AT DEAD MAN'S GULCH.
Bob brought the auto to a stop under a big sycamore tree. The engine was
still smoking, and there was considerable heat. Jerry jumped out and
examined the car.
"Not much damage done," he said, after a long inspection. "I guess we
can fix it up."
"Can we go on?" asked Ned, anxiously.
"It will take a good hour to mend things," replied Jerry.
"That will give me a chance to gather some bugs," observed the
professor. "Pardon me," he exclaimed to Nestor. "There is a beautiful
specimen of a katydid on your leg," and, with a deft gesture, the bug
collector captured the insect and transferred it to his box.
"I hope you didn't want it yourself," said the naturalist, looking
rather anxiously at the miner, who seemed surprised.
"Oh, land, no!" was the reply. "Help yourself whenever you see any of
the crawlin' things on me. It's a favor, more than anything else. I
hate bugs an' things."
While the professor wandered about with his net, Jerry proceeded to
repair the leak to the gasolene tank. Bob and Ned decided they were
hungry, and got out some lunch, of which, a little later, all were glad
to partake.
"There," announced Jerry, "I guess we can go on again."
"There's a good place to camp about twenty miles farther on," said
Nestor.
"What place is it?" asked Ned.
"Dead Man's Gulch," was the grim reply.
"Doesn't sound very pleasant," observed Bob.
"It's a better locality than it sounds, Chunky," went on Nestor.
"There's a little town there, if you want to sleep in beds."
The boys decided to push for the Gulch, not that sleeping in beds was
an inducement, for they rather liked the idea of resting in the open.
But the gathering clouds indicated rain, and that would make camping out
rather damp.
Without further mishap the machine was sent along. Ned was at the wheel
and he turned on plenty of gasolene so that the car fairly skimmed over
the roads. As they passed a stone post on the highway, Nestor called out:
"Good-by, Kansas!"
"What's that for?" asked Ned.
"Because that's the boundary mark between Kansas and Indian Territory,"
replied the miner. "We are now on the old Indian ground, pretty soon
we'll be in Texas, and then we'll land in New Mexico."
"We're getting to be travelers for fair!" remarked Bob.
The gathering clouds became blacker and a strong wind sprang up. There
was every prospect of a severe storm, and Ned sent the machine ahead
still faster. As it came to the top of a little hill, Nestor exclaimed:
"There's Dead Man's Gulch!"
Looking down into the valley, the boys saw a small settlement.
"Hold the machine back," cautioned the miner. "It may get away from you
on the grade."
Ned shut off the power and coasted down. In half an hour they reached
the level and started up the road, which led into the main street, and,
in fact, the only thoroughfare in the town. Just as they reached the
solitary hotel in the settlement the rain came down in torrents.
The auto was run under a shed and the occupants entered the hostelry, to
the no small surprise of the inmates of the place, who had not heard the
car come up.
"Howdy, strangers?" called the clerk, a big man, with an immense black
moustache.
"Howdy?" responded Nestor, who seemed much at his ease, though the boys
were rather startled to find themselves in what was evidently rough
company.
"Where ye from?" asked the clerk.
"East," replied Nestor.
"Where ye goin'?"
"West."
"Ain't much on the talk, be ye, stranger?" sneered the clerk.
"I am when it suits me."
"Aw! he's one of them stuck-up automobilists!" put in a tall, thin,
dark-complexioned man, who was sitting in one chair, with his feet in
another.
"An' who might you be?" asked Nestor, turning to him.
"Pud Stoneham, at your service," and the dark man bowed with elaborate
grace, a sneering smile spreading over his face.
"Well, you'd better be mindin' your own business!" snapped Nestor,
turning away.
"What's that!" exclaimed Stoneham, who was a gambler, hanging around the
hotel on the lookout for victims. "I don't allow any man to insult me!"
and he reached his hand to his hip-pocket, with a quick gesture.
Before he could draw his gun, which was his intention, Nestor had him
covered with a weapon.
"No shootin', gentlemen!" called the clerk. "Against the rules. Put up
your gun, stranger."
"Not unless he agrees to put up his," stipulated Nestor.
"I'll make him," said the clerk. And, with a scowl, Stoneham promised to
be peaceable. In a little while he sneaked out.
Nestor and the boys registered and were assigned to rooms for the night.
The hotel was not a very stylish one, but they were glad even for the
rough accommodations when they heard the torrent of rain outside.
While they were washing up for supper, Ned suddenly called out:
"Hark!"
"What is it? The place on fire?" asked Jerry.
"I thought I heard an automobile horn," replied Ned.
"Maybe some boys are monkeying with our machine," came from Bob.
"No, it isn't that, Chunky," went on Ned, looking from a window.
"What then?"
"It's another automobile coming up the road. My, how the mud and water
splashes! And, say! Good land! Who do you suppose is in the car?"
"The President?" answered Jerry, sozzling his face in the water.
"It's Noddy Nixon, Jack Pender and Bill Berry!"
"No!"
"Yes, it is!"
The others crowded to the windows to look. Sure enough, there were the
three enemies of the Motor Boys. They ran their machine up under the
shed where stood the red auto, and then Ned lost sight of them.
"Well, it's a free country," observed Nestor. "It looks as if they were
following you, but there's no law to prevent it. I guess they won't stay
here long, though, after that chap that robbed me knows I'm stopping at
this hotel. Wait until I get my hands on him."
"Perhaps it would be better not to let him know who you are," suggested
Jerry. "They may be up to some trick, and we can work to better
advantage against them by keeping quiet."
"Right you are," admitted the miner, after thinking the matter over. "He
wouldn't know me if he saw me, since I got shaved. We'll just lay low
an' watch."
The Motor Boys, with Nestor and Professor Snodgrass, were the first
ones down to the dining-room to supper. In a little while Noddy, Jack
and Bill entered. The three latter started in surprise at beholding the
Cresville boys, and for a moment seemed undecided what to do. Then, at
a whispered word from Berry, they filed to the other side of the room
and took their seats at a table.
"I wonder if they really followed us," Jerry said.
"Must have," was Nestor's opinion. "But I reckon they didn't expect to
find you here."
"But what can their object be?"
"I don't think they exactly know themselves," replied the miner. "I
guess they hope to annoy you, or they may expect to get a line on what
our plans are. But we'll try to fool 'em."
Before the meal was over, Pud Stoneham came in and took a seat at
Noddy's table. In a little while the gambler seemed to be on good terms
with Bill Berry and his companions.
It was still raining hard when the three boys, with the professor and
Nestor, went up to bed. The naturalist and the boys had two rooms, while
Nestor was by himself. Noddy and his chums disappeared after the meal,
Pud Stoneham accompanying them.
It must have been about midnight when Nestor was awakened by hearing
voices in the room next to his. At first he paid no attention to them,
for he was sleepy. But he sat up suddenly when he heard some one say:
"They're on the trail of a rich gold mine. I know, for I heard the old
man talking about it."
"Are you sure, Bill?" asked a second voice, which Nestor recognized as
Noddy's.
"Sure as I am that my name is Berry," was the reply.
"Then, count me in on the game," said a third man, whom the miner had
no difficulty in knowing was Pud Stoneham. "I've got money. We'll go in
this together and win out. I owe that miner something for insulting me,
an' I'll pay him back, too!"