CHAPTER XVIII.
A LEAP FOR LIFE.
"Hurrah!" cried Andy the next morning, bursting into the room where thethree chums had slept. "Hurrah! It's a fine day! Rain all stopped--sunshines--sorry to see you fellows go--come again!"
"Take it easy," advised Jerry. "We're very much obliged to you, Andy,for providing this fine shelter for us. Wish you were going along."
"So do I--can't though--got to stay here another week--help run thefarm--maybe I'll be a farmer some day--whoop!"
In spite of the storm, which had been an unusually severe one, the roadswere in fairly good shape. Now and then a stretch would be reached wherespeed had to be slackened but, by picking their way, the machines werepushed along at a good rate. Huntsville was reached in about two hours,and the boys left their machines in charge of a store keeper while theywalked about the town viewing the sights.
There was not much to be seen, and they had come more for the sakeof saying they had ridden the distance than from any other reason.Purchasing a few souvenirs for the folks at home, and buying somesandwiches in case they might not find a convenient eating place, theboys prepared for the return trip.
"We'll take a little different way on our back trip," said Jerry. "Iknow a road that goes past a fine waterfall that's worth seeing."
The falls were about fifty feet high, and, with the jagged rocks overwhich the water flowed, and the trees on either side, made a picturewell worth beholding.
The boys stopped for half an hour, watching the leaping, falling water,which possessed a peculiar fascination. Then, as they still had most oftheir trip before them, Jerry suggested they had better start.
They had not yet turned into the road leading to Cresville, from whichthey had diverged in order to visit the falls, when riding along arather lonely stretch of the highway, the boys came in sight of a whitehouse, with no other residences near it. As they came opposite a mansuddenly ran from the front door. He seemed greatly excited.
"Stop!" he called to the boys. "Stop, for Heaven's sake."
There was so much anguish in his tone that the boys knew something musthave happened.
"What is it?" asked Jerry, riding up to the front gate and dismounting.
"It's my wife! She has just been taken very sick and I'm all alone here.I need a doctor, but I dare not leave her to get one, and I have no oneto send. I saw you coming down the road and I thought maybe you wouldhelp me!"
"Of course we will," replied Jerry heartily. "Where does the doctorlive? I'll ride after him."
"His house is about two miles from here," said the man. "It's the firstone after you cross the white bridge. Oh! Hurry, and tell him to bequick! I'm afraid my wife is dying! Tell him to come to Mr. Johnson's!Oh! What shall I do!" and the unfortunate man showed so much distressthat the hearts of the boys were touched.
"Don't worry," Jerry advised. "I'll make good time. Ned and Bob willstay with you. Maybe they will be of some help."
Springing into the saddle, Jerry started his machine and soon had itgoing at a good rate. Because of the condition of the roads, which werenot in the best of shape, he dared not push the motor to the limit. Nedand Bob followed the man into the house, willing to do what they could.
Meanwhile Jerry rode on. A turn of the road soon hid the lonely farmhouse from sight. The grade was up hill for a way, and the machine didnot make such good time.
"I must hurry," reasoned the boy. "I hope I find the doctor at home."
In a few minutes Jerry had come to the top of the hill. At the foot ofthe slope, which was about half a mile in extent, the boy saw a whitebridge, that spanned a narrow but swift running stream.
"Here goes!" cried Jerry. He was about to coast at half speed down thehill when a voice suddenly called:
"Stop!"
"I can't!" shouted back Jerry. "I'm hurrying for the doctor!"
The boy turned to see who had warned him, and saw a farmer hurryingacross the field toward him. Something in his manner caused Jerry todismount.
"You can't get across the bridge!" cried the man. "It's broken. If youride down that hill you'll be killed! I stopped you just in time!"
Jerry felt his heart sink.
"The rains made the creek rise," explained the man. "The farther span ofthe bridge was carried away last night. There's a sign just this side ofit warning people, but if you rode down on that lickity-split thing Iknew you'd never see the sign until it was too late."
"I'm much obliged to you," said Jerry. "But I must cross that stream. Alady back there," pointing in the direction he had come, "is dying. I'mafter the doctor."
"That's bad," said the man. "But I don't see how you're going to do it."
"Is the missing span of the bridge too wide for me to jump across?"asked Jerry, a sudden idea coming into his head.
"It's fifteen feet," replied the man. "That's too much for you I reckon.And if you didn't make it you'd be killed, for the current is veryswift, and the creek is full of rocks."
"Can't we get planks and bridge the gap?" asked the boy in desperation."Something must be done."
"I'm on my way to get men to mend the break now," the man said. "But itwill take some time."
"Isn't there another bridge near here?"
"Not one within five miles either way," was the answer. "I'm very sorry,my boy. Is the sick woman any relation of yours?"
"No, her husband stopped me as I was riding past the house with my twochums, and begged us to hurry after a doctor."
"Well, I'll go after some planks," said the man, "but it may take twohours to get 'em here. I'll have to hunt for 'em."
Slowly Jerry rode his motor down to the white structure that spanned thenow swollen and swiftly running stream. As the man had said the lastspan of the bridge, on the side farthest from Jerry, had been carriedaway. It was the part which had extended from the shore to the stoneabutment.
The boy carefully examined the ruined bridge. There were planks on thefloor, but they were firmly spiked down, and none of them seemed longenough. To leap the gap was a feat beyond Jerry's ability, though aprofessional jumper might have done it.
"If the stream wasn't so swift I could swim it," the boy murmured. "Butit's too risky. Besides, even if I get over, I wonder how the doctor isto come back? Though I guess I can manage that. He can bring some plankswith him, and walk over on them. That part will be all right if I canonly get across."
But Jerry had to admit that the problem was a difficult one to solve. Helooked at the bridge with sorrow in his heart as he thought of the manwaiting anxiously for the doctor.
"I simply must get across!" exclaimed the boy.
As he walked to the edge of the structure, looking in vain for a plankthat would serve, Jerry noticed a strange trick that the water hadplayed. In tearing away the far span the timbers that remained restingon the stone abutment had been loosened. This caused the middle of whatwas left of the bridge to sag, or dip down to considerable degree.
All at once a daring thought came to Jerry. He looked at the saggingbridge, at the gap where the span was missing, and at the angry watersthat swirled between him and the other shore. Then he turned and lookedback at the hill which came to an end right at the bridge.
"I have it!" cried the boy, his eyes shining with excitement. "If I onlydare do it! I will do it!"
He hurried back to where he had left his motor cycle. He started it inmotion and rode slowly back up the hill which he had just descended.Any one seeing him, and not knowing his plan might have thought he hadgiven up in despair. But Jerry was not that kind of a boy.
When he looked at the broken and sagging bridge he had suddenly thoughtof a trick he had seen performed in a circus that had exhibited inCresville. This was where a man on a bicycle had started down a steepincline of boards to accomplish what was billed as "A Leap For Life!"The incline was broken about three-quarters of the way down, making agap. Just before the gap was reached there was a dip, or curve in theincline. Across the gap the incline was continued at a slight angl
e.
The principle on which the feat was performed was, that the man on thebicycle, rushing down the incline, would get momentum enough to shootacross the gap. To prevent the wheel and rider from falling from theattraction of gravitation while it was flying across the space, the endof the incline was curved upward. This served to shoot the machine andman into the air, and overcame, for the time necessary to speed acrossthe gap, the pull of the earth.
And, in a crude way, Jerry saw before him all the elements that went tomake up the trick as it is performed in many circuses.
The hill made the incline. The sag in the middle of the bridge, and thelittle rise at the further abutment, gave the necessary upward curvethat would throw Jerry and his motor far enough into the air to preventhim tumbling into the stream. The missing span was the gap correspondingto the one in the inclined plane of boards, and the road on the farthershore would make a good landing place.
"I guess I can do it as well as that man in the circus!" exclaimedJerry. "It's a risk, I know, but I can't stay here and wait two hoursfor that man to bring the planks."
He was soon at the top of the hill. He looked around to see if any onewas in sight to aid him in case he failed. But the roads were deserted.
"I must put on full speed," thought the boy. "I'll need all the momentumI can get."
He turned his machine to face down the slope. For a moment he hesitatedas he looked at what was before him. But, steeling his heart, anduttering a short prayer, he leaped into the saddle.
"Here I go!" thought Jerry. He turned the motor to full speed, and soonwas racing down the hill at a fearful pace. "There's no stopping now!"he murmured.
How the wind sang in his ears! The motor fairly hummed beneath him, andthe big tires threw up a shower of mud. On and on rushed the boy! Nearerand nearer he came to the broken bridge. He heard a shout behind him buthe dared not turn to see who it was.
He was twenty feet from the spot where the road ended and the bridgebegan. He wanted to shut his eyes, but he knew he must guide the motorwith a firm and steady hand. He gripped the steering bars with all hismight. There was a whizz as the rubber tires struck the wooden plankingof the bridge. Jerry felt himself going down as he reached the saggingmiddle of the broken structure.
Then, like a stone fired from some ancient catapult, he felt his machinerise under him, shoot up into the air, and sail across the gap.
HE FELT HIS MACHINE RISE UNDER HIM.]
For one instant Jerry looked down at the black swirling waters belowhim. Then with a terrific thud he felt himself land on the road acrossthe missing span.
He had made the leap for life and succeeded!
So swiftly was the machine going that even the shock of the landingin the road beyond the broken bridge did not check it. On and on itrushed until Jerry, whose breath had been almost shaken from him by theconcussion, turned off the power.
"But I must not stop!" cried the boy. "I'm safely across, and I've gotto get the doctor!"
So turning on the power again he sent the motor flying down the road.Three-quarters of a mile further he came to the first house. There was asign on it:
DR. JOHN RAND.
"Is the doctor in?" gasped Jerry, barely able to stand as he leaped fromhis machine and rang the bell which was answered by a woman.
"Yes, right in his office," was the answer.
"Tell him he's wanted at once! Mrs. Johnson is dying!"
"But I can't get across the bridge; it is broken," said Dr. Rand, whohad come from his office in time to hear Jerry's message.
"I got across," exclaimed the boy. "Quick, doctor! You must hurry! Takea long plank along and you can get over the gap!"
"But if I did get across, how am I to get my horse over? He can't walk aplank," objected the medicine man. "It will take a long time for me towalk to Mrs. Johnson's."
Once more it looked as if Jerry had failed.