Project Gutenberg's The Motor Boys Over the Rockies, by Clarence Young This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license Title: The Motor Boys Over the Rockies Or, A Mystery of the Air Author: Clarence Young Release Date: May 3, 2014 [EBook #45576] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE ROCKIES *** Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net cover THE TRAVELERS SAW BELOW THEM A LONG NARROW VALLEY THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE ROCKIES Or A Mystery of the Air BY CLARENCE YOUNG AUTHOR OF “THE RACER BOYS SERIES” AND “THE JACK RANGER SERIES.” ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY BOOKS BY CLARENCE YOUNG THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES 12mo. Illustrated. THE MOTOR BOYS Or Chums Through Thick and Thin THE MOTOR BOYS OVERLAND Or A Long Trip for Fun and Fortune THE MOTOR BOYS IN MEXICO Or The Secret of the Buried City THE MOTOR BOYS ACROSS THE PLAINS Or The Hermit of Lost Lake THE MOTOR BOYS AFLOAT Or The Stirring Cruise of the Dartaway THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE ATLANTIC Or The Mystery of the Lighthouse THE MOTOR BOYS IN STRANGE WATERS Or Lost in a Floating Forest THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE PACIFIC Or The Young Derelict Hunters THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE CLOUDS Or A Trip for Fame and Fortune THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE ROCKIES Or A Mystery of the Air THE JACK RANGER SERIES 12mo. Finely Illustrated. JACK RANGER’S SCHOOLDAYS Or The Rivals of Washington Hall JACK RANGER’S WESTERN TRIP Or From Boarding School to Ranch and Range JACK RANGER’S SCHOOL VICTORIES Or Track, Gridiron and Diamond JACK RANGER’S OCEAN CRUISE Or The Wreck of the Polly Ann JACK RANGER’S GUN CLUB Or From Schoolroom to Camp and Trail Copyright, 1911, by Cupples & Leon Company The Motor Boys Over the Rockies Printed in U. S. A. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. The Airship Stolen 1 II. An Unconscious Watchman 11 III. On a Mysterious Trail 17 IV. A Farmer’s Clew 28 V. The Telegram 41 VI. The Airship Recovered 51 VII. A Trace of Mr. Bell 63 VIII. Home in the Airship 71 IX. Professor Snodgrass on Hand 79 X. Off for the West 88 XI. A Town in Trouble 95 XII. New Use for an Airship 103 XIII. Running the Cable 110 XIV. The Professor Is Missing 117 XV. At the Mining Camp 123 XVI. The Miner’s Story 131 XVII. Noddy Nixon Arrives 139 XVIII. Off for Lost Valley 146 XIX. Wrecked on the Desert 156 XX. A Lion in Possession 163 XXI. Mr. Bell Is Found 172 XXII. Over Lost Valley 183 XXIII. The Flickering Lights 195 XXIV. Bushes of Death 201 XXV. The Professor’s Cousin 208 XXVI. Planning the Escape 216 XXVII. In Disguise 222 XXVIII. Mysterious Rites 227 XXIX. The Fight 234 XXX. Noddy Nixon Defeated—Conclusion 240 THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE ROCKIES CHAPTER I THE AIRSHIP STOLEN “Well, we ought to settle this question about our vacations, one way or another, fellows,” remarked a tall, good- looking lad, with something of an air of worriment, as he glanced at his two comrades who were stretched out in the shade of a big maple tree one hot afternoon. He plucked some blades of grass from the well-kept lawn, that extended back to a large, white house, with big pillars, put the spears of green into his mouth, and chewed them reflectively. Then he added: “Why can’t you and Chunky agree, Ned? What’s the use of disputing? It’s too hot.” “Of course it is,” answered the smaller of the two lads thus addressed. “Hot nothing!” puffed the stout youth, whom the first speaker had called “Chunky” in tribute to his fleshiness. “It’s only hot because you imagine it, Ned Slade.” “Bob says that because he wants to go South,” retorted Ned. “Eh, Jerry?” “Now don’t you agree with him, Jerry Hopkins!” cried Bob Baker. “Be on my side for once,” and he looked an appeal at his tall chum. “Ned wants to go to Canada.” [1] [2] “I’d like to go to the North Pole to-day,” responded Ned, turning over, as if to find a cooler place in the grass. “But, speaking seriously, I think I’ve got as much right to insist that the next trip we take in our airship shall be to some new locality, as Bob has to suggest that we go South.” “Of course you’ve got a right to insist,” agreed Bob, puffing over his exertion of turning on one side. “Of course you have, Ned. Who started this argument, anyhow?” and he spoke rather sharply. “Guess I’ve got as much right to start an argument as you have, Bob,” was Ned’s retort, and there was an unpleasant tone in his voice, at which Jerry looked troubled. “Come, fellows,” spoke the tall lad, soothingly. “It’s too warm to bicker. Get down to business. We’ll take a vote on it. Where shall we spend this vacation in our airship?” “I say South!” exclaimed Bob quickly. “He’s thinking of the Florida everglades, where the Seabury girls had their houseboat, or else he wants to try to locate another buried city in Mexico,” broke in Ned. “I do; eh? Well, what attracts you to Canada?” demanded the stout lad. “Maybe he’s heard that the Seabury girls are going there,” suggested Jerry, with a smile. “No,” answered Ned. “I only thought it would be cooler. I’m willing to leave it to you, Jerry.” “So am I,” agreed Bob, more amiably, and the little cloud that seemed to threaten to come over the friendship of the chums, had almost vanished. “I was going to suggest a Western trip,” proposed Jerry quickly, wishing to strike while the iron was hot, “but as we have been there before, perhaps Ned will object.” “It depends on what part of the West you’d aim for,” came from Ned. “Go ahead, Jerry, and tell us some more.” “Sure,” agreed the tall lad, pleasantly. He glanced quizzically at his two chums. Bob was idly chewing a leaf, and Ned was gazing up into the blue sky through the leaves of the maple tree. The three chums, whose devotion to vehicles of the gasolene type, from motor cycles to airships, had gained for them the title of “The Motor Boys,” lived in the town of Cresville, not far from Boston. Bob Baker’s father was Andrew Baker, a rich banker; Ned was a son of Aaron Slade, who was the proprietor of a large department store, and Jerry Hopkins was the only child of Mrs. Julia Hopkins, a wealthy widow. The boys had had many adventures together, and the beginning of them was told of in the first book of this series, entitled “The Motor Boys.” Their activities started in a bicycle race, but they soon exchanged their wheels for motor cycles, and a short time after that they won a touring car, offered as a prize. In that they made a long trip overland, and, later, went to Mexico, to which trip Ned referred when he mentioned the buried city, for the boys actually did discover one, for which a friend of theirs, Professor Uriah Snodgrass, a noted scientist, was in search. They returned home from Mexico across the western plains of the United States, and then, using some money they had made from a gold mine they had located, they bought a speedy motor boat. The fifth volume of this series, entitled “The Motor Boys Afloat,” took up their adventures in connection with the speedy craft Dartaway. They had some stirring times around home, and then took quite a long trip along the Atlantic coast. From there they journeyed to the mysterious Florida everglades, to which Ned had also referred. But the happenings there, strange and weird as they were, seemed, to the boys at least, to be more than equalled in a trip they made on the Pacific, though this voyage was in a motor boat they hired, as their own was smashed in a freight wreck. The growing interest in aeronautics soon led the motor boys to investigate the possibility of navigating through the air, and, shortly after their return from their trip on the Pacific, they began to build an airship. In this they were assisted by a Mr. Rupert Glassford, and in the ninth book of this series, called “The Motor Boys in the Clouds,” there was related the particulars of a trip they took for fame and fortune. Their airship, a combination of dirigible balloon and aeroplane, was called the Comet, and was one of the most completely fitted-up air craft devised in recent years. There was ample accommodation for a long trip, and the travelers could keep afloat in it a long time, provided no accident occurred. In it, as related in the ninth book, they won a substantial prize in competition with a number of balloons and aeroplanes. It was about this airship that Bob, Ned and Jerry were talking the pleasant summer afternoon, on which I have, once more, brought them to the attention of my readers. As they sat there on the grass, their minds went back to the wonderful air trip they had made and they thought of the efforts of Professor Snodgrass to capture strange insects and bugs, for that was the one hobby of the scientist. They also recalled the dastardly attempt made by Noddy Nixon, a town bully, to injure them, by firing at their craft. Noddy had made an attempt to build a sort of airship, but had failed. Now the motor boys were on the point of planning a second flight in their craft, only, as has been indicated, they could not seem to agree on where to go. The long summer vacation had arrived, bringing a cessation of studies, and in the blood of the three chums there was a desire to be doing something. For several seconds after Jerry Hopkins had announced his willingness to tell his chums of his plan, he remained silent; so long, in fact, that Bob asked: [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] “Well, what about it, Jerry? Are you, too, thinking of the Seabury girls?” “Not exactly,” was the answer, accompanied by a short laugh. “I was just considering the best method of presenting the matter to you fellows, so you wouldn’t get on your ears again; that’s all.” “Punch him, Bob!” cried Ned suddenly. “You’re nearer than I am. The nerve of him! Insulting us like that!” Bob playfully raised his fleshy fist with the intention of thumping Jerry in the side, but the other, with a quick motion, snapped a pebble from his thumb, and the little stone struck Bob on the end of the nose, causing him to wince. “Ouch! Quit that!” the stout lad cried. “That was just my way of calling the meeting to order,” declared Jerry. “I’m ready to proceed, now. My plan would be to make as long a trip as possible. It would be something of a record to fly from here to, say, Kansas or Colorado.” “Why not to Arizona while you’re about it,” put in Bob, still rubbing his nose in a reflective manner. “Then we could see if Jim Nestor is giving us our share of the gold from our mine, though, of course, I only said that last for a joke,” he added hastily. “You couldn’t make Arizona on one supply of gasolene,” objected Ned. “Who said we could?” fired back Bob. The spirit of contention was not yet stilled, so Jerry hastened to add: “Of course, it wouldn’t be possible to make anything like as long a trip as that without coming down, but I calculated on that. We won’t try for speed, only for distance. The reason I proposed the West is that this season of the year is best for going out there: the prevailing winds are more favorable, and I think we would enjoy it immensely. Of course it is nice down South, and, as for Canada, I have heard that it is fine there in the summer, but if you left it for me to decide, I’d say let’s take the Comet and go West.” “All right,” agreed Bob, whose usual good spirits had returned. “I’m willing. West it shall be,” and he looked inquiringly at Ned, who was not the one to hold out against his two chums. “I’m willing,” he announced. “We’ll get the Comet ready for a long Western trip—across the Rocky Mountains if necessary. We’ll have a fine——” Ned’s remarks were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a small lad who rushed across the lawn toward where the three chums were sitting under the tree. The newcomer was much excited. His hat had fallen off, one cuff was all awry, and his hair was tousled, while his cheeks were flushed. “I—say!” he cried, brokenly, not pausing in his rush. “I—just—came past—the shed—where you—keep your airship. It’s terrible—door broken open—lock smashed—things scattered all about—watchman not there—airship gone!” The little lad had to pause for breath. “The airship gone!” exclaimed Jerry, leaping to his feet, an example followed by Ned and Bob. “What do you mean, Andy Rush? Is this a joke?” “No joke at all—airship’s gone—I saw the vacant shed,” and Andy Rush sank down on the grass, completely exhausted by his run, and his rapid talk, which latter was characteristic of him, by nature as well as by name. “Did you see it go?” cried Bob. “No, I didn’t see it go—but it was gone when I came past,” answered the excitable little chap. “Who took it?” demanded Bob, clenching his fists, as if he wanted to attack some one. “Don’t know!” gasped Andy. “But—it’s gone. First—I thought—you fellows—had it out, but when—I came up here—and saw you sitting down—I knew it—wasn’t you. But it’s gone!” “Come on, fellows!” commanded Jerry quickly. “Let’s see what’s up.” Followed by Andy they hurried off toward the shed where the Comet was kept. This structure was some distance away from Jerry’s house. It had been specially built to house the airship, and was located in the midst of a large field, owned by Mrs. Hopkins, which field gave ample room for manœuvring the craft. It was some distance from a road, and in an unfrequented locality. It did not take long to arrive at the place. Before they reached the shed they could see that the big doors were opened. So far Andy’s tale had been confirmed. A few minutes later the motor boys were staring into the empty shed. The big air craft was gone! “It’s been stolen, boys!” exclaimed Jerry, as he stepped into the shed. “Our airship has been stolen!” “And I’ll wager Noddy Nixon had a hand in it!” added Bob. “Let’s get right after him!” CHAPTER II AN UNCONSCIOUS WATCHMAN [8] [9] [10] [11] After the first moment of hesitation, the boys, including Andy Rush, stepped within the big shed. It was as if they hoped to see the Comet concealed somewhere in the place, but the expanse of the airship planes, and the immense, bulging, gas bag did not greet their eyes. “How long ago did you come past here, Andy?” asked Jerry, recovering some of his usual calmness. “Not ten minutes ago,” replied the little chap. “I was on my way to town, and I thought I’d take this short cut. As soon as I came within sight of the shed, I saw the open doors.” “And what did you do?” asked Bob. “Looked in, to see if you were going off on a trip,” replied Andy. “I thought maybe you’d give me a ride. Then, when I saw the airship gone, and noticed that the doors were broken open, I knew something must have happened. I hurried off to find you—saw you sitting on the grass as if nothing had happened—great excitement—airship stolen—robbers in it—Noddy Nixon, maybe—airship wrecked—maybe—whoop!” and Andy ended up with a gasp, so rapid had been his utterance. “Now just calm yourself,” begged Jerry. “Tell us all you can, Andy.” “That’s all I know,” replied the small, excitable chap. “The bars on the doors are broken,” called Bob, as he made an examination. “How do you s’pose that happened?” “That’s so,” admitted Jerry, who had overlooked this part of Andy’s account. “And I wonder where Sud Snuffles is? He ought to be around. He’s paid enough to watch this place.” “That’s right; where is Sud?” inquired Ned. “Maybe he went off in the airship with the thieves.” “Nonsense,” exclaimed Jerry. “Let’s look around.” The boys proceeded to make an examination of the interior of the shed. As Andy had related, it was in some confusion. Tools of various kinds were scattered about, and several boxes and chests had been broken open, and the contents, consisting of supplies for the craft, some canned food stuffs and spare parts, had been taken out. A big hammer near the front doors showed how the latter had been broken open. “Those doors were smashed from inside!” cried Ned, after a more careful scrutiny. “What makes you think so?” asked Jerry. “Because the hammer’s thrown down inside, and the way the bolts are bent shows that the force was from within.” “From within, eh?” murmured Jerry. “That’s interesting.” “What does it indicate?” inquired Bob, who was not always so quick to see a point as were his two chums. “Why it shows that the robbers, whoever they were, got into this shed from some other entrance than the big doors,” went on Jerry. “Of course!” cried Ned. “The small door at the back! Why didn’t we think of it before? That’s the way Sud Snuffles goes in and out nights. I remember he said it was too much trouble to open the big double doors, and Sud was never very fond of work.” “Come on; we must look for Sud, and see if the side door has been forced,” decided Jerry. As they hurried through the big shed, to a small portal in the rear, Andy Rush remarked: “I wonder how the thieves dare take the airship in broad daylight? Everyone around here knows it belongs to you fellows, and if Noddy Nixon or anyone else was seen in it, the police would be notified. It was a risky thing to do!” “Maybe it wasn’t done in daylight,” suggested Jerry. “I was down here last evening, before dusk, and everything was all right, and Sud was on guard. He always stays all night. It may be that the ship was stolen last night, and Andy was the first one to notice it this morning.” “I guess you’re right,” agreed Ned. “But now to find Sud, and see what explanation he has to make. If he has deserted his place, and gone off, we’ll discharge him.” By this time the lads were at the small door. Near it was a chair and a cot, on which the watchman was in the habit of sitting or lying during the night. Sud Snuffles had been hired by the motor boys shortly after their return from their first long trip, for as the airship was in a shed, some distance away from the nearest house, they feared some mischievous persons might try to damage it. But, up to the present, there had been no trouble. Sud was an odd character, somewhat shiftless, and not much given to holding a steady position. He was very fond of traveling, and the night job just suited him, because he could roam about in the daytime, when there was no necessity for being on guard. He seemed to have a faculty of getting into all sorts of trouble, and slipping out again with ease. “I don’t see anything of Sud,” remarked Jerry, peering about. “Then he’s gone with the thieves!” decided Andy. “He’s in a conspiracy with them! Helped steal the airship—gone off on a trip—he’s fond of traveling—he’d go ten thousand miles—never come back—whoop!” “Andy, will you be quiet,” begged Jerry. “This may be a serious matter. Look around and see if you can find any traces of Sud, boys.” [12] [13] [14] [15] “He seems to have slept in the cot,” observed Bob. “The clothes are all mussed up.” They began a hasty search of the rear of the shop, Andy joining in. But though they looked in several closets where tools or supplies were kept, and peered into all sorts of odd nooks and corners, there was no sign of the watchman. “I’m afraid he has gone off,” began Jerry, but, the next moment, he and the others were startled by hearing a groan. “What’s that?” cried Bob. “Somebody’s killed!” gasped Andy, his face turning pale. “Nonsense!” cried Jerry. “It sounded from under the cot,” observed Ned. His words were a signal for all to rush to the little bed. Jerry lifted up the clothes that draped over the front edge, concealing a view underneath. As the lad raised the coverlets, there was disclosed a pitiful sight. Old Sud Snuffles, tied with numerous ropes, his head enveloped in a bag, lay under the cot. He was as helpless as a baby, and, as the boys looked at him in wonder and alarm, a stifled groan came from the bag. At the same time Jerry sniffed the air suspiciously. “Boys!” he cried, “Sud has been drugged—chloroformed! We must bring him to consciousness, and then, maybe, he can tell us about the theft of our airship. There’s been some queer goings-on here!” CHAPTER III ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAIL It was the work of only a few seconds for the active lads to get poor Sud from under the cot, and cut the ropes that bound him. Then the bag was taken from his head, and it was discovered that he was gagged. The smell of chloroform was more strong and Jerry, applying to his nose the rag that had served to stifle the voice of the watchman, detected on it the odor of the drug. “This is desperate business,” remarked Ned soberly. “Indeed it is,” asserted Jerry. “If Noddy Nixon has had a hand in this I’ll prosecute him for it. He’s going too far. This is the worst of his many tricks.” “Do you think Sud will die?” inquired Andy, hovering about anxiously, moving here and there, like a restless bird. “Is he dead now? I can’t hear him breathe.” “Oh, he’ll be all right as soon as we get him into the fresh air,” declared Jerry. “Bob, bring me the aromatic ammonia. I’ll give him a few drops, and then we’ll carry him outside.” The boys, from long experience in traveling and camping, knew something about simple remedies, and soon a restorative was being forced through Sud’s lips. Then he was carried outside the shed, and his collar loosened. In a few minutes he opened his eyes, and stared wonderingly about him. “Don’t—don’t hit me again!” he implored. “I ain’t never done nothin’ to you, Mr. Nixon—but I can’t let you take the airship without——” then the unfortunate man stopped, as he saw friendly faces about him. “Was I—did I dream it?” he asked, passing his hand over his head. “Is the airship all right? Was Noddy Nixon here? Did he hit me?” and he felt of the back of his head. “The airship is gone,” replied Jerry. “What happened, Sud? Were you attacked? Was Noddy Nixon here in the night?” “He was, or else I dreamed it,” declared the watchman. “He struck me, too, and then I don’t remember what happened, except I smelled something funny. Then it got dark, and I heard noises—but you say the airship’s gone?” “Completely,” broke in Bob. “Then we must get right after Noddy Nixon, and the old man, and Jack Pender, who were with him!” declared Sud excitedly, trying to rise, but falling weakly back. “Easy now, take it easy,” advised Jerry soothingly. “We’ll get after him, all right. But you must first tell us what happened. Do you feel strong enough?” “Oh, yes, I’m all right now,” replied the watchman. “I’m getting better every minute. I’ll tell you as much as I know.” “Take a little of this medicine and you’ll feel stronger,” advised Jerry, holding a glass to the man’s lips. When Sud had partaken of it, he resumed: “It must have been about eleven o’clock last night, when I was just getting ready to turn in, that I heard some persons coming to the shed. By the way they walked I knew there was more than one, and I was wondering if you boys had [16] [17] [18] [19] decided to make a night trip, without speaking to me about it. Well, I went to the door, when there came a knock on it —the small back door, you know,” he said, and the boys nodded comprehendingly. “You can imagine my surprise when I saw Noddy Nixon, and two persons with him. Noddy walked right in, as if he owned the place, and told the others to come in, too.” “Who were they?” interrupted Jerry. “One was Jack Pender,” replied the watchman, and Jerry nodded his head. Well he knew Pender, an unscrupulous crony of Noddy’s, who had, more than once, made trouble for the motor boys. “And who was the other?” Ned wanted to know. “He was a stranger,” said Sud. “An old man, with a long white beard, and a peculiar scar on his jaw.” “What sort of a mark?” inquired Bob. “It was shaped like the letter L as near as I could make out.” “What’s that?” cried Jerry. “Like the letter L, you say? And an old man, with a white beard? Yet it’s hardly possible that it can be he——” “Who?” inquired Bob excitedly. “The old hermit of Lost Lake,” answered Jerry musingly. “You know, fellows, he had just such a scar; but what would he be doing here, especially in company with Noddy Nixon? No, it can’t be!” “I don’t know what sort of a man you’re speaking of,” went on Sud, “but this man seemed to know you. He spoke of Bob and Ned, and said he now owed so much to you that he could never repay it. He added that if he could use the airship to rescue the people from the deep valley he would be more than ever in your debt.” “Rescue people from the valley? Be in our debt? And he spoke as if he knew us?” fired Jerry at the watchman. “Then it must have been the old hermit, Jackson Bell, whom we rescued—and whose son, Bobby, we saved from the gang of Mexicans. But I can’t understand it—it seems incredible—how came he here—how did he come to mention all this?” and Jerry looked with a puzzled air at Sud Snuffles, who was rapidly recovering. “He didn’t mention it all at once,” said the watchman. “The old hermit, if that’s what you call him, let out by degrees what I have told you. So his name was Jackson Bell, eh? Well, Noddy didn’t call him anything.” “Probably he did not want you to remember the name,” suggested Bob. “But I’m sure it’s the same man.” The description of the rescue of the hermit will be found in the book “The Motor Boys Across the Plains; or the Hermit of Lost Lake.” “What else did you hear, and what happened?” inquired Ned. “Well, I was naturally surprised to see Noddy and the two persons with him,” resumed the watchman, “and more so when Noddy gave me a note, and said Jerry Hopkins had written it, and that it was permission for him to take out the airship.” “A note from me?” cried Jerry. “Let’s see it!” Sud Snuffles fumbled in his pocket, and brought out a crumpled paper, which he extended to Jerry, who eagerly scanned it. “A rank forgery,” he pronounced it, “yet good enough to fool you, Sud, especially at night.” “What does the note say?” asked Andy. “It reads: ‘Permission is hereby given Noddy Nixon and his friends to take out the Comet,’ and it’s signed with my name,” replied Jerry. “But go on, Sud. What happened next?” “Well, when I saw the note I thought everything was all right, though it looked queer. Still it wasn’t up to me to say anything. Then Noddy went around as if he owned the place, and he began explaining to the old man with the white beard how the airship worked. He said that in it he could rescue the friends of the old man without any trouble.” “I wonder what that rescue means?” mused Jerry. “Can some of Mr. Bell’s friends be held prisoners; and has he come to us for help, only to be roped in by Noddy Nixon?” “It looks that way,” declared Bob. “There’s some mystery here,” asserted Ned, “and it’s up to us to solve it.” “And we’ll do it!” exclaimed Jerry. “Go on, Sud, tell us all you can. This is getting deeper and deeper.” “There was some talk between Jerry and the old hermit, as you call him,” resumed the watchman. “The hermit said he would pay well for the use of the airship, and Noddy seemed to know all about running it.” “Yes, though he hasn’t had much experience, he can run an airship all right,” admitted Ned. “He’s watched us.” “Well,” went on Sud Snuffles, “they talked of going out West, and as I knew you boys had planned to go on your vacation in the Comet I wondered at your giving permission for that. It was this talk that made me suspicious, and I hung around where Noddy was talking to Mr. Bell, as you say his name was. That seemed to make Noddy mad, and he told me to go to bed. I wouldn’t do it, and, when the elderly man was away up in the front part of the airship cabin [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] —for he inspected every part of it—Noddy and Jack Pender came close to me. Before I knew what was happening they both sprang at me, and knocked me down. I tried to yell and I fought as well as I could, but they were too much for me. The last I remember is feeling them tie something over my mouth, then I smelled something queer, and I seemed to go to sleep. The next thing I knew after hearing confused sounds, as if something was being smashed, was when you awakened me.” “The smashing you heard was them battering away at the big bolts on the front door,” was Bob’s opinion, and his chums nodded. The portal fastened with bars and bolts instead of a lock and key. “Well, I, for one, can’t understand all of it,” said Andy. “Whoop! But things must have happened, though.” “Several things very evidently happened,” remarked Jerry dryly, “and rather mysterious happenings they were, too,” and then the leader of the motor boys explained his view of the matter. It was his opinion that Mr. Jackson Bell, at one time a hermit, but whom the boys had not seen in some time, had come East with a view of providing for the rescue of some persons (his friends, probably) from some strange valley. Unexpectedly he had met with Noddy Nixon, so Jerry believed, and Noddy had seized the opportunity to make some money out of Mr. Bell, deceiving him as to the ownership of the airship. Jerry explained how he believed that Noddy had forged the note he took to Sud Snuffles, accompanied by Jack Pender, and the former hermit. “Everything went well, I think,” went on Jerry, “until after Noddy had handed over the forged note, and prepared to take away our airship. Then he became fearful that it would be evidence against him, and he and Jack attacked Sud, to take the note away. They rendered the watchman unconscious, smashed open the big doors, and floated out in the Comet, for Noddy has seen us operate it often enough to understand the mechanism. Now the question is, to decide where they have gone. Very likely Noddy set off in quest of the mysterious valley, that Mr. Bell knows about.” “Anyhow, I’m glad I managed to keep the forged note,” observed Sud Snuffles. “Yes, it will be a sort of clew,” remarked Bob. “It’s a wonder Mr. Bell didn’t get suspicious and leave when Noddy and Jack were struggling with Sud,” suggested Ned. “He probably didn’t hear the fight,” was Jerry’s opinion. “Mr. Bell (if it really was he) was, very likely, in the cabin of our airship, and the fight, as Sud says, took place at the rear of the shed. Besides, probably Mr. Bell was thinking so deeply over the prospective rescue of his friends from danger, that he paid little attention to anything else.” “What danger do you suppose his friends are in, Jerry?” asked Bob. “Haven’t the least idea. It must be something desperate, though, to induce him to seek an airship with which to rescue them. It’s a mystery—a mystery of the air, and we’ve got to solve it.” “Suppose we can’t?” asked Ned. “Maybe we’ll never see the Comet again. Noddy Nixon may smash it all to pieces.” “Don’t suggest such a thing!” begged Jerry earnestly. “We’ll get right after Noddy, and we’ll try to get at the bottom of the mystery. If Mr. Bell, or his friends, are in trouble we will help them, and, if necessary, in the Comet, for we’ll get it away from Noddy and Jack. Then we’ll see what will happen.” “But how are we going to chase after Noddy?” asked Bob. “We haven’t anything that can go as fast as the Comet.” “Not quite as swiftly, but nearly,” answered Jerry with a smile. “Our automobile! We’ll get that out, and get right on the trail of this mystery! Come on, fellows! We’ve lost enough time as it is! Now for the chase!” and Jerry started back toward his house, followed by his chums and Sud Snuffles. CHAPTER IV A FARMER’S CLEW The boys, with Sud, were soon at Jerry’s house. Mrs. Hopkins, looking from the window of her sitting room, saw their excited manners, and, fearing that something had happened, hurried down stairs. “What’s the matter, Jerry?” she cried. “Is anyone hurt?” “Only me, Mrs. Hopkins,” replied Sud, who was not a little proud to be thus the centre of attraction. “And I’m not hurt so very much,” he added. “It’s my feelings more than anything. The idea of me letting Noddy Nixon and Jack Pender tie me up the way they did.” “You couldn’t help it,” commented Bob, while Jerry soon related to his mother what had occurred, and told of their plan to set off in search of the missing airship. “Now, please be careful, boys,” the widow begged. “That Noddy Nixon is getting to be a desperate character. He [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] may do you some injury.” “I’d like to see him!” cried Ned. “If we get within sight of him and Jack they’ll jump overboard out of the Comet without waiting for us. But I think, Jerry, that we ought to have him and Jack arrested for stealing our airship. Let’s swear out a warrant for those two chaps, and then we can ask the aid of the police in locating them.” “That’s what I’d do,” put in Sud, who was rubbing his head, where there was a lump, caused by the tussle with the two bullies. “Have ’em arrested, and I’ll make a charge of something or other against ’em.” Bob also thought it would be a good plan to take formal action. “Well, we’ll see what your fathers say,” remarked Jerry, who had none of his own to consult. “We’ll go over and see Mr. Slade and Mr. Baker,” he added, turning to his mother, “and be guided by them. In the meanwhile, Sud, get out the automobile, will you, and see that it’s in shape for a long trip.” “Oh, are you going away again, Jerry?” asked Mrs. Hopkins, in some distress. “I was in hopes that you would remain at home a few weeks this vacation.” “We were just planning our vacation in the airship, when Andy Rush brought word that it had been stolen,” replied Ned. “I guess now we’ll have to stay home, or else go on a trip in the auto.” “That’s right, I discovered that the Comet was gone!” exclaimed the excitable Andy. “Doors busted open—Sud unconscious—everything upside down—great excitement—tell the police—get a gun and shoot at Noddy—whoop!” and the little chap had to stand on his tiptoes to get out the last few words. “There, there now, Andy,” spoke Jerry, soothingly. “Come on, fellows, we’ll take some advice on this. Get at the auto, Sud, that is, if you feel able.” “Oh, I’m all right now,” answered the watchman, as he started toward the garage, which had recently been built at the side of Jerry’s house. In turn Mr. Slade and Mr. Baker were informed of the theft of the airship, and asked as to the necessity of swearing out a warrant against Noddy and Jack. Both gentlemen were opposed to it, and Mr. Baker said: “If you do get the warrants, and arrest those lads, you will also be obliged to arrest Mr. Bell, the hermit, as you call him. He was with the lads when they took the airship, you think, and, in the eyes of the law, is just as guilty. You don’t want to have him taken into custody, do you?” “No, indeed,” replied Jerry. “Mr. Bell is a good friend of ours, and, though we can’t just understand what he is doing with Noddy and Jack, nor about the mysterious rescue of his friends, we know he has been deceived by those two chaps. No, we’d better not get any warrants. We’ll hunt for ’em on our own account, and settle with ’em when we find ’em. Come on, boys, back to my house, and then for an auto trip!” “I wish I could come,” said Andy wistfully. Jerry looked at Bob and Ned. Both nodded in a friendly manner. “All right, Andy, come along,” answered the widow’s son. “You did us a great service in letting us know, so soon, that the airship was stolen, and you’re entitled to some reward. Only there is one favor I’m going to ask of you.” “What’s that?” inquired Andy quickly. “When we sight Noddy in the airship, just keep cool,” went on the tall lad. “If you get excited and talk as much hot air as you usually do, you may explode the gas in the balloon, and then it will be worse than having the Comet stolen.” “I’ll keep quiet,” promised Andy very earnestly. “I’ll not say a word.” The four lads were soon back at Jerry’s house, and found Sud busy tinkering with the auto, for he knew something about cars. The gasolene tank was full, and he was putting water in the radiator. The car was now ready to start, and the boys climbed in. Ned and Bob had notified their folks that they might be gone all day, and probably part of the night, and Andy Rush had, by telephoning home, secured permission to accompany them. Jerry went into the house to bid his mother good-bye, and, as he came out, Bob stood up in the tonneau of the car, where he had taken his place with Andy. “I say, Jerry,” began the stout lad, eagerly, “what about grub? It will soon be dinner time, and——” “Oh, good land! I might have known that was coming!” and Ned fairly groaned. “There you go again, Chunky!” “Well, I guess it will soon be dinner time, won’t it?” and the lad, who had gained a reputation in the way of always being hungry, appealed to Jerry. “It will, if time continues to fly as it has this morning, Bob,” was the answer. “Of course, and we’ll have to eat. Hadn’t you better take along a lunch? Or, if your cook is too busy to put up one, drive around to our place, and I’ll get a few sandwiches.” “They keep ’em in barrels at Bob’s house,” explained Ned to Mrs. Hopkins, who was a smiling observer of the scene. “All Bob has to do is to push a button for whatever kind of sandwich he wants between meals. They know his failing. I dare say the cook is at this moment buttering bread, and cutting meat in anticipation of hearing Chunky’s despairing cry of ‘I’m hungry,’ at almost any minute.” [30] [31] [32] [33] “Oh, you dry up!” commanded Bob, indignantly. “You’d think I was the only one in this crowd who ever ate anything.” “Well, boys, if you think you’ll not be home before lunch,” began Mrs. Hopkins, “perhaps you had better——” “No, mother, thank you,” interrupted Jerry, anticipating what she was going to say. “We’ll stop and buy our dinner on the way. We have delayed too long as it is.” “Oh, well, as long as we’re going to eat sometime, that’s all I want,” commented Bob, with a sigh of relief, as he took his seat again. Jerry climbed up, and assumed charge of the steering wheel, while Ned cranked up, and with a series of “chugs-chugs” the auto started off, the boys waving a farewell to Mrs. Hopkins. “It seems like old times to be traveling this way, doesn’t it?” asked Ned, of Jerry, as they went swinging along the country road. “Maybe we’ll have to take our vacation in this, after all.” “It wouldn’t be so bad,” was his chum’s opinion, as he suddenly steered to one side, to avoid running over an angry dog, who seemed to object to the progress of the car. “That’s so, we were talking about where we would spend our vacation, when Andy came along with his news,” put in Bob, from the tonneau. “Now, don’t start that dispute again,” begged Jerry. “We are going to have a rather strenuous time, if I’m any judge, before we get through with this search.” “Oh, I wasn’t going to start any dispute,” remarked Bob quickly. “I was going to say that I’d leave it all to you, where we’ll go this summer. I don’t care, as long as we get the Comet back.” “Me either,” added Ned. “I’ll leave it to Jerry.” “Then what do you say that we fulfill the agreement, which Noddy seems falsely to have made with our hermit?” asked the tall lad. “You mean to go to the rescue of his friends?” inquired Ned, with a queer look at his chum’s face. “That’s what I mean,” went on Jerry, quietly. “Wherever or whoever they are, let’s go to their rescue in the Comet. They must be in some peculiar situation or an airship would never be needed to save them. We’ll take Noddy’s place, and help our old friend, Jackson Bell.” Jerry then went into details about his plan of pursuit. He proposed that they proceed in their auto, along the main, or state road, in a westerly direction, for Jerry believed that would be Noddy’s destination. It was Jerry’s belief that Noddy would not dare to run the airship at full speed, which would make it possible to overtake him in the auto. “We’ll probably be gone on our quest several days,” went on the leader of the lads, and when Andy Rush heard this he expressed a fear that his parents would not like him to be away over night. It was then agreed that, in case Noddy was not overtaken that day, to send Andy back home by train. A little later the search was under way, and, as the speedy machine swayed along over the hard road, the boys scanned the sky for any speck, large or small, which might proclaim the presence of the Comet. From time to time they stopped, to make inquiries from other autoists or persons driving, as to whether or not an airship had been sighted that morning. Some of their questions were met with puzzled looks, as if the persons thought they were being made the butt of a joke. Others were interested enough, and made all sorts of inquiries, as to why the boys were searching, but they had seen nothing of the craft of the air. The lads made a stop for dinner at a country hotel, and when Bob heard that there was to be chicken pot-pie his broad face was wreathed in smiles. “I’m glad we didn’t bring any lunch along,” he remarked, “because we couldn’t have taken anything more than sandwiches. But chicken pot-pie—Ah, um!” and he sniffed the air suggestively. They were under way again that afternoon, but as they proceeded mile after mile, and saw no signs of the airship, and heard nothing from the many inquiries they made, they all began to get a bit discouraged. It was about four o’clock, when Andy Rush, who had stared up into the sky so steadily that his neck was getting stiff, uttered an exclamation: “There he is!” cried the little chap. “Stop the auto—get a gun—shoot him—make him stop—we’ve got him!” and he stood up and pointed at a black speck in the sky. Clearly it was not a bird, for it was moving too slowly, and it looked as if it might be some sort of an airship. Jerry jammed on the brakes, after shutting off the power, and took up a pair of powerful field glasses. These he trained on the speck, while his companions waited anxiously: “It’s only a box kite,” said Jerry at last. “It’s pretty high up, though. Too bad, Andy.” They went on again, and as the afternoon passed they began to give up hope, and talked of where they would spend the night, for they were determined not to go back home without some news of their airship. They had come prepared for a night’s stay at a hotel, and, not many miles from where they now were, was a railroad station, where Andy could get a train home. As they were chug-chugging along a quiet road, Jerry saw, just ahead of him, a farmer driving toward them a spirited team of horses. [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] “Guess I’ll slow up a bit when passing them,” the tall lad remarked to his chums. “I don’t want a runaway.” The team seemed so skittish as they approached that, for fear of frightening them, Jerry shut off all power, and the auto came to a stop. “I’m much obliged to you,” called the farmer, as he held in the animals when passing the car. “It ain’t often that automobile fellers is as considerate as you be. I appreciate it. Besides, my team hasn’t gotten over a fright they had early this morning.” “How was that?” asked Ned, while the farmer pulled up, the two fine horses evincing less fear of the auto, now that it was quiet. “Did a car scare them this morning?” “Well, not exactly an automobile,” was the answer, “that is, unless autos run overhead in the air.” Jerry caught at that remark at once: “What do you mean?” he asked quickly. “Why just this,” was the unexpected answer. “When I was going to market, about three o’clock this morning, my horses nearly ran away when something about as big as ten automobiles scooted along through the air, over their heads. It was some sort of a balloon.” “Are you sure it was a balloon?” inquired Jerry. “Well, some sort of a balloon,” replied the farmer. “You see, there was some moonlight, but I couldn’t make it out very well. It was an airship, I know, because I’ve seen pictures of ’em. It was shaped like a cigar, about a hundred feet long, or more, I guess, and sticking out from the sides, were big white wings. By Golly; but it scared me at first!” “That’s our airship!” cried Bob. “Your airship?” inquired the farmer, visibly astonished. “Yes, we are in search of one stolen from us in Cresville,” said Jerry. “The one you saw may have been it. Which way was it going?” “It come from that direction,” replied the man, pointing back toward Cresville, “and it was headed almost west, along this road you’re on now. First I knowed I heard a humming, buzzing sound, and I took a tight hold on the reins, as I thought an auto was coming. Then when I looked around, for the noise was in back of me, I seen a big light in the air. I thought it must be an all-fired big auto, that had a light so high up, and the next I knew the blamed thing was right over my head, and not more than fifty feet up. Then I knowed it was an airship, but I come near knowing nothing else right after, for my horses started to run, and I had all I could do to hold ’em. Well, the airship, or whatever it was, swooped on out of sight in the darkness, and I didn’t get my animals down to a walk for nearly a mile.” “And it was going this way?” asked Ned, pointing in the same direction as that in which the auto was headed. “It was,” answered the farmer. “But I don’t believe you’ll catch it. Them airship fellers don’t leave any trail behind.” “Oh, we’ll catch him!” cried Jerry, determinedly. “We’re much obliged to you for this clew.” “Oh, you’re welcome, I’m sure. Whenever anyone does me a good turn, I like to return the compliment. I hope you catch them,” and the farmer was about to drive on. “But what makes you think that was your shebang?” he asked. “From the peculiar shape of it,” answered Jerry. “Ours is a combined dirigible balloon and aeroplane, and that’s what you saw. Besides, it came from the right direction. Come on, fellows,” he added. “We’re on the trail at last. Now to catch Noddy Nixon!” CHAPTER V THE TELEGRAM But if the motor boys thought they would soon catch up to those who had stolen the Comet they were doomed to disappointment. For the rest of the day they drove the auto at top speed, but there was no sign of the missing airship, nor could they get any news of it. “We might as well put up for the night,” was Jerry’s opinion, as it began to get dark. “We may pass it in the night, if we don’t. Andy, we’ll take you to the station, and send you home. I’ll telegraph your folks that you are coming, so they won’t be worried.” “I wish I could come with you,” spoke the little chap. But they knew it would be best for him to return, and after promising him a ride in the Comet, when they should have recovered it, they bade farewell to the excitable lad at the station. They put up at a hotel in the town of Rodmead, which was about a hundred miles from Cresville, the auto having made good time on her searching trip. After supper the lads talked over their plans. [39] [40] [41] [42] “It’s certain that we’re going in the right direction,” remarked Jerry, “but when we’ll catch up to Noddy is another matter. I’m afraid it will take some time.” “If we could only send word on ahead, and have him stopped,” suggested Bob. “That’s a good plan!” exclaimed the elder lad. “I wonder we didn’t think of it before. I’ll telegraph to several of the large cities that are ahead of us, and ask if there’s any news of an airship having been seen in their vicinity.” “But will you wait here until you get answers?” inquired Ned. “No,” responded Jerry, after a moment’s consideration. “We can ask that replies be sent to us at different places ahead of us. For instance, the next fair-sized town is Branchville, and the city beyond that is Canton. We can telegraph to the chief of police in Canton, and ask that a reply be sent to us to be called for at Branchville. See my plan?” “It’s a good one,” commented Bob. It was at once put into operation, and that night several inquiring messages were being clicked over the wires, while the boys went to bed to rest up for the search that lay before them. They were on the road again, early the next morning, and while running to Branchville kept a keen watch on the sky overhead. But the only specks they saw were birds, and when they inquired for a telegram, and were handed one, they had small hopes of any success. Nor was there any news, the message from the Canton police chief being to the effect that no airship had been sighted near there. “Well, we’ve got several other places to hear from before night,” remarked Ned hopefully. “Let’s get a move on us.” “Yes,” agreed Jerry, “but we have several more messages to hear from before night,” his tone, however, was not quite as confident as it had been. “Then let’s hit up the pace a little,” suggested Bob. “Maybe we can get in all our telegrams before dark.” “Yes, I think we can stand a little more speed,” said the steersman, as he shoved over the gasolene lever, and advanced his spark. “We’ll hit up the pace.” “Be careful you don’t get caught for speeding,” cautioned Bob. “Oh, I don’t believe any of the constables in this country township have motorcycles with cyclometers on,” spoke Jerry, with a laugh. The auto was now moving swiftly along, but at no illegal rate of speed. However, it was not more than ten minutes after this that, as the lads passed a cross road, they heard some one shout after them: “Hold on there! You’re goin’ too fast!” “Better slow up,” advised Ned, after a swift glance at the man who had warned them. “There’s a fellow with a motorcycle, Jerry. Maybe he’s a constable.” “Oh, I guess not,” was the response, for Jerry was anxious to get the next telegram, and the auto kept on. “He’s coming after us,” announced...