A DARING LEAP.
While Matt watched the car an idea darted through his head.
"The way to find out about that auto is to capture it," said he,
speaking quickly.
"How you vas going to do dot?" queried Carl. "Oof ve hat der Ret Flier
along, meppy ve could oferhaul der shpook, aber I don'd know vedder it
vould be righdt to indulch in any sooch monkey-doodle pitzness. Ven der
car puffs oudt mit itseluf, ve vould puff oudt mit it. Vere you vas
going, Matt?"
Matt was lowering himself over the top of the steep bank, just around
the curve above the cliff road.
"Come on," he called back, "and be careful. This is dangerous work."
Carl was not in a mood to tamper with the white runabout, nor was he in
a mood to let Matt do the tampering alone. Sorely against his will, he
began lowering himself down the steep bank, close beside his chum.
"Vy dis iss, anyvay?" he asked. "Vat a regless pitzness! Oof ve lose
holdt oof somet'ing, ve vould fall in der roadt, undt meppy scood
righdt ofer der roadt und go down vere Verral ditn't go."
"Hang on, Carl, that's the thing to do," returned Matt.
"Yah, you bed you I hang on! I don'd vant to fall py China und make
some visits mit der Chings. I vouldn't enchoy dot, as I vould be all in
bieces. Aber for vy iss dis, Matt? Vy you do dot?"
As they worked their way down the desperate slope, hanging to stunted
bushes and projecting rocks, Matt explained.
"The white runabout may be going to Lamy," said he, "but I hardly think
it would show up in the town like that----"
"Id vould schare der peobles oudt oof deir vits oof it dit!" puffed
Carl. "Wow!" he fluttered, making a slip and only saving himself a
fall by grabbing a bush with both hands. "A leedle more, Matt, und you
vouldn't haf hat no Dutch bard."
"But it's my opinion," pursued Matt, completely wrapped up in the work
in hand, "that the runabout is going to make the turn, just as it did
last night, and come back toward La Vita Place along the cliff road."
"Vy it do dot foolishness, hey?"
"Give it up. Perhaps we'll know all about it before long. Find a good
place, about six feet above the road, and hang on."
"Yah, you bed my life I don'd ged indo der roadt oof der shpook pubble
iss coming. I vould haf to ged oudt oof der vay, und meppy I vould go
ofer der edge like vat Verral dit, und you couldn't haf some ropes to
helup me oudt. I vas fixed all righdt, Matt."
Carl had planted himself on a good foothold and was clinging to a
stunted bush. Matt was on a level with him and a little to one side.
"Listen!" cried Matt.
It was impossible, of course, for the boys to see around the shoulder
of the cliff, but a low murmuring sound reached their ears, growing
quickly in volume.
"Dot's it!" said Carl excitedly; "she vas coming, I bed you! She vill
go py righdt unter us, und ve can look down und see vat ve can see,
vich von't be nodding. Aber I vish dot I vas some odder blace as here.
Oof dot----"
Carl broke off his talk. Just then the white car came spinning around
the curve.
What Motor Matt was intending to do Carl hadn't the least notion, but
he was pretty sure it must be something reckless.
The car was nearly upon them when Motor Matt, a resolute gleam in his
gray eyes, loosened his hold on the rocks. Carl's shock of tow-colored
hair began to stand up like porcupine bristles. Something was about to
happen, and he caught his breath.
Then something _did_ happen, and the Dutch boy got back his breath with
a rush.
"Look a leedle oudt!" yelled Carl, as Motor Matt made a quick jump for
the phantom auto.
It was a daring leap--so daring that Carl hung to his bush with both
hands and expected to see his chum either miss the machine altogether
or else carom off the opposite side, bound into the road, and go
hurtling into the chasm.
But Matt was too athletic, his nerves were too steady, and his eyes too
keen for that.
Carl saw him land in the front of the white runabout in a heap. He was
thrown violently against the seat, and then went sprawling against the
dash. The runabout slewed dangerously, and something like a squeal came
from somewhere.
"Ach, chincher," panted Carl; "he vas some goners! I don'd nefer expect
to see Motor Matt alife any more! Donnervetter! Vy he do dot?"
Quickly as he could, Carl dropped into the road.
"Matt!" he called, whirling about and looking in the direction the
white car had been going.
Then he staggered back against the rocks.
The auto had disappeared and taken Motor Matt along with it!
Carl's nerves were in rags. He didn't know what to do. Possessed with
the notion that Matt had faded into nothing along with the spook car,
he turned and began running the other way.
He stopped suddenly, however. Matt was his pard, and to run away from
him like that was something Carl knew he ought not to do. But was he
running away from Matt? If Matt had been snuffed into nothing with the
car, how could he be running away from him?
This was all foolish, of course, but Carl was so upset he wasn't
himself.
He stopped his running, however, and came stealthily back, staring on
all sides of him with eyes like saucers.
"Now vat I vas going to do?" he groaned. "Dere don'd vas a Modor
Matt any more, und dere iss der Red Flier, pack along der roadt, und
Verral, und sooch a mess as I can't dell at der La Fita Blace. Ach,
himmelblitzen!"
Carl, overcome by the dark outlook, sank down on the rocks and covered
his face with his hands.
Near him the face of the cliff was covered with a growth of bushes and
trailing vines.
Suddenly Carl heard a voice that lifted him to his feet as though a
spring had been released under him.
It was his name! Somebody had called his name, and it sounded like
Matt's voice.
"Vot it iss?" demanded Carl, a spasm of hope running through him.
"Come here!"
Carl looked all around, but without seeing where he was to go.
"Iss dot you, Matt?" he asked.
"Sure."
"Vere you vas, den? How you t'ink I come py you oof I don'd know dot?
Chiminy grickets, aber dis iss keveer!"
"I'm inside the cliff," Matt answered. "Push through the bushes."
Carl stepped in front of the trailing vines and brush.
"Iss it all righdt?" he quavered.
"Come on, come on," called Matt impatiently.
Carl pushed the bushes and vines aside, revealing a wide clear space
which had been completely masked by the foliage. The ground, breaking
in a level stretch from the cliff road, led smoothly away into the very
bosom of the cliff.
Still dubious, Carl pushed slowly on into the darkness. The vines fell
back behind him and the parted bushes snapped across the opening.
"I can't see nodding!" he wailed.
"Come straight ahead," said Matt reassuringly. "I'm only a little ways
off, and the car is here, too."
"Iss der shpook in der car?"
Matt laughed.
"We'll settle this spook business in short order," said he.
Carl reached the car, and felt Matt's hand guiding him around the side.
"How you shtop der pubble, Matt?" faltered Carl.
"I didn't stop it; somebody else did that."
At that moment a muffled voice called:
"Get in de car, sahib! We go on to de daylight."
Carl gave a jump and grabbed hold of Matt.
"Who iss dot?" he fluttered.
"We'll find out before we're many minutes older," said Matt. "Get in,
Carl."
Assisted by Matt, Carl got into one of the seats, while Matt climbed
into the other.
"All ready," announced Matt, in a loud voice.
Instantly a glow from the acetylene lamps flooded the gloom ahead.
The boys could see a rocky tunnel, wide and high, leading straight on
through the heart of the cliff.
"Ach!" chattered Carl. "Ve go py kingdom come now, I bed you."
"Hardly that," laughed Matt. "We're bound for daylight once more. Wait
and watch."
Swiftly and surely the white car glided on. Presently the boys saw
trailing vines and bushes ahead of them, similar to the screen at the
other end of the tunnel.
_Snap!_ Off went the lights. Then, with startling suddenness, they
brushed through the screen and were once more in the broad light of day.
The gully lay before them, and when they had reached the center of it
the car came to a halt.
"Vouldn't dot knock you shlab-sitet?" murmured Carl wonderingly. "In
vone door und oudt der odder! Ach, blitzen, und den some! Aber who vas
dot vat shpoke in der tark?"
"Here's where we find out," rejoined Matt, leaping down.
Carl likewise gained the ground. As he did so, the deck of the car,
behind the seats, lifted slowly until it lay wide in an upright
position.
Then a form slowly rose, a form with a chocolate-colored face, the head
crowned with a white turban. Jumping from the boxlike recess in the
rear of the car, the form stretched itself and salaamed.
"You surprise', sahib? Ah, ha!"