CHAPTER II
THE MOTORCYCLE THIEVES
"What's gone wrong, Frank?" demanded Bluff, dropping off his seat.
"In luck again, for I'd have banged up against that big root if Frankhadn't given the signal just then," chuckled Will, holding up hismachine.
"A puncture, Frank?" demanded Jerry, who had been in the rear.
"Not at all. I thought I heard some one shouting. Perhaps I wasmistaken, for with a lot of motors popping away it's hard to be sure.Still, we can stop for a minute and listen," remarked Frank seriously.
"Shouting--for help?" repeated Will, looking around nervously.
"That's queer," cried Bluff, "that we seldom go out anywhere but whatsomebody calls on us for assistance. Think of it! There was the townbully, Andy Lasher, who was caught under that falling tree in the storm,and rescued by Jerry."
"That's a fact; and then there was Jed, the bound boy, you remember,fellows," went on Will eagerly.
"Not to mention the saving of the aeronaut from the burning hotel byFrank, here; and last, but not least, our giving that little Joe theglad hand down South," observed Jerry, joining in with enthusiasm.
"Yes, but there are a few rescues you seem to forget, Jerry. How aboutthat time when the wild dogs had you chasing around the tree?" askedBluff, grinning.
"Oh, that isn't in the same class. You forget that I got out of thatscrape by my own exertions," replied the other.
"But there was another time when we hauled you out of a hollow tree inwhich you found yourself caged. You didn't crawl out of there alone andunaided, if I remember right," persisted Will.
"Some things are better buried in oblivion. You and your camera want toremind a fellow constantly of events that ought to be forgotten. ButFrank, that must have been an owl you heard. I haven't caught any callfor help yet."
"Perhaps we'd better go on, then. Look out how you mount here, for it'sa hard proposition, Jerry, with these roots and stones."
Frank had just started to move forward with his own motorcycle, whenall of them heard a sound issuing from the woods alongside the "tote"road.
"Help! help!"
They looked at each other.
"Somebody's in trouble there. Who can it be?" said Frank as he leanedhis machine up against a tree, as though eager to hasten to theassistance of the one who had cried out.
"No hunters around at this time of year," remarked Will as he followedsuit.
"And the loggers have been gone some months," went on Bluff.
"Tell me about that, now! It wasn't a child's voice, or I might think akid had got lost up here. Perhaps some man has cut himself badly withhis ax," suggested Jerry.
"Or dropped down into some old abandoned mine shaft," spoke up Frank,with a wink toward Will; for one of the chums had gone through with justsuch an experience during one of their outings, and had to be rescued.
"Shall we all go?" demanded Bluff, given to caution.
"Why not? Nothing can happen to our machines here. For one, I decline tostay out of the rescuing party. Besides, perhaps I may get a chance tosnap off a lovely picture of the Good Samaritans at work."
Will had hastily unfastened his camera, and held it in his hands as hespoke.
"All right, then. Come on, boys!"
With these words, Frank led the way into the woods.
"Sure the sound came from this direction?" asked Bluff.
"That was my impression. What do you say, Jerry?" and Frank turned tothe chum on whose knowledge of woodcraft he felt he could rely.
"Straight in there. You're heading all right, Frank," he replied.
"How far did it seem to be?" went on the leader.
"That is hard to say. The man may have been weakened from loss of blood.If he was shouting, then it may have been several hundred yards, perhapsa quarter of a mile off; but I think we'll come across him closer thanthat."
"I agree with you, Jerry," said Frank, stopping short.
"What did you hear?" demanded the other, for Frank had bent his head,and seemed to be listening over his shoulder.
"I don't know. Perhaps it was a bush springing back into place after ourpassage. But suppose we shout occasionally? It may encourage the poorfellow, and besides, guide us to where he lies," returned Frank, oncemore pushing on.
Accordingly they lifted up their voices and gave a series of calls.
"Why doesn't he answer us?" asked Will, astonished when only the echoescame back from the surrounding forest.
Frank stopped in his tracks.
"Can he have fainted from loss of blood?" said Bluff, still having inmind a picture of a woodsman who had severed an artery by a misblow ofhis ax.
"There's Frank listening again, and he seems to be paying more attentionto our rear than ahead," remarked Will, puzzled.
"I bet you he thinks somebody is playing us for a lot of fools; thatthere isn't any one hurt, or in need of help at all. What's that?"
The distinct and well-known "popping" of a motor was heard.
"It's a trick, fellows! Somebody is meddling with our machines! Back tothe road!" shouted Jerry, turning and plunging through the under-brushrecklessly.
A wild scramble followed. The four chums were so excited, and filledwith a determination to stop the unknown miscreants from making waywith their machines, that they gave little heed to their steps. Theconsequence was that more than once a collision with a tree ensued, andvarious bumps afterward gave mute evidence as to the reckless manner oftheir chase.
"There's two of 'em!" shrieked Will from the rear, as he caught thesound of a second series of erratic poppings.
Evidently those who were meddling with the motorcycles did not have athorough knowledge of how to work the same, for the sounds wouldsuddenly cease and then start up again.
"Oh! don't I wish they'd just take headers over some nice fat root!"gasped the perspiring Will, still hugging his precious camera to hisheart as he followed in Frank's wake.
The latter had made for the road in as direct a line as possible.Progress was bound to be slow through the dense undergrowth, and thesooner they struck the open the quicker they could hope to gain on thethieves.
In this fashion they came upon the road at last. Of course, their eyesimmediately turned down its sinuous way to the quarter whence theexcitable popping sounds still continued to come.
The sight that met their eyes amazed them. All of the chums hadnaturally expected that they would discover some mischievous schoolcompanions, who, seeing them coming, had hatched up this little gamewith the intention of playing a practical joke.
Nothing of the kind. On the contrary, they saw two of the motorcyclesbobbing along in the most erratic manner possible, moving from one sideof the rough road to the other, and mounted on the same were a couple ofroughly dressed men, either tramps, or journeymen on the road lookingfor a job.
"Tell me about that, will you!" gasped Jerry.
"Why, the blooming idiots mean to steal our machines!" cried Bluff.
"Oh! what luck that I thought to take my camera with me!" came fromWill.
Frank only made one remark, but it was characteristic of the boy:
"After them, fellows!"
Then began a mad chase. Had the road been half-way decent, the boyswould have had no chance of overtaking the thieves; but those exposedroots, while not bothersome to the lumbermen, proved extremely so to themen who were trying to make off with the motorcycles.
They dared not put on great speed. More than this, much of their timewas taken up with dodging the stones and other things that threatened tobring sudden disaster upon them.
Hence it was that the boys, having considerable sprinting ability,began to rapidly overhaul the fleeing rascals. The two men dared notcast a single glance behind, and consequently the only means they had ofknowing how close their pursuers might be would lie in any shouts givenby Frank and his chums.
As he ran, the leading boy cast an occasional look alongside the path.He was in search of a good stout cudgel. Knowing tha
t the chances werethe affair would presently come to a face-to-face issue between the twoparties, he wished to be prepared as well as possible.
"Bully stunt!" exclaimed Jerry as he followed suit.
They were now drawing close upon the fugitives, who were having anerve-racking time dodging those numerous roots.
Knowing that the angry owners of the wheels must be close upon them, themen endeavored to increase their speed, with disastrous results.
"Wow!" shouted Jerry, as he saw one of the riders suddenly shoot out ofhis saddle and take a header, to be followed by his companion a secondlater.