somedistance the ascent was steep. But with a new set of batteries and sparkplugs, and with everything on the car well adjusted, matters went alongsmoothly, though no very great speed could be attained.
Mile after mile was covered, the auto mounting higher and higher amidthe mountains. There were no signs of human habitation, not even adeserted miner's hut being passed the first two days of the trip.
Of course there was no shelter to be had, and nights were spent in theopen. But as the weather was mild, and as it did not rain, this wasconsidered more a pleasure than a hardship.
The third day they began to see signs that told them they wereapproaching a town. Now and then cabins and huts would be passed, mostlythe lonely homes of solitary miners, who were prospecting for gold.Sometimes they would pass quite good sized camps, and about noon of thefourth day they were invited to come in and have a meal, which they wereglad to do.
The miners told them the nearest town was Sleighton, seventy-five milesaway, and that it was the centre of activity for a large area of countryround about.
"And I wouldn't advise you folks to speed that there machine of yourswhen you strike the village," said one of the miners.
"Why not?" asked Jerry.
"Because the marshal is very strict, and he ain't got no very greathankerin' fer choo-choo wagons."
"We'll look out," promised Jerry. "We are in too much of a hurry to wantany delays."
"I wonder if we'll hear anything more of that gang," said Ned as theyrode away from the mining camp. "It seems queer that they would drop thething when they seemed so anxious to capture Mr. Bell."
"We'll hear of them again, and in a way we won't like, I'm afraid," saidthe former hermit. "We'll have to be on the lookout."