A BREAKDOWN
Each one of Dick's chums said, afterward, that he thought the same thing
at the moment Mr. Cameron made his statement--that the affair was more
desperate than they had at first suspected. True, the men racing after
them in the swift car might only be trying to attract their attention by
the firing of revolver shots, but, knowing what he did, Dick was more
inclined to think that it was done with the intention of injuring some
one.
"Do you really think they're shooting at us?" asked Innis.
"Well, not so much at us, as at our car," said the young engineer.
"The tires!" cried Paul, with sudden thought.
"What kind have you?" asked Mr. Cameron.
"Not pneumatic!" exclaimed Dick, as he put on a little more power.
"Cushions instead. It won't hurt them to get a few bullets inside."
"Good! For I think that's their intention," went on Mr. Cameron.
"They're not in effective range yet, though. But they think they can
disable us, and then get me back in their control again. They're going
to have their own troubles doing that though!" and he shut his teeth
grimly. His former light-hearted manner seemed to have left him.
Paul took a backward glance at the oncoming car. Behind it there floated
a little haze of smoke from the firing of the revolver.
"They're coming on," murmured the youth. "Can you get any more speed up,
Dick?"
"I think so. I'm sort of doing it gradually, though, for this going is
hard on the running gear, and I don't want a breakdown."
The _Last Word_ responded well to the demand made on her for increased
speed. Faster and faster she raced over the sandy stretch of the desert,
and now, Innis, looking back, reported:
"We're giving them the go-by, Dick, old man!"
"Glad of it. I thought we would. I have something left in reserve, too.
I guess we'll make a get-away, all right."
"That water in the gasoline ought to work pretty soon, I should think,"
said Mr. Cameron. "They must have used up all that was in the feed pipe
and carbureter, and the small auxiliary tank."
"I guess that's what's the trouble now, all right!" went on Innis. "See,
they have stopped."
"Then they're stuck!" cried the engineer, joyfully. "It's all right,
boys. They won't be able to find out what's the matter for an hour or
more. They'll tinker with every part of the engine, and when they do
find it's the gas we'll be far enough off."
"That's right," agreed Dick. "It was a good thing to do."
"The nerve of them, though--firing at us!" exclaimed Paul. "They might
have hit one of us."
"I don't believe they would have done so intentionally," spoke the
engineer. "The men are not as desperate as that. But the bullets might
have glanced off. I imagine they fired low, just at the tires. But they
had nerve even to chase after us, as if I were an escaping criminal."
"Do you think they had orders to prevent you from going away?" asked
Dick.
"I believe they did," was the answer, "and to use force, if necessary. I
didn't realize it before, but those men, including your Uncle Ezra, Mr.
Hamilton, are probably desperate at the fear of losing control of this
road. It means a big thing to them, and they want to beat Mr. Wardell if
possible. But they shan't, if I can prevent it."
Dick, now that he realized that the chase was over for the time being,
slowed up his car. They looked back along the level desert road, and
saw, in the dim distance, the two men busy about their stalled machine.
"That will hold them for a while," said Mr. Cameron. "Now we can take
our time about getting away."
Four hours later they had reached the end of the desert and had passed
into Nevada.
"Into civilization once more," remarked Paul, as they saw the different
nature of the country before them.
"And I'm glad of it," exclaimed Dick. "I've had enough of desert travel
for a while."
"What is your programme?" asked Mr. Cameron, as they came to a pleasant
place, where Dick decided they would stay for the night. It was
sufficiently far from the main road to preclude the possibility of their
pursuers finding them, even should they be able to get under way again.
And that part of Nevada was not thickly populated.
"I think we'll head for Carson City," said our hero. "It will be the
most direct route to reach San Francisco, and now that the matter of
filing the papers within a certain date isn't so important, I want to
get to the court as soon as possible."
"That's right," agreed the young engineer. "As soon as I can make
affidavit to what I know your friend Wardell will be safe. Then it will
be a matter of fighting it out legally, but he'll have a chance for his
white alley, as the boys say. It won't be all one-sided. He'll have an
opportunity to put his side of the case in, and I think the courts will
restore his fortune to him. I'll do all I can for him, anyhow."
"That's very good of you," said Dick.
"Not at all. It's up to me to do that much, especially after what I did
to knock him out--though I didn't mean to, and it was because I was
deceived. I'll have a talk with your uncle, when I see him, Dick
Hamilton," he added significantly.
"I don't imagine Uncle Ezra will show up around these parts, once he
knows he is likely to be defeated," said the young millionaire, with a
smile.
"He'll rather have it in for you; won't he, Dick?" asked Paul, as he
patted Grit on the head.
"Well, he may," Dick admitted, with a peculiar smile; "but I'm not as
afraid of my uncle as I used to be. I may tell him some things, too, the
way I did when he tried to kidnap me."
"How was that?" asked Mr. Cameron, interestedly.
"Oh, when I went on a cruise in my ship," answered the owner of the
_Last Word_, and he related the main incidents as I have set them down
in "Dick Hamilton's Steam Yacht."
"He's as bold as an old-fashioned pirate--your uncle," remarked the
young engineer when Dick had finished. "But, say, this is something like
living!" he exclaimed, as he saw the preparations under way for getting
a meal. "I'm glad I eloped with you boys. Can I help at anything?"
"You might see if you can get some water," suggested Dick. "That in the
tanks is a bit stale, I fancy."
Soon they were merrily eating, and talking over their plans for the next
few days. They slept that night in the auto, and in the morning were off
again, no signs of their pursuers having been seen.
In due time they reached Carson City, and laid in a supply of food and
gasoline. Then they hurried onward again. The road was fine in some
places, and miserable in others, but they made fairly good time.
They were in California now, and the end of their journey was almost in
sight. They might have taken a train, and gotten to San Francisco
sooner, perhaps, and very likely it would have been safer to do so,
considering the risks they ran. But if this occurred to them they did
not give it a second thought.
Besides, Dick did not want to abandon his car, and he had a sort of
pride in sticking to it throughout the whole journey across the
continent.
True, Mr. Cameron might have gone on by himself, but when Dick suggested
this the engineer said:
"No, I'm going to stick by the ship. I don't believe those fellows can
get ahead of us. Anyhow, I want your testimony, Dick, to go in with
mine. Besides, I hold the trump cards, so to speak. They can't do
anything without me, and the evidence I will give is the most important
in the case.
"Another thing, I feel as if I needed protection, and you boys can
provide it. If I started for 'Frisco all alone they might get hold of me
somehow, and keep me out of the way until it was too late to do
anything. So I'll just stick with you. Four are harder to handle than
one, as they'll find if they come any of their funny tricks on us."
"That's right!" agreed Paul, while Innis clenched his fists
suggestively.
The way was rougher now, and they were proceeding more slowly. The trip
across the desert had somewhat delayed them, for the heavy car sank
deeper into the sand than they had counted on, and the trip had consumed
nearly three times as much time as it ordinarily does.
They were within a few hours' run of Sacramento, passing through a
rather lonely region, when Dick, who was at the wheel, leaned forward,
and through the open front windows of the car seemed to be listening to
the chug-chug of the motor.
"What's the matter?" asked Paul.
"She doesn't seem to be running just right," he answered. "Something
seems to be out of gear. Maybe it's one of the timers. I guess I'll have
a look."
As he put out his hand to shut off the gasoline by the lever provided
for that purpose, the big car came to a sudden stop of its own accord.
"A breakdown, I guess," murmured Dick. "And a bad place to have it in,"
he added as he looked about him. As he alighted, followed by the others,
there came up behind them a powerful auto containing three men. This car
stopped, and two of the strangers got out, approaching Dick and his
friends.