CHAPTER IV
NODDY NIXON MAKES TROUBLE
"Hold on a moment, boys! Stop the car. Jam on the emergency brake, orwhatever you call it. I must get out! Quick!"
Thus cried Professor Snodgrass about half an hour after he had enteredthe auto with the boys.
"What's the matter?" demanded Ned, doing as requested, and bringing themachine to a sudden stop. "Have you lost your hat, Professor?"
"Easy now! Don't talk or move! Keep perfectly quiet!" Speaking in awhisper, the scientist slid from his seat with his small butterflynet in his hand. Gliding forward like a hunter intent on making ashot at big game, the little man, his eyes fairly glaring through hisspectacles, made his way cautiously to a small bush beside the roadway.
"What's he after now?" asked Jerry with a hopeless look at hiscompanions.
"I don't know. A new kind of five-legged bug or a reddish-greenhoptoad," whispered back Bob, for, though they were very fond of theirfriend the professor, they could not help, at times, cracking jokesconcerning his pursuit after his quarry.
"Please don't make a move!" called the scientist to the boys, withoutlooking around. "I'll have the beauty in a moment now!"
"If he keeps this up," commented Ned, "we'll never get to Durham intime to catch Mr. Jackson."
"That's so," agreed Bob.
"But we need the professor's help," argued Jerry, "and if he knows Mr.Jackson, the latter may receive us better than he would if we camealone, and he may sign the papers more readily, Ned."
"In that case I'll stop the machine at every mile-post, and let theprofessor catch bugs to his heart's content," declared the merchant'sson, for he was very much in earnest in his efforts to aid his father.
"Ah! There he is! I have him!" suddenly exclaimed the professor, ashe made a swoop with his net. The next minute he was holding a smallportion of the flimsy cloth in his fingers, and inspecting at closerange some fluttering captive.
"What is it?" called Jerry.
"Is it a valuable specimen?" Bob wanted to know.
"It's a three-winged--oh, pshaw! No, it isn't either! I've made amistake!" exclaimed Mr. Snodgrass in disappointed tones. "It's not thekind I want at all--they're too common," and with a sigh he opened thenet and let fly out some sort of a bug or insect.
"What was the trouble?" asked Ned, as he started the motor on thespark, and waited for the professor to retake his seat.
"I thought I had a three-winged dragon-fly," replied the professor."I caught a glimpse of him perched on a bush as we were dashing by,but when I had him in the net I saw that he had four wings, and was ofthe ordinary variety. A three-winged dragon-fly would be a rarity, andworth considerable, but the ones with four wings are worthless. Well,better luck next time," and with that the scientist got in, and theauto was started.
Mr. Snodgrass once more began eagerly to scan the bushes on either sideof the road, hoping for a sight of some other prize in the insect line,while the boys talked among themselves about the prospects of meetingMr. Jackson.
"Are you sure you are ready to go off with us on a trip, Professor?"asked Jerry, when he and his chums had spoken of the possibility ofmaking a voyage in the motorship. "We can't tell where we'll end up inthis chase, though."
"I'll go anywhere you go," was the quick reply, but the little mannever took his eyes off the bushes, for he was ever on the alert forspecimens.
They rode forward for some time longer, thoroughly enjoying the trip,and then, as it was getting late and they wanted to take the car to thegarage to have it put in shape for the trip to Durham the followingday, they turned back, and made a quick run to Cresville.
"Good luck!" called Mr. Slade after the party as the auto chugged offthe next morning, the professor being on hand early.
They were to be gone at least three days, for it would take one day togo to Durham, another, or perhaps two, to negotiate with Mr. Jackson,provided they could find him, and still another day to come home. Theywould put up at a hotel in the meanwhile.
It was a fine day, the auto was in good shape, and, on the hard roadsthey made good time. Of course Professor Snodgrass was ready with hisnet, and on the lookout for any prizes he might spy, but the boys hopedhe would not stop too often, and delay them.
They had covered perhaps thirty miles, and were bowling along at fastspeed, Mr. Snodgrass being a little disappointed that he had not seenanything worth capturing, when, as they swung around a turn in theroad, they saw, just ahead of them, a place where a ditch was being dugalong the highway, to allow the laying of pipes. Dirt had been thrownup on either side of the road, leaving only a narrow path for the autoto pass through.
"Look out for that spot, Jerry," called Ned to the tall lad, who wassteering.
"All right," was the ready response, and the speed of the car wassomewhat checked.
"Can you make it?" asked Bob. "It looks pretty narrow to me."
"Oh, I'll do it," answered Jerry, but, as he came nearer, and saw howvery narrow the opening was, he brought the car to a stop. "Whoever didthis excavating had lots of nerve to take up so much of the road," hewent on, as he got out to measure the space more carefully. "They'vegone off and left it, and I don't see any signs that they have lightshere at night. It would be a bad place to get to after dark."
While he was looking at the obstruction they were all startledby hearing the sound of an auto horn, blown with an energy andpersistence that seemed to be a protest at their occupancy of the road.
"Some one's in a hurry," commented Ned, and, looking down the road, inthe direction in which they were going, they saw coming toward them anauto containing two figures. It advanced swiftly.
"Hold on! Look out! Stop!" yelled Jerry, holding up a warning hand. "Idon't believe there's room to pass!"
In spite of his injunction the other machine came on until, theoccupants getting near enough to see the narrow pass, they brought thecar to an abrupt stop. When it halted the three motor boys uttered asimultaneous exclamation at the sight of the occupants of the car.
"Noddy Nixon!" gasped Ned, and his chums echoed his words.
"Well, what of it?" snarled the bully. "Isn't this a free country?Can't I go where I like?"
They did not take the trouble to answer him, but gazed at the manseated beside him.
"Bill Berry," murmured Jerry. "Here's a fine chance for trouble, and Ishouldn't be surprised if we got some of it."
"Back up your car, and let me pass!" insolently demanded Noddy, ashe prepared to throw in his gears and start ahead. So close was thevehicle of our friends to the narrow passage that there was not roomfor the other car to get by. "Back up!" went on the bully. "What righthave you to block the highway?"
"The same right that you have!" fired back Jerry. "We don't want toblock it up, but we were here first, and it's your place to reverse andlet us past."
"Reverse nothing!" muttered Bill Berry. "Run 'em down, Noddy, if theywon't let you by."
"I will!" declared the bully. "You'd better back up!" he called out,threateningly.
"Don't give in to him," urged Ned in a low voice to his tall chum.
"I'm not going to," answered Jerry.
"Isn't there room for us to pass him?" inquired Bob, for Noddy's carwas a little farther back from the obstruction than was that of ourheroes. "I think you can make it."
"It's a pretty tight squeeze, but I'll chance it if I have to."
"Well, are you going to back up, and let me pass?" demanded Noddyagain. "You'd better or I'll smash into you!"
"Just try it!" retorted Jerry, a flush mounting to his cheeks. "It'llbe the last smash you ever make!"
"Why don't you be decent, Noddy?" asked Ned, in what was intended to beconciliatory tones. "You can back up easier than we can; and besides,we were here first. Why don't you do it?"
"Because I don't want to. I'm in a hurry."
"So are we," said Ned, as he thought of the necessity for seeing Mr.Jackson.
"Come on," spoke Jerry in a low voice to his chums as he turne
d toreenter the car, for they had all left it, including Mr. Snodgrass, whowas eagerly looking about in the bushes for some rare insect. "Get backto your seats," went on the tall lad, "and I'll try to get through.It's the only way to do with such a chap as Noddy."
"What about the professor?" asked Bob in a low voice, for the scientistwas some distance away from the car now, having walked back along theroad. "If we call to him Noddy will hear us, and guess what we're upto."
"Wait until we get past, and then we can stop and wait for Mr.Snodgrass," advised Ned.
"Good idea," commented Jerry. "Hop in lively now!"
They were in their seats a moment later, and Jerry very luckilystarted the engine on the spark.
"Here! What are you going to do?" yelled Noddy, as he caught thechugging of the motor.
"We're going on," replied Jerry calmly, as he threw in the gear. As helet the clutch slip into place, the car suddenly shot ahead.
"They're going to ram, you Noddy!" yelled Bill Berry. "Look out!"
"Nothing of the sort! We're going to try to pass," called back Ned.
"Go ahead, Noddy!" cried Bill.
"Look out or there'll be a collision!" cautioned Bob, for Noddy'smachine was also trying to slip into the narrow passage ahead of thecar of our friends.
"Stay where you are!" warned Jerry. "I can make it if you stand stillfor a second!"
"Well, I'm not going to!" flared up Noddy, and as the tall lad urgedhis car toward the little strip of roadway between the piles of dirt,steering with skill, the bully also sent his machine toward the sameplace.
A head-on collision seemed imminent, and for an instant Jerry's heartfailed him. He was about to jam on the brakes and stop, when he sawthat by putting on a spurt of speed he could just make it.
His foot pressed the accelerator pedal, and with a snort, the auto ofthe motor boys shot ahead through a narrow opening.
"Look out!" shouted Ned. "You'll have us in the ditch, Jerry!"
Jerry gave the steering wheel a quick twist to get clear of the ditch,and also to avoid running into Noddy's car which was now forging towardhim.
He just managed to pass by, and was steering back on the road again,when, before he could possibly avoid it, a little spotted calf dashedout of a lane leading into the highway.
The small animal, with a bleat, got directly in the path of the auto ofour friends, and stood there with its legs far apart.
"Look out!" shouted Ned. "You'll hit it, Jerry."
But it was too late. The force acquired from the sudden spurt could notbe overcome in an instant, even though Jerry jammed on both brakes withall his force.
A moment later he hit the calf squarely and the unfortunate littlecreature went down in the road, under the car.