CHAPTER IV.
A CHASE AFTER A RASCAL.
"After him!" cried Jerry. "Catch the miserable thief!"
"You and Bob chase him, whoever he is!" called Ned. "I'll stay with theold miner here in the hut. He may be badly hurt."
"Hurry back to the auto!" shouted Jerry. "We can catch the thief inthat."
As he spoke he looked ahead. A dark figure crossed the patch ofmoonlight in the rear of the hut. Then came a sound of a motor-cyclebeing started, and soon the chug-chug of the machine on the road toldthat the thief was escaping that way.
Jerry and Bob ran to the auto. In a trice Jerry had the engine crankedup. Bob jumped in, followed by his companion, and they put off downthe road after the fleeing motor-cyclist, whom the moonlight plainlyrevealed.
"He can't get away from us!" exclaimed Jerry. "We will overhaul him in ajiffy!"
But Jerry reckoned without knowing who he was after. He did not dare puton full speed, while the cyclist rashly had his machine going as fastas the explosions could follow one after the other. Besides, the thiefhad a good start with his light apparatus.
But Jerry determined to make the capture. He threw in the second speedgear and in a little while had lessened the distance between the autoand the motor-cycle.
"I wonder who it is?" asked Bob.
"Maybe we can tell," answered his chum. Jerry switched on thesearchlight in the front of the auto. A dazzling pencil of illuminationshot down the road.
In the white glare the figure of the motorist stood out sharply, and thered motor he rode could be plainly seen. At the sight both boys gave astart.
"Jack Pender!" exclaimed Bob.
"As sure as guns!" cried Jerry. "We must catch him!"
He was about to take chances and put on the third gear, when Pender, onhis cycle, suddenly turned from the main road, and took a path leadingthrough the fields.
"That ends it!" exclaimed Jerry. "No use trying to follow him. Our autoisn't built for 'cross-country riding."
He slowed up, turned around, and, with a last glance in the directionNoddy Nixon's former toady and friend had taken, sent the car backtoward the lonely hut.
Meanwhile, Ned, after his companions had started on the chase, hadstruck a match and lighted the candle in the cabin. He found the oldminer, for such the boys correctly guessed him to be, lying unconsciousin a corner. The belt, with the gold-dust was gone, though a few grainsof the precious metal were scattered over the floor. Ned found a pail ofwater in the place. He bathed the old man's head and poured some of thefluid down his throat.
"Where am I? What happened?" asked the old man, opening his eyes. Thenhe passed his hand over his head. His fingers were stained with blood.
"You're all right," spoke Ned. "I'll take care of you. What's your nameand where did you come from?"
"Don't let him rob me!" pleaded the old miner. "I have only a littlegold, but I need it. I know where there is more, much more. I'll tellyou, only don't hit me again. I'm sick, please don't strike poor JimNestor!"
"No one is going to hurt you," said Ned, in soothing tones, but the oldman did not seem to comprehend. Ned felt of the miner's head, and foundhe had a bad cut on the back. He washed it off with some water and boundhis handkerchief around it. This seemed to ease the old man, and hesank into a doze.
"Well, of all the queer adventures, this is about the limit," spoke Ned,to himself.
The boy glanced about the hut. There was nothing to throw any light onthe strange happenings. The candle flickered in the draught from theopen door, and cast weird shadows. The man breathed like a person indistress. Ned was about to bathe the wounded man's head again, when thesound of the automobile returning was heard.
"What luck?" asked Ned, running to the door. "Did you get him?"
Whereupon Jerry told of the fruitless chase after Jack Pender. The threeboys entered the hut, and Ned told his chums what he had done to relievethe miner.
"He's got a bad wound on the head," he went on. "I guess Pender musthave hit him. Jack probably came this way, saw the old man in here sick,and unable to help himself, and watched his chance to rob him. Theremust have been considerable gold-dust in that belt."
Jerry stooped down and gathered a little from the floor.
"There is some mystery here," he said. "I think we had better get adoctor for the old miner. After he gets better he may talk. I'd like toget my hands on Pender for a little while."
"So would I," chorused Ned and Bob.
"The question is, shall we take the old man back in the auto with us, orrun back to town and bring out a doctor?" went on Jerry.
"I think we'd better go get a doctor and fetch him here," was Ned'sopinion. "It might injure the old man to move him."
This was voted the best plan. They made the unconscious miner ascomfortable as possible on the bed of rags, placed the pail of waterwhere he could reach it, and prepared to run back to town. Nedvolunteered to stay with the miner until they returned, but Jerryadvised against it, as the hut was on a lonely road.
It did not take long to reach Cresville. Dr. Morrison was routed out ofbed by the boys, and agreed to return with them in the auto, when thecase had been explained to him.
"Just wait until I get dressed," he said, "and pack up some instrumentsand I'll be with you."
While waiting, Jerry examined the auto to see that there was plenty ofwater and gasolene in the tanks. He found everything all right.
While Dr. Morrison was making ready to relieve the sufferings of theminer in the hut, Jack Pender, on his motor-cycle, was still speedingon, to get as far away as possible from those in pursuit of him. Whenhe turned from the road and cut across lots he thought very likely thatthe auto would not follow. But he was taking no chances, and, when heemerged into the highway again, about a mile farther on, he still ranhis machine at full speed.
"That was a close call!" he exclaimed. "Who would ever have thought thatthose boys, the same ones who made all the trouble for Noddy, would beafter me! I escaped just in time. I hope I didn't kill the old man,though it was a hard blow I struck him!"
Pender slowed down his machine and listened. No sound of pursuit came tohim on the quiet night air. He stopped alongside of the road, under abig oak tree.
"Guess I'll light up and see how I made out," he said to himself. Helighted his acetylene lamp and, standing in the glare of it, drew fromhis pocket the belt he had stolen from the old miner.
"Feels heavy," he muttered. "Ought to be plenty of gold in it. Well, Ineed the money if I am to join Noddy. I must read his letter again."
He pulled out a sheet of paper and began glancing over it.
"Dated New York," he said. "He says he's having lots of fun and no endof larks with Bill Berry. I don't care much for Bill, myself. He neverwas any good around town, and he's a desperate man. Hum! let's see!" Heturned to the letter again. "'Come and join me, Jack. We'll go Westand have a good time. Bring some money.' Well, I've got the money, allright. Now to start West. I'll ride the motor as far as the depot andtake a train."
Replacing the letter and the belt of gold in his pockets, Penderremounted his machine and started off down the road, dark shadows fromthe trees soon hiding him.
It was just about this time that Dr. Morrison had completed hispreparations to visit the injured miner. The physician took a seat inthe auto beside Bob, Ned and Jerry being in front, the latter steering.
"Now, don't go too fast," cautioned the doctor to Jerry. "You know I'man old-fashioned man, and not used to making professional visits anyfaster than my horse, old Dobbins, can take me. I don't want an upset."
Jerry promised to be cautious. The moon had begun to go down, and it wasno easy task steering along the shadowy road, but the boy managed it,and soon the deserted hut was reached.
"Now to see what sort of a case I have," spoke the doctor.
"I'll bring one of the oil lamps," said Jerry, unfastening a lanternfrom the dashboard, after stopping the automobile engine. "You can seeto work by it."
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bsp; The boys and Dr. Morrison entered the hut. Jerry held the lamp up highto illuminate the place.
"Now I'm ready," announced the physician. "Where is the patient?" and heopened his medical case.
In wonderment the boys gazed around the hut. To their astonishment,there was not the slightest sign of the wounded miner. He haddisappeared!