THE AUTO STOLEN.
For a few moments the silence of despair was on every one. The knowledge
that they were imprisoned in the cave came as a terrible shock.
"Is there no way out?" asked Nestor.
"Now don't you folks go to worryin'," spoke Broswick, in a more cheerful
voice than seemed warranted under the circumstances. "I've been in
tighter places than this, an' come out on top!"
"But we're buried!" cried Professor Snodgrass, who, for once, seemed to
have forgotten all about his beloved specimens.
"That's nothin'," spoke Broswick. "You thought you was all goners when
them cattle was comin' after you, but I got you out, an' I'm goin' to do
the same now!"
"You can't burrow out like a rabbit," said Ned.
"I've got a little instrument here that will help me," said the hunter.
"I never travel without a spade on my saddle. I've lost too many rabbits
an' woodchucks through not havin' the means to dig 'em out, so I always
carry a shovel along. I reckon it will come in handy. If I only had a
light now----"
"No need to worry about that," put in Nestor. "It would be a pretty poor
miner that traveled without a bit of candle and some matches with him. I
always go prepared for emergencies."
He struck a match, a yellow glow filled the cave, and soon a candle gave
good illumination. The boys could see that the cavern was of large size.
"I've often stayed in here to keep out the rain," said Broswick, as he
got his spade, "but I never was ketched like this before."
Guided by the candle, the hunter went to the mouth of the cave and
began digging away the mass of earth and rocks that had slid down and
obstructed the opening.
"Goin' to be quite a job," remarked the miner, as he looked over the
mass. "It'll take a good while."
"There's plenty of us to do the work," replied Broswick.
He attacked the pile and made the dirt fly. After he had labored fifteen
minutes Nestor relieved him. The miner, from his experience in digging
into the earth, made more progress than had the hunter. Nestor kept at
it for more than half an hour, refusing to yield the spade to any one.
"There," he said, when he stopped to rest, "I've made quite a hole."
The boys and Professor Snodgrass took turns, and then Nestor went at it
again.
"I wish I had a drink," remarked the miner. "This is dry work."
"Nothin' easier," said Broswick. He took a second candle, which the
miner had, and walked to the rear of the cave.
In a little while he returned with a big gourd full of cold water.
"What sort of a magician are you?" asked Jerry.
"There's a spring back there," explained Broswick. "Many's the time I've
taken a drink at it and the last time I was here I brought this gourd
for a dipper. Now it comes in handy."
Each one took a draught of the cool water and felt the better for it.
Then Nestor insisted that he was going to continue the digging. The
others wanted to relieve him, but he would not let them. He plied the
spade vigorously and the dirt was scattered to one side.
"Light! Light!" the miner cried, suddenly. "I can see light! We're
nearly out!"
A few more strokes of the shovel made the opening larger and then, with
a shout and hurrah, the imprisoned adventurers rushed forward.
"Why! Why! It's night!" exclaimed Bob, as he emerged from the cavern and
saw the stars shining.
"Of course it is," answered Nestor. "It was late afternoon when we took
shelter in the cave, and we were there more than three hours."
"Well, we're out now," said Jerry. "I wonder if the auto was damaged."
The storm had ceased and the night was a fine, clear one. The moon was
shining from a cloudless sky and thousands of stars were out. Jerry ran
on ahead to the tree under which the auto had been left, for the machine
was his chief concern.
He paused as he reached the spot. Then he rubbed his eyes and wondered
if he was seeing straight. He even pinched himself to see if he was
awake.
"What's the matter?" asked Ned, who was following close behind his chum.
"The auto is gone!" cried Jerry.
"Gone?"
"Yes. Stolen!"
"What's that?" exclaimed Nestor, running up.
Jerry pointed under the tree. There was not any sign of an automobile.
"That's funny," observed Broswick. "It couldn't fly away, that's sure."
He led his horse from the cave up to the road and stooped down to
examine the path closely.
"Let's have one of those candles," the hunter called to Nestor. Lighting
the wick the old man examined the road with care, moving about in a
circle and then going backward and forward for quite a distance.
"Well?" inquired Nestor, when the hunter straightened up.
"Some one came along in another auto while we were in the cave," said
the hunter, "pulled up here alongside of yours, hitched on to it and
pulled it away, or else rode off in it."
"What makes you think so?" asked Jerry.
"I haven't hunted an' trapped twenty years for nothin', young man,"
was the answer. "I can see the tracks your machine made as it stopped
under a tree. Then along comes another machine, with tires a leetle mite
smaller'n yours. Auto No. 2 stops. Some one gits out from it an' looks
over your auto, for I kin see marks of hob-nailed shoes, an' none of us
wear 'em."
"Hob-nails, did you say, eh?" here interrupted Nestor.
"That's what I said."
"Then Tom Dalsett has been here."
"How do you know?"
"Look an' see if the soles of the hob-nailed shoes didn't have a cross
in each one."
"They did," replied the hunter, inspecting the tracks.
"Then it's Tom Dalsett for sure. He always wore shoes like that, an' I
seen 'em on him when he was at Dead Man's Gulch."
"Then Noddy and his gang have stolen our auto!" cried Jerry.
"That's about it," assented Nestor. "However, we mustn't give up yet.
We'll take after 'em."
"Not much chance of getting them, though," put in Ned.
"You're welcome to my horse," said Broswick. "He ain't very fast, but
he's better than nothin'."
"There's no use doin' anythin' to-night," was the miner's opinion. "We'd
only get lost on the road, and I don't know but what we're lost already.
We'll have to camp until mornin'."
After some consideration this was voted the best thing to do. It was
a sorrowful band of adventurers that gathered about the fire which
Broswick made, for the hearts of the boys were dispirited over the theft
of their machine, and the men sympathized with them.
Fortunately, the hunter had some bacon left, and a meal, such as it was,
the travelers made on this. Then, selecting the driest places they could
find, they prepared to spend the night in the open, without coverings.
It was cold, but by keeping a good fire going some comfort was had.
When the sun rose the adventurers got up, stretched themselves and
wondered what they were going to do for breakfast.
"Leave it to me," said Broswick. "I'm used to providing meals."
He was gone some little time, and when he came back he had several
plump birds. These were cleaned and were soon roasting over the fire on
sticks. It was a good deal better meal than might have been expected
under the circumstances.
Then, with the hunter riding his horse, and the others following, the
journey in search of the stolen auto was begun. The marks made by the
broad tires of the two machines could be plainly seen.
"I wouldn't care if I had my valuable specimens," wailed Professor
Snodgrass.
"We'll git 'em, an' the auto, too," said Broswick. "Don't you worry."
They had covered several miles and were descending a long hill, when
Jerry called out:
"What's that ahead, there?"
They all stopped and peered down the road.
"There are two autos!" cried Nestor. "One looks like ours. I'm going to
see about it."
And he started off on a run.