PURSUED
"Well, we got away in good shape!"
"We sure did; and fooled those fellows."
Thus spoke Paul and Innis.
"I'll show you that my car can go some, Mr. Cameron," said Dick, as he
turned on more power.
"It may need to," answered the engineer.
"Why so?"
"Sam and Bill aren't going to give up so easily. And they have a speedy
machine."
"You mean they may follow us?"
"I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they did. You know they were paid to
see that no hostile interests got at me."
"And we might be regarded as 'hostile interests'; is that it?" inquired
Dick, with a smile.
"Somewhat; yes. So put as many miles between them and us as you can.
They're sure to discover, sooner or later, that I have gone, and they'll
pursue us. But I think I put one over on them at that."
"How?" asked Paul, from the rear of the car, for Dick was driving.
"I poured water in the gasoline tank. They may be able to run for a few
miles, but they're sure to stall sooner or later."
"Then there's no use in worrying," said our hero, and he had almost
slowed down his car, when Mr. Cameron said:
"Don't bank too much on that. They carry an extra supply of the 'gas,'
and they're sure to find out, in a little while, what the trouble is.
They're both experts, and they were sent off with me on that account.
Also, your Uncle Ezra's agents considered that it might be necessary for
me to make a quick shift, so they provided a powerful car, and plenty of
gasoline, though he did object most strenuously to the price."
"I can imagine him doing that," agreed Dick, with a laugh. "Well, then,
we'll keep on for a while longer, and remain dark. It won't be so easy
for them to trace us then, as this car makes very little noise for its
size."
"I noticed that," said Mr. Cameron.
On they shot, over the desert. It was about an hour since they had left
the dry gully where they had picked up the young engineer, and they had
covered several miles.
Once Dick halted his machine, while they listened for any sounds of
pursuit, but they heard none. If the other car was coming after them it
was either following silently, or was so far back that no sound of its
motor carried over the desert.
"And so you put water in their gasoline tank?" chuckled Dick, as he
recalled what his guest had said.
"Yes, they were both playing 'seven-up,' and disputing over some
intricate point, when I just took one of the water cans, and emptied it
into the gas tank. I thought I ought to do something after their having
taken most of the tricks so far."
"That was all right!" rejoined Dick. "I'd like to see them when they
stall."
"Well, really I owed them something like that," went on the young
engineer. "They had things their own way long enough. To think how I let
them fool me makes me mad! And yet I believed what they told me--that
they were in the right--I mean your Uncle Ezra and his friends--and of
course as long as I was paid for my legitimate work, I saw nothing wrong
in not coming to court to testify, particularly when they said that the
other side had been guilty of the same kind of practice.
"But I see their game now. They thought I would never hear the other
side. It was the luckiest thing in the world that I stumbled into your
camp last night. It was fate. Do you believe in fate?" he asked Dick.
"I certainly do," answered that young man. "That is why I stuck those
valuable papers--at least, they were valuable at one time--back of that
glass where anyone could see them," and he told of the experiences he
and his chums had gone through.
In turn Mr. Cameron related some of his life's story. He was all alone
in the world, having been left a small inheritance by his father. He
took up the study of civil engineering, and made a success of it.
It was by accident that he had been hired by Mr. Larabee's agents to
make the survey, and the rest followed by a "trick of fate," as he
described it.
"I needed the money they promised to give me," he said, "or perhaps I
should not have gone into the matter at all. I am intending to set up in
business for myself, and the amount the lawyer named was very
acceptable. I never stopped to think that I might be doing some one an
injustice. The fact of the matter is, that I thought the trickery was on
Wardell's side."
"I hope you are convinced now that it was not," said Dick.
"I am, perfectly. I think your Uncle Ezra, not to put too fine a point
upon it, as the celebrated Mr. Snagsby would say--I think your Uncle
Ezra rather put one over on me."
"I believe he did," said Dick, "and I'm glad I can be the means of
correcting the wrong."
"And what will Uncle Ezra say when he finds it out?" asked Paul, with a
chuckle.
"I'm afraid," answered the young millionaire, "that he'll have a fit;
won't he, Grit?"
The animal growled, as he nearly always did at the mention of Mr.
Larabee's name. Grit and Mr. Cameron, however, had made friends at once.
They drove on for a few miles farther, stopping now and then to listen
for sounds of an auto coming after them, but they heard nothing. Then,
as the way was getting rough, Dick decided to light the lamps, since it
was hardly possible now for the two men to see them over the desert.
A short halt was made for this purpose, and then they got under way
again. There was the coming of a pale light in the east, and Dick,
looking toward it, said:
"The sun will soon be up. We'll keep on as far as we can in the cool of
the day, and then halt in the best place we can find, for the engine
easily gets overheated on this sandy desert. After rest, and a
breakfast, we'll keep on."
All thought this was a good plan, and it was followed. They had put many
miles between themselves and the two men when they slackened speed for
the morning meal. The sun seemed to come up with a "pop" from the sandy
waste, and immediately it was warm.
"Thank goodness we haven't much more of this desert," said Dick, as he
helped his chums to prepare breakfast. "We can make better time when we
get on harder ground."
"Are you going right into 'Frisco?" asked Innis.
"As straight as I can," answered Dick. "I don't want to run any more
chances than I have to, and there's no telling what the other fellows
may do when they find that Mr. Cameron has deserted them."
"Would they telegraph in to the lawyers?" asked Paul.
"Very likely they would."
"Then they may be waiting for us when we arrive," said Dick. "We'll have
to be careful."
"I agree with you," spoke Mr. Cameron. "Once they know I have gone over
to the other side--the right side--they will do their best to discredit
me. They may even cause my arrest on some trumped-up charge, to prevent
me from going into court and giving my evidence to save Mr. Wardell's
fortune."
"Then we'll be careful that they don't get you," said Dick, with a
laugh. "I'll have some more coffee, Paul."
They were putting away the breakfast things, playfully scattering the
wooden plates over the sand, when Innis, who had gone to the rear of the
car, to look at the brake band, that needed a slight adjusting, called
out:
"I say, Dick, they're after us!"
"Who?"
"Mr. Cameron's guards. There's a car coming over the desert behind us."
They all ran to look, and there, in the distance, could be seen a cloud
of dust.
"Maybe it's a stage coach," suggested Paul.
Dick focussed a pair of field glasses on the cloud. Then he exclaimed:
"It's an auto, all right, and it must be after us, though I can't make
out the kind of a car it is. Still, we'll take no chances. Come on,
fellows, let's get a move on!"
They tumbled into the _Last Word_ and were soon speeding off over the
sand.
"Lucky there isn't much more of this," said Paul. "We can't make any
time here."
"And if we don't run into another sand-bog we'll be lucky," added Innis.
"We simply mustn't do that," declared Dick. "You fellows watch out, and
so will I. We don't want to be delayed, for they would catch up to us
then."
"They'll have hard work to get me to go back with them," spoke Mr.
Cameron, grimly.
"Well, we don't want a fight if we can help it," said our hero. "If we
can beat them, so much the better," and he glanced back to where the
other auto was coming on in pursuit of the big car. Then Dick turned on
more power, and watched the road ahead keenly. He wanted no accidents
now.
But the auto behind was coming on swiftly. It was a powerful car, and
was traveling light, while the _Last Word_ carried a heavy load.
"But they sha'n't catch us!" murmured Dick.
From behind there sounded a report like that of a gun.
"A blow-out!" cried Paul.
"No, they're trying to signal us--with revolvers," said Mr. Cameron,
with a chuckle.