"Nothing like having a real nobleman for a student!"

"Away we go! Pile in, boys!" cried Tom, and then there was a crack of a
whip, and off the strange turnout started, with poor Tubbs on the seat
looking more bewildered than ever, and followed by the great carryall
with the yelling and singing students who had come to greet him.




CHAPTER XIX

STARTLING NEWS FROM HOME


"Here the conquering hero comes!"

"Say, but he looks like a real Lord, doesn't he?"

"Don't forget to bow to all the people you pass, Sir Tubbs!"

So the cries rang on, as the carriage and the carryall rolled away from
the Ashton depot.

"Say, look here, what does this mean?" stammered the dudish student. "I
tell you I'm no lord, or knight, or anything like that! I was over to
Paris, not London, don't you know. Weally, this is--er--very
embarrassing!" he pleaded, wildly.

"Stand up and make a speech, when you get to the campus, Willie boy!"
sang out Tom. "Give 'em something grand on high finance, or railroad
building, or cooking beans, or something like that."

"Why, Tom, weally, don't you know, I know nothing of--er--railroads,
or--er--beans. Please stop the carriage, I wish to get out. This
is--er--awful, don't you know!" fairly panted the dude. He had stood up,
but now the carriage gave a jolt and down he sat very suddenly.

On through the town and straight for the college drove the two turnouts,
the students yelling themselves hoarse. Many at Brill had been let into
the secret, and when the grounds were reached a big crowd was
congregated, to take part in the sport.

"Here they are!"

"Hurrah for Lord Tubbs!"

"How are you, Duke William Philander!"

"Do you wear the order of the Red Garter?"

"No, it's the Blue Suspender he was decorated with."

"Speech! speech!" came the cry from every side.

Then the carriage came to a halt and was immediately surrounded by a
howling mob. A few had flowers that they threw at William Philander,
while others had supplied themselves with stalks of celery, carrot and
beet tops, and similar things, which they sent forward with force and
directness.

"Here's a bouquet for you!"

"My kindest regards, Tubbs!"

"Oh, isn't it grand to be a real, live Emperor!"

"Hi, let up, will you!" fairly shrieked poor Tubbs, as the things hit
him in the head and shoulders, "Let up, I tell you! Oh, what a joke! Let
me get out of the carriage! I can't make a speech! Stop throwing at me!
Oh, my eye!" he added, as a beet top caught him in the left optic. Then,
watching his chance, he leaped from the carriage, dove like a madman
through the crowd, and rushed for one of the dormitories, quickly
disappearing from view.

"Good bye, my boy, good bye!" sang out several. And then Tom sent the
dress-suit case after him; and the fun came to an end.

"Poor William Philander, he won't forget that in a hurry!" was Dick's
comment. "Just the same, I am afraid the sport got a little too rough at
the end."

"Maybe it did," answered Tom. "If you want it, I'll speak to Tubbs and
apologize."

"I see that apology in a gold frame right now!" declared Sam, with a
laugh. "Tom, let him alone and he'll be all right."

All of the boys wondered how Tubbs would act when he showed himself.
Much to their amazement he called Tom to one side that evening and shook
hands cordially.

"It was all a mistake--this report that I had--er--been knighted, don't
you know," he lisped. "But it was very nice to get up such a reception
in my honor, Thomas, really it was--although it got a bit rough towards
the end. But I know it was meant well, and I thank you, honestly I do."
And the dudish student shook Tom's hand again.

And then, for once in his life, Tom Rover didn't know what to say. As he
afterwards admitted, he was completely "stumped." Poor, innocent Tubbs
had really thought it an honor! To Tom that was "the limit."

"I'll never really know that chap," he said to his brothers. "His head
must be filled with sawdust and punk."

"Well, let him drop now," advised Dick. "Quit your fooling, Tom, and get
at your studies. You know what I told you. We may have to leave Brill
before we anticipated. And we want to get all the learning we can."

"Have you heard anything more from dad?" demanded the fun-loving Rover
quickly.

"Yes, a letter came this evening. That business affair is in a worse
twist than ever. But dad hopes he can straighten it out. But he writes
that he isn't feeling as well as he was. If he gets sick, we'll have to
jump in--or at least I will--and take his place."

"We'll all jump in," was Sam's comment. "I'd like to do something in a
business way."

"Did dad give any particulars?" asked Tom.

"None but what we already know. He felt too ill to write much."

"Has he heard anything more of Crabtree or Sobber?"

"Nothing."

During the following week there was some excitement at Brill because of
a football game between that college and another institution of
learning. It was a gala occasion, and the Rover boys hired a
three-seated carriage and brought Dora, Nellie and Grace to the game.
Brill won the contest, and a great jubilee lasting far into the night
followed. The Rovers and the three girls had a little feast of their own
at the Ashton hotel, and on the way back to Hope the young people sang
songs, and had a good time generally. Perhaps some very sentimental
things were said--especially between Dick and Dora--but if so, who can
blame them? The placing of that engagement ring on Dora's finger by Dick
had made them both exceedingly happy.

During those days the boys took several short trips in the _Dartaway_,
once landing in the field on the Dawson farm. They sought out Dan
Murdock and asked him if he had seen anything more of Koswell and
Larkspur.

"Yes, I see 'em last week, but they got out of sight in the woods, and
I couldn't find 'em," answered the farm hand.

"Around here?" asked Dick.

"No, that was on the edge of the big woods back of Hope Seminary. I was
driving along, with some crates of eggs for the girls' college, when I
see 'em, sitting on a fallen tree, smoking cigarettes. I stopped my
hosses and spoke to 'em, and then they up and run into the woods as fast
as they could go! I looked for 'em, but I couldn't git on their track
nohow."

"What can they be doing up around Hope?" murmured Sam.

"Maybe they are sweet on some of the girls," returned Tom. "I know they
used to go up there, when they attended Brill."

"I hope, if they visit Hope, they don't speak to Dora and the others,"
said Dick, as his face clouded.

"Maybe we better warn the girls," said Sam.

"No, don't do that," said Tom. "You'd only scare them. They know Koswell
and Larkspur well enough. Don't say anything." And so the matter was
dropped.

Two days later came a special delivery letter from home that filled the
three boys with intense interest.

     "Josiah Crabtree and Tad Sobber have at last shown their
     hand," wrote Mr. Anderson Rover. "They have sent an unsigned
     communication to me demanding fifty thousand dollars. They
     give me just two weeks in which to get the money together in
     cash and place it at a certain spot along the road between
     our home and Oak Run. If the money is not forthcoming they
     promise to blow up every building on the farm. The
     communication says, 'You can pay half of this and get the
     other half from your lady friends.' Which means, of course,
     the Stanhopes and Lanings."

"Of all the cowardly things!" cried Tom, after listening to the above.
"Why, it's a regular sort of Black Hand communication!"

"So it is," added Sam. "What else does dad say," he went on, and Dick
continued the reading of the letter:

     "At first I was inclined to treat the communication lightly
     and laugh at it, but then came another letter--a mere scrawl,
     stating they would give me a taste of what to expect that
     night. I told the detective of this and he came to the house
     and remained all night with us. About three o'clock in the
     morning there was an explosion outside, and when we dressed
     and ran out we found one of the chicken houses blown to
     flinders by dynamite or some other explosive. About one
     hundred chickens were destroyed."

"Just listen to that!" gasped Tom. "Oh, the rascals!"

"And Uncle Randolph's prize stock chickens!" murmured Sam. "That must
have made his heart ache!"

"I'll wager Aunt Martha was scared to death," added Tom. And Dick read
on:

     "Of course there was great excitement, and four of us, the
     detective, Ness, Pop, and myself, went after the rascals,
     leaving your Uncle Randolph to look after your aunt and the
     cook, both of whom were very much frightened. We hunted
     around until daylight, but without success. Then we went to
     the old mill in the auto, but the place was deserted. After
     that I notified the local authorities, and I have hired ten
     watchmen to guard the farm and every building on it. I have
     also sent for two more detectives, and I am hoping that,
     sooner or later, they will be able to trace the scoundrels
     and run them down."

"Does he say how he is feeling?" questioned Sam, as his brother paused
in the reading of the letter.

"Yes, he says he is about the same, but that Uncle Randolph is very much
upset over the loss of his chickens and wants to know if they hadn't
better pay the money demanded."

"Oh, I hope they don't pay a cent!" cried Tom.

"So do I," added Sam. "But I don't want to see them blown up either," he
continued, seriously.

"None of us want that," said Dick. "But I'd not give them a cent--I'd be
blown up a dozen times before I'd do it!" he continued, firmly.

"Do they want us home?" asked Tom.

"No, dad says it will do no good for us to come home. He says he will
write or telegraph if anything new develops. He thinks, with the extra
watchmen on guard, and the detectives at work, Crabtree and Sobber will
get scared and leave them alone."

"I hope they do," said Sam. He heaved a deep sigh. "Gracious! it seems
to me that no sooner are we out of one trouble than we get into
another!"

"That is true."

"It's too bad--to have this piled on poor dad when he's so worried about
that business affair."

"Well, you know the old saying, 'troubles never come singly,'" answered
the older brother.

After that the three boys watched the mails anxiously for over a week.
Then came another letter from their father, in which he stated that
nothing new had developed. Then came another wait--until the day after
that set by Crabtree and Sobber for the delivery of the fifty thousand
dollars,--when Dick got a telegram, as follows:

     "All quiet. Received another letter, to which I have paid no
     attention. Feel almost sure the rascals have left this part
     of the country. All fairly well."

"Well, that's some comfort," was Tom's comment. "I hope they have gone
away, and that we never see or hear of them again."

"Don't comfort yourself that way, Tom," answered Dick. "They are bound
to show their hand again, sooner or later. We won't be safe from them
until they are in jail."




CHAPTER XX

GRACE'S REVELATION


One clear afternoon the three Rover boys decided to take a run up to
Hope Seminary in the _Dartaway_. There was very little wind and,
although it was growing colder, they knew they could easily bundle up in
their aviation coats and boots. Sam and Tom had been trying out the
biplane, and they pronounced everything in perfect order for a flight.

"Dick, let me run the machine over," said Sam, and the big brother
agreed, for Tom had been at the wheel on a previous occasion.

The boys had no classes to attend after lunch and so got away by two
o'clock.

"I trust we can see the girls," said Dick, as they started up the engine
of the flying machine.

"Oh, they'll be at liberty after hours," answered Tom. "They always
are."

Previous to leaving, the boys had filled the oil feed and the gasoline
tank, so they were prepared for quite a trip.

"Maybe we can get the girls to go up, for just a little sail, you know,"
said Sam. "I am sure the _Dartaway_ could carry them, on a pinch."

"Where would they sit, in our laps?" asked Tom, with a grin.

"No, they could sit in the seats and we could sit back of them, like on
a bob-sled," answered the youngest Rover.

"I don't think they'll care to go up," answered Dick. "They'd be too
scared. As yet, flying machines are hardly built for ladies. But I think
the time will come when they will use them."

As they were in no hurry, the boys took their time in sailing over the
farms and country roads. They did not go up very high, and often saw
farmers and others staring at them, shouting things they could not
catch.

"By and by flying machines will be as common as autos," remarked Dick.
"But now the sight of one is a great curiosity to these folks."

Sam handled the machine like a veteran and even showed what he could do
by making a small figure eight and a spiral dip.

"I wish we had a little monoplane, just for one," he said. "My! couldn't
a fellow scoot around then!"

"Sam's got the flying bee all right!" cried Tom.

"Well, wouldn't you like it yourself?" demanded the youngest Rover.

"I'd rather have a big airship. Then I could give all my friends a
ride--have a regular airship party."

"Well, I'd like that too," was Sam's reply.

Presently they came in sight of the seminary buildings. They circled
around for some time and then landed at the far end of the campus. A few
girls were in sight, but not those they had come to visit.

"Good afternoon," said Dick, to a girl he had met, named Ida Strong.
"Can you tell me where I can find Miss Stanhope, or the Misses Laning?"

"The three of them went for a walk, about half an hour ago," replied Ida
Strong.

"Do you know where they went?"

"I do not, excepting that they took the road to Beechwood," and the girl
student pointed out the highway mentioned, one that ran through the big
woods back of the seminary. It led to the village of Beechwood, which
was several miles beyond.

"Thank you," returned Dick. "If we shouldn't meet them, will you tell
them we called, in our biplane?"

"I will," said the girl.

Dick was about to rejoin his brothers, and suggest that they go up and
fly along over the woods road, when another girl, named Bess Haven, came
running up.

"Oh, Mr. Rover, isn't this queer!" she cried. "I thought you were hurt!"

"Hurt?" repeated Dick, puzzled. "How so?"

"Why Dora Stanhope said you were--that you had had a fall out of the
flying machine."

"That I fell out of the machine?" cried Dick. "There is some mistake
here. I have had no fall. When did she tell you that?"

"About half an hour ago. She got some sort of a message, and she was
terribly upset. She went off to visit you."

"Where to?"

"I don't know. But wait--yes, she did say you had had a fall in the
woods."

"Did she go alone?" And now Dick's heart began to thump strangely. He
was thinking of their many enemies. Was this some new trick?

"No, Nellie and Grace Laning, her cousins, went with her."

Dick turned to Ida Strong.

"You saw them go?"

"Yes, just as I told you. Oh, Mr. Rover, is anything wrong?"

"I don't know--I hope not. But I think we had better go after them at
once. Good day." And Dick fairly ran back to where Tom and Sam rested
near the biplane.

"Start her up, quick!" he said to his brothers, in a low voice.
"Something is wrong! We've got to get after the girls right away!"

"What is it?" demanded Tom, leaping to his feet, while Sam did the same.

"I'll tell you when we are on the way. Quick, start the propellers! I'll
take the wheel," and Dick sprang into the seat.

In another moment the engine had been started, and with a rush and a
whizz the _Dartaway_ left the campus. Dick made a turn, then headed in
the direction of the road through the woods. He flew low and rather
slowly.

"Keep your eyes open," he cautioned, "for any sight of the girls--or any
sight of our enemies." And then he related as much as he knew of what
had occurred.

"Do you think somebody sent that message to decoy Dora away from the
seminary, Dick?" asked Sam.

"Doesn't it look that way? Why should anybody send word that I was hurt,
when I wasn't?"

"I think you are right!" declared Tom. "I think I can see through it,"
he went on quickly. "They found out they couldn't dynamite dad or Uncle
Randolph into giving up that money, and they couldn't get at Mrs.
Stanhope or Mrs. Laning to get it, so now they are going to see what
they can do through Dora--and maybe Nellie and Grace."

"That's exactly the way I figure it!" exclaimed Dick. "And the sooner we
reach the girls the better! For all we know, it may even now be too
late!"

"Oh, let us hope not!" cried Sam.

"Did they go on foot?" asked Tom.

"Yes."

"Were they to meet anybody?"

"I don't know. Miss Haven said they went off in a great hurry--which was
natural, if they thought I had tumbled out of the biplane and been hurt.
I suppose poor Dora was scared half to death," and Dick heaved a long
sigh.

As the flying machine swept along over the woods and the roadway the
three youths kept their eyes on the alert for a sight of the girls. For
a long time they saw nothing out of the ordinary. Then Sam uttered a
cry:

"See! see! There is Grace! She is waving her handkerchief at us!"

All looked in the direction indicated, and at a spot along the road
where there was quite a cleared space they saw Grace Laning standing on
a flat rock, waving frantically at them. They had to make a circle, and
then, with care, Dick brought the biplane down into the roadway.

"What is it, Grace?" yelled Sam, as he leaped from his seat. "Where are
the others?"

"Oh, Sam!" moaned the girl, and then they saw that her hair was awry and
her shoes were covered with dust. "Oh, save them! Go after them at
once!" And then she staggered forward and fainted in Sam's arms.

The three Rovers were greatly alarmed and for the moment did not know
what to do. Then Dick rushed to the side of the roadway, where some
water trickled along in a hollow, and brought some, using a collapsible
cup they carried when on a trip. With this they bathed Grace's face and
they forced a little water into her mouth, and soon she opened her eyes
and stared around her.

"Go away! Go away! Don't touch me!" she gasped.

"Hush, Grace, you are safe," answered Sam, gently.

"Oh, Sam! I forgot!" She struggled to her feet, he still supporting her.
"Did--did you find them? Did you bring them back?" she asked wildly.

"You mean Dora and Nellie?" asked Dick and Tom, in a breath.

"Yes! yes!"

"We don't know where they are. Tell us about it," went on Dick.

"Oh, it's terrible!" cried Grace, and now the tears began to course down
her cheeks. "We got a note--at least Dora did--stating you had had a
fall from the biplane and were hurt. The note was signed 'Tom,' and we
of course thought Tom had sent it. It said to keep the matter quiet but
to come without delay--down this road to the old white cottage. So the
three of us started off as soon as we could. Dora was so afraid it was
serious she ran nearly all the way, and Nellie and I ran, too. We had
thought you were at the cottage, but when we got there we didn't see
anybody. While we hunted around a big touring car, one of the kind with
a closed coach top, dashed up. There was a man running the car and
another man inside, a fellow who looked like a doctor. The driver asked
if we were the girls who had come to see Dick Rover, the aviator, and we
said yes. Then he said the car had been sent for us and for the doctor,
and for us to get in and he would take us to Dick Rover at once. We got
in, and then, before we knew it, the touring car was rushing along the
road at a great rate of speed. We asked the doctor about you, Dick, but
he said he hadn't seen you yet. Then we asked the driver, but he acted
so queer we began to get suspicious. Then, oh, wasn't it strange? Nellie
saw a card on the floor of the car, and picked it up, and it was Josiah
Crabtree's visiting card! She showed it to Dora and I, and Dora
screamed, and wanted to leap out of the car. But the doctor--if he was a
doctor--held her, and held Nellie, too. But I was too much for him. I
don't know how I did it, but, just as we were rounding a curve rather
slowly, I flung myself out of the door, and I landed in some bushes. I
got scratched a little, as you can see, but I wasn't hurt, and I started
to run back to the seminary and was doing that when I saw your flying
machine. You know the rest." And now Grace stopped, too exhausted to say
another word.

"And the touring car went on?" queried Dick.

"Yes! yes! I saw the man shut the door, too. Oh, Dick, they have carried
poor Nellie and Dora off, just as they carried Dora's mother off!"

"They kept to this road?"

"I believe so. I don't know of any cross road this side of Beechwood."

"Then we'll get after them at once!" declared Dick. "Sam, do you want to
take Grace back, or come with us?"

"Well--I--er----"

"Go with them, Sam--they may need you!" broke in the girl quickly. "I
can go back alone, and I'll send word to the authorities, over the
telephone. Hurry! hurry, or it will be too late!"

The boys needed no further urging. Dick and Tom ran for the flying
machine, and soon the explosions of the motor filled the crisp autumn
air. Then all the boys leaped on board. Dick was at the wheel, and he
sent the _Dartaway_ along at a good rate of speed. Sam looked back, to
see Grace hurrying in the direction of Hope Seminary.

"I hope she gets back safely," he said anxiously.

"I think she will," answered Tom. "Those rascals are all further along
the road--waiting for Nellie and Dora."

"Keep your eyes open," put in Dick. "Don't let anything escape you. We
must spot that auto without fail!"




CHAPTER XXI

FOLLOWING DORA AND NELLIE


The nerves of the Rover boys were on edge. Dick and Tom were
particularly anxious, for those who had been thus rudely carried off
were very dear to them.

"I wonder who that so-called doctor was?" mused Sam, as the DARTAWAY
sailed along, keeping over the road as well as the windings through the
dense woods permitted.

"Most likely some tool of Crabtree or Sobber, or both," answered Tom.

"Do you think Koswell and Larkspur are in this game?"

"Perhaps they are!" cried Dick. "It would be just like them to join
forces with Crabtree and Sobber. They are down and out, and need money,
and all of them would expect to get a big stake out of this."

"Then you think they carried the girls off for money?" questioned Tom.

"I do, Tom. You hit the truth when you said they found out they couldn't
do anything at the farm, and couldn't reach Mrs. Stanhope and Mrs.
Laning. The only things left were to try to reach us or the girls."

"And they didn't dare tackle us," put in Sam.

"Do you suppose that Mrs. Sobber is in this?" continued Tom, referring
to a relative of Tad Sobber, who had assisted once in the carrying off
of Mrs. Stanhope.

"She may be, although she was pretty well scared that other time,"
replied his older brother.

The boys relapsed into silence, each busy with his own thoughts. All
were anxious to catch a glimpse of the enclosed touring car. But they
came within sight of the village of Beechwood without encountering a
turnout of any sort.

"I'll land here and make some inquiries," said Dick.

"Yes, if the auto went through here somebody must have seen it," said
Tom.

A landing was made directly on the village green, in front of the
post-office, and a small crowd quickly collected.

"It's them young fellers from Brill!" cried one of the villagers. "I
heard tell they had an airship."

"That ain't no airship, it's an aryplane," said another. "They don't
lift up like no balloon--they sail like a bird, on them canvas wings."

"Wot makes the thing go, Job?"

"Them wooden things. They go 'round like windmills."

"Say, we want some information and we want it quick!" cried Dick. "Have
any of you seen a big auto go through here, an enclosed auto--one with a
coach-like body?"

"Sure we did!" cried one of the villagers. "By heck! the thing nearly
killed Si Levering, it did! Si was crossin' the road, when whizz! bang!
shoo! that auto went past him like a streak o' greased lightnin'! Si
jumped back an' sit hisself down in the waterin' trough an' got hisself
all wet."

"Which way did the auto go?" went on Dick.

"Right straight ahead."

"No, it didn't nuther," put in a farmer, who had just arrived in the
village. "It took the road to Shepleytown--I see it."

"Which is that?" questioned Tom.

"You go up this road about a mile an' then take the cross road to the
left. You can't miss it, 'cause there's a big tree on the corner that
was struck by lightnin'."

"All right, we'll go to the corner that was struck by lightning," said
Tom, who could not help joking, even in that moment of anxiety.

"I didn't say the corner was struck--it was the tree," explained the
farmer soberly.

"All right, much obliged," answered Tom; and then the three boys started
up the engine once more. The villagers had crowded around, but as those
explosions rent the air several leaped back, and then the whole crowd
ran for their lives.

"She's goin' up!" one yelled.

"Is the engine goin' to bust?" asked another.

"Look out, Jim, or she'll mow ye down like a mowin' machine!"

"Clear the track!" cried Sam, and then, with the usual rush and roar,
the _Dartaway_ leaped over the village green and arose in the air,
leaving the gaping and wondering crowd behind.

It was an easy run up to the blasted tree, and sighting this, Dick
headed the biplane along the road that led to Shepleytown.

"How far is that place?" asked Sam.

"I think it is about six or seven miles," answered Tom. "I was there
once, on a bicycle--went after nuts with Stanley and Songbird."

"What, to the town?" questioned Sam, with a grin.

"No, the woods back of the town, Sam. Say, that's one on me,--as bad as
that countryman's struck-by-lightning corner," and Tom grinned, too.

On and on swept the flying machine, the boys watching every rod of the
winding road below. Once Tom gave a cry, as they saw a turnout at a
distance. But it proved to be nothing but a tinware peddler's wagon. On
the ground lay various pieces of tinware, scattering over a distance of
fifty feet.

"Look at that!" cried Sam. "He must have had an accident."

"Say, maybe that auto struck his wagon," exclaimed Tom.

"It looks that way," was Dick's comment.

"Shall we land and question him?"

"What's the use? We know the machine came this way. That's enough for
the present. We don't want to lose a minute more than is necessary."

"Say, we were chumps that we didn't telephone ahead from Beechwood!"
cried Sam. "We might have had that auto stopped when it went through
Shepleytown."

"It couldn't be done, for there is no line from Beechwood to
Shepleytown," answered Dick. "The line only runs the other way."

The route was now over a dense woods and the boys had to sail slowly,
for fear of passing the automobile while the latter was running under
the overhanging trees. Once they saw something that looked like an
automobile and Dick had to sail in a circle and come back, to make sure.
But it proved to be only a two-seated carriage; and they passed on.

Shepleytown proved to be quite a place, with a main street containing a
dozen stores. It connected by stage with Chaplet, which was a railroad
center, five miles away.

The coming of the boys created as much of a sensation as had their
arrival at Beechwood, and once more the biplane was surrounded.

"Sure, I saw that 'mobile you are after," said one man, in answer to
their questions. "It was running putty lively an' no mistake. It went
past the mill an' took the old Snagtown road. Queer, too, 'cause that
road ain't half as good as the Chaplet turnpike."

"Did you see who was in the auto?" queried Dick.

"I think a couple o' men an' some girls. I couldn't see very well, the
machine run so fast. I had to hold my hoss, for I was afraid they'd run
into me."

Several others had also seen the big enclosed touring car and all were
sure it had taken to the old Snagtown road.

"Where does that road run to?" asked Dick.

"Goes over the hills to what used to be Snagtown," answered one of the
men. "But there ain't no town now, since the mills closed down--only
empty houses."

"Just the place they'd be likely to head for!" cried Tom, in a low voice
to his brothers. "Come on, hurry up!"

Sam and Dick needed no urging, and having thanked the men for their
information they started up the engine once more.

"How far is it to that deserted village?" called out Tom, as the
_Dartaway_ was about to move off.

"Six miles!" shouted one of the crowd. "That is, by the road. The way
you're going it ain't more'n four!" And this answer made the crowd
laugh.

"Four miles," murmured Dick. "We ought to be able to head them off."

"I wish we were armed," came from Tom. "We may have some desperate
characters to deal with."

"We might go back and get pistols," suggested Sam.

Dick thought for a moment. He knew well how desperate their enemies
might become. He hated to lose the time but he realized it would be
worse than useless to face a gang of four or more empty-handed. There
was no telling what Sobber, Crabtree and the others might do if
cornered.

"I guess we'd better go back and arm ourselves," he said. "It will
create talk, but that can't be helped."

"It will create talk anyway, as soon as it is known that Dora and Nellie
have been carried off," answered Tom.

"What do you care for the talk!" cried Sam. "What we want to do is to
save the girls--and put those rascals where they belong, in jail!"

Then the biplane was turned back in a circle and soon the boys were back
in Shepleytown, much to the astonishment of those who had but a few
moments before seen them leave.




CHAPTER XXII

OVER THE BIG WOODS


"Is there a hardware store handy?" asked Dick, of the first man who came
up. He had told his brothers to let him do the talking.

"Sure--Bill Simmons's place, just down the street," answered the man,
pointing with his finger.

"Thank you. Tom, bring that five-gallon gasoline can with you. Sam, you
mind the machine," went on Dick, loudly.

"All right," answered the brothers, and Tom got the can in question, and
he and Dick started for the store.

"Humph! got to have gasoline to run 'em, eh?" said one of the men, to
Sam.

"Yes, indeed," answered the youngest Rover.

"Well, Bill Simmons can give ye all ye want, pervidin' ye pay for it,"
chuckled the man. "He keeps gasoline fer auto fellers an' fer farmers as
has gasoline engines."

Dick and Tom hurried to the hardware store and asked the proprietor
about gasoline. While he was filling the can they looked at an
assortment of pistols that were exhibited in a showcase.

"They look pretty good," said Dick, when the hardware man came towards
them.

"Are good, too. Wouldn't you like to buy a good shooter?" he added,
anxious to do business.

"Show me a really good five-shooter," said Dick, and several were
quickly handed over. He selected one and Tom selected another.

"Have to get one for Sam, too," whispered Tom.

"Sure," replied his brother, and this was done, and they also purchased
the necessary cartridges.

"Now you are well armed--if anybody tries to steal your airship," said
Bill Simmons.

"We don't want the machine stolen, or tampered with," answered Dick. "We
can't afford to take chances. If a fellow tampered with our machine it
might go wrong when it was in the air and we'd get our necks broken."
And then Dick and Tom hurried back to the _Dartaway_ carrying the can of
gasoline between them. The can was fastened where it belonged,--for the
regular tank had still plenty of gasoline in it,--and then the boys
sailed away once more, over the winding road leading to Snagtown.

"That's a dandy revolver!" exclaimed Sam, on receiving one of the
weapons, with some cartridges. "And loaded, too! Now I guess we are
ready for those rascals!" he added, with satisfaction.

"Remember, we are not to use any firearms unless it becomes absolutely
necessary," said Dick, firmly.

"Yes, but I am not going to give them a chance to down me and get away
with Nellie!" cried Tom, stoutly.

"Oh, no, Tom! We'll not allow that!" returned his big brother, with
equal firmness.

"It seems to be getting a bit cloudy," said Sam, a minute later. "Wonder
if it will rain?"

"I don't think that is rain, Sam," answered Dick. "It's worse than that,
for us."

"You mean wind?"

"Yes."

Dick was right, and presently the first puff of the coming breeze hit
the _Dartaway_ and sent the aircraft up on a slant. Dick promptly moved
the tips and one of the rudders, and the flying machine came along on a
level. But from then on the oldest Rover boy had all he could do to keep
to the course, for the breeze became stronger and stronger.

"It's too bad!" murmured Tom, as he clung to his seat. "Hang the luck!
Why couldn't that wind have kept off for an hour longer!"

"You fellows keep your eyes on the road!" sang out Dick. "I've got to
give all my attention to the biplane!"

"All right," was the answer of the others.

After that but little was said, for Dick had to watch every movement of
the _Dartaway_ with care, and his hands and feet were constantly on the
alert, to make whatever shift seemed necessary. Sam and Tom strained
their eyes to catch sight of the enclosed touring car, which, they had
learned, was painted a dark blue.

The wind kept growing stronger and stronger, coming in fitful gusts that
were particularly bad for such a flying machine as the boys possessed.
Once came a gust that sent them spinning far out of their course.

"Phew! this is getting pretty wild!" gasped Sam. "Dick, can you manage
her?"

"Not if it gets any worse," was the grim answer.

"Don't take too much of a chance," put in Tom. "We don't want to get
wrecked in this wilderness."

His reference to a wilderness was not without reason, for below them
stretched a series of hills and valleys covered with stunted trees and
clumps of brushwood. Not a house was in sight.

"This is what you'd call Lonesomehurst," murmured Sam.

"Do you see any place where we can land?" was Dick's question, a little
later, after he had battled with another angry gust and then run through
a particularly trying "soft spot."

"Nothing around here," answered Tom.

"I see something of a clearing over to the left," came from Sam. "I
don't know what it amounts to though, it's too far off."

"We'll look at it," said Dick, in a low voice.

He had to fairly battle his way along, so fierce were the gusts of wind.
He made something of an oval, and presently found himself over a spot
covered with grass and low bushes. Then came another gust of wind and
without waiting longer he shut off the engine, and the _Dartaway_ came
down with a bump that threatened to break the wheels on which it rested.
They swept through the bushes, and then tilted up beside several small
trees.

"Hold her down!" shouted Dick. "Tie her fast, before the wind turns her
over!"

All set to work, and, not without great difficulty, they managed to run
the biplane directly between several trees and some clumps of bushes.

"Fasten every rope well," sang out Dick. "Unless I miss my guess, this
is going to be a corker of a blow!"

"I don't think it will be as bad as it was during that hailstorm,"
answered Tom. "But it is bad enough."

The ropes were all well secured, and then the boys breathed easier. Down
on the ground the wind did not appear to be so powerful, and they felt
that, unless it increased greatly, the _Dartaway_ way would be safe in
her berth among the trees and bushes.

"Well, what's the next move?" questioned Sam, after they had rested for
a moment from their labors.

"I hardly know what to say," answered his eldest brother. "We can hardly
follow that auto on foot."

"The worst of it is, it will be growing dark before long," put in Tom.
"What are we going to do then? I thought we'd catch up to that auto long
before this."

They talked the matter over, but could arrive at no satisfactory
conclusion.

"I'm almost sorry we came down," said Dick. "We might have gotten
through--although the wind is worse than it was."

"No, we couldn't do anything in this wind,--we'd simply wreck the
_Dartaway_," said Sam. "But come on, let's go as far as we can. We can
come back for the biplane any time."

While under such a strain of mind, the boys could not remain quiet, and
so they set off through the woods in the direction of the road. It was
hard walking, and several times they had to literally force their way
through the brushwood. Then they came to a swamp and had to make a
detour, for fear of getting stuck in the mud. When they at last reached
the road they were well-nigh exhausted.

"I'll have to rest just a minute!" panted Sam. "Say, that was something
fierce, wasn't it?" And he sank on a rock.

"Listen! I think I hear somebody coming!" cried Dick.

All strained their ears, and presently made out the sounds of a farm
wagon moving slowly over the rocky roadway that was hidden by the trees.
Then the turnout came into view, loaded with freshly-cut cord wood, and
drawn by a pair of bony, white horses. On the seat of the wagon sat an
aged colored man, talking volubly to his team.

"Hello there, uncle!" cried Dick, as the wagon came closer. "Stop a
minute, I want to talk to you."

"What you-all wants?" demanded the colored man nervously, for the spot
was a particularly lonely one.

"Did you come from the direction of Snagtown?" went on Dick.

"Dat's wot I did, sah."

"Did you see anything of a big automobile going that way, one with a
coach top?"

At this question the aged colored man blinked his eyes and shifted
uneasily. He glanced back, over his load of wood.

"I--I ain't got nuffin to say, boss, I ain't got nuffin to say!" he
answered finally, and prepared to drive on.

"Oh, yes, you have got something to say--and you are going to say it!"
cried Dick, and he ran forward, in front of the horses, and caught hold
of one by the bit.




CHAPTER XXIII

AT CLOSE QUARTERS


"Say, you dun let my hosses alone!" cried the colored man, in fright.

"Don't you dare to drive away until you have answered our questions,"
returned Dick, firmly.

"I--I don't want to git in no trouble, boss--'deed I don't!" wailed the
driver of the farm wagon.

"Well, you answer our questions, and tell us the strict truth."

"I--I didn't do nuffin, give you-all my word I didn't!"

"But you saw the auto, with the men and the girls in it?" cried Dick,
sharply.

"Ye-as, sah, I--I did, sah," was the stammered-out reply.

"Where did you see them?"

"Down in Snagtown, sah."

"What were the folks in the auto doing?"

"Da was a-waitin' fo' one of de men to fix up de wheel. De rubber on de
wheel dun got busted."

"I see. And what were the men in the auto, and the girls, doing?" went
on Dick, quickly.

"Say, boss, I don't want no trouble, 'deed I don't! I didn't do nuffin!
I jess looked at' em, dat's all. An' dat one man he said he'd mak me
suffer if I opened my mouf 'bout wot I saw," explained the aged colored
man, in a trembling voice. "I'se an honest, hard-workin' man, I is! I
works fo' Massah Sheldon fo' sixteen years now, an' he'll dun tole
yo'-all I'se honest, an----"

"All right, I believe you are honest," answered Dick, in a kindlier
tone. "But those men are rascals, and we want to catch them. They
carried those two girls off against their will."

"Dat's wot I was suspicioned of, boss, fo' de young ladies was a-cryin'
hard an' wanted to git out, an' de men wouldn't let 'em. I wanted to do
sumfing fo' 'em, but the men tole me go mind my own business, or git my
haid busted, so I drove on."

"How many men were there?"

"Three men, 'sides de man wot was a-mendin' de busted wheel."

"The doctor and Crabtree and Sobber!" murmured Tom.

"Or Koswell and Larkspur," added Sam.

"How far away from here is that place?" went on Dick.

"About a mile an' a half, sah. But the road am putty stony an' rough,
sah."

"Can a fellow ride horseback on those horses?"

"Yo' might, sah, if yo' had a saddle. But da ain't no saddle. Is yo'-all
thinkin' of goin'----"

"We'll take those horses," cut in Dick, shortly. "Now, don't worry,
we'll pay you well for using them, and see that they come back safely.
We have got to save those two girls, and we'll put those men in prison
if we can."

The old colored man was so amazed that he was all but bewildered. He did
not want to let the horses go, but the boys gave him no choice in the
matter. They unharnessed the steeds, and took the blankets on the wagon
seat for saddles.

"Sam, I guess Tom and I had better go on ahead," said Dick. "You can
follow on foot, if you want to, and you can come, too, if you wish," he
added, to the colored man.

"Say, ain't you afraid ob gitting shot, or sumfing like dat?" asked the
driver of the wagon.

"Maybe we can do a little shooting ourselves," answered Dick, grimly.

"Is yo'-all armed?"

"We are."

"Den I'll follow on foot, wid dis young gen'men," said the colored man.
He was afraid that if he did not follow he would not get the team back.

Once on horseback, Dick and Tom did not linger. Along the rough, hill
road they sped, urging the bony steeds along as best they could.
Fortunately there were no side trails to bewilder them.

"I hope we get there in time," remarked Tom, as they proceeded.

"So do I," answered Dick. "If they had a blow-out it may take that
chauffeur quite some time to put on a new inner tube and a shoe."

"If he had only busted his engine!" murmured Tom.

The way now became so rough that they had all they could do to keep on
the horses, and they wondered at the men in the automobile traveling
such a road.

"I suppose they came because it's so lonely," said Dick. "They knew
they'd be sure to meet more or less carriages and wagons on the
turnpike, and if the girls screamed they might be rescued."

At last they topped a hill and could see, on the top of the next hill, a
deserted house, the first of the deserted village of Snagtown. This made
them renew their efforts, and soon they were struggling up the hill
towards the house.

"Hark!" burst out Tom, suddenly. "What's that?"

"An engine!" exclaimed his brother. "They must have started up their
auto!"

"If that's the case, the wheel must be mended!"

"Yes! Come on, there is no time to lose!"

Past the deserted house they rode, and then around a turn where were
located several other houses and barns. Then they came in sight of the
deserted mill, down in a hollow by a stream. Further still was a bridge
and not far from this structure stood a big, enclosed touring car
painted dark blue!

"There it is! There's the auto!" cried Dick.

"And they are starting up!" added his brother. "Hi! stop! Stop, you
rascals!" he yelled.

The horses clattered through the lonely street of the deserted village
and the noise they made and the shouting, made those in the automobile
look back.

"Two men on horseback!" cried one of the men.

"The Rover boys, Dick and Tom!" exclaimed another. "Hurry up!"

"It's old Crabtree!" cried Dick, as he saw the head of that individual
thrust out of the touring car. "And Tad Sobber!" he added, as a
second head appeared.

[Illustration: JUST AS THE MACHINE REACHED THE OTHER SIDE, THE BRIDGE
WENT DOWN WITH A CRASH.--_Page_ 228.]

"Stop! stop, you rascals!" continued Tom. "Don't you dare to go another
step!"

"Save us! Save us!" came in girlish voices from the interior of the
touring car. "Oh, Dick! Oh, Tom! Save us!"

"Hurry up--start her up!" screamed Tad Sobber frantically, to the
chauffeur. "Put on all power!"

The driver was already in his seat and the motor was humming loudly. He
threw in the low gear, and off the touring car started slowly. After it
clattered Dick and Tom, still a hundred feet in the rear.

"Let me get out!" screamed Dora. "Oh, let me get out!"

"Yes! Yes!" pleaded Nellie. "Please let us get out!"

"Stop your noise and sit still!" commanded Josiah Crabtree. And he and
Sobber and the third fellow forced the two girls back on the seat.

Dick and Tom urged the horses forward with all speed. But before they
could reach the touring car, the chauffeur threw in second speed and
then quickly changed to high, and away the automobile rattled, over the
rickety bridge. The structure had not been built for such a weight,
and, just as the machine reached the other side, the bridge went down
with a crash.

"Look out!" yelled Dick, and the warning came none too soon, for both he
and Tom were almost on the bridge. They turned their horses just in
time, came to a sudden halt in some bushes, and stared blankly at each
other.

"Gone!" cried Tom, hollowly. "Oh, what luck!"

"Quick, your pistol, Tom!" cried Dick, suddenly.

"But the girls----" began the other.

"Don't shoot at the car, shoot at the tires," explained Dick. And then
he whipped out his own weapon, got into range, and began to blaze away.

Each of the boys fired three shots. One hit the back lamp of the
automobile, smashing the red glass, and another hit the differential
case and glanced off. But the wheels remained untouched, and in a few
seconds the big touring car was out of sight around a bend. The lads
heard a scream from the two girls, and then all that reached their
strained ears was the sound of the motor, growing fainter and fainter,
until it died out altogether.

Dick and Tom felt sick at heart. They had been so near to rescuing the
girls, and now they seemed as far off as ever! Each heaved a deep sigh.

"I suppose we can't follow them, with the bridge down," said Tom.

"We might ford the stream," said Dick. "But what would be the use of
trying to follow on horseback? They know we are after them and they will
put on all the speed possible."

"Well, what's to do next, Dick?"

"I don't know."

"I'm not going to sit still and do nothing."

"Neither am I, Tom. But what to do next I really don't know."




CHAPTER XXIV

AT THE SWAMP


"Where are they? Didn't you catch up to them? Who fired those shots?"

It was Sam who shouted the words, as he came up on a run, followed by
the aged negro.

"They got away," answered Dick, bitterly. "We were just a minute too
late!"

"Can't you go after them?"

"Not on horseback, Sam."

"And, if the horses were all right, look there!" cried Tom, and pointed
to the fallen bridge.

"Down! What did it, the auto?"

"Yes."

"Fo' de lan' sake!" burst out the negro farm hand. "De bridge hab gone
bust down! Say, how is we-all to git ober dat stream after dis?"

"I give it up," said Tom. "The authorities will have to rebuild it, I
guess."

"Nobudy ain't gwine to do dat, boss. Kase why? Kase dis road was built
fo' de mill an' de people wot lived heah. Now de mill ain't runnin' an'
de people moved away, da ain't much use fo' the road, an' nobuddy ain't
gwine to put up de bridge--an' Ike Henry, dat's me, has got to tote
things 'round by de udder road after dis!" he added ruefully.

"Well, we can't bother about the bridge," replied Dick. "The authorities
can fight it out with those fellows who are running the auto."

"But the shots?" queried Sam. He had dropped on a flat rock to rest.

"We tried to hit the tires--but we failed," explained Tom. "The auto was
moving too fast, and the trees and bushes were in the way. Besides, we
didn't want to hit the girls."

Dick and Tom walked down to the stream. It was not very deep and they
concluded that they could easily get to the other side, by leaping from
one bit of wreckage to another,--thus keeping from getting wet,--for at
that season of the year the water was decidedly cold.

"Let us go over and climb to the top of the next hill," said Dick. "We
may be able to see which direction the auto takes."

The others were willing, and telling the colored man to wait a while for
them, and promising him good pay, they climbed over the sunken bridge to
the other shore of the stream. Then they raced along the rocky road,
around a bend, and up a steep hill that all but winded them.

"I see the machine!" cried Tom, who was the first to top the rise.
"Look!" And he pointed with his hand, down in the valley that lay
stretched out before them like a map in the gathering darkness.

At a great distance, moving at a fair rate of speed, was the enclosed
touring car containing Dora and Nellie and their abductors. It was
headed for a distant main road, lined here and there with farmhouses and
outbuildings. Presently it turned into this mainroad, and started
westward, at an increased rate of speed.

"My, see them streak along!" murmured Sam.

"They are evidently going to put as much distance as they can between
themselves and us," returned Tom.

"Say, do you see any telephone wires?" asked Dick, anxiously.

"Not a wire," came from his brothers, after a long look for lines and
poles.

"Neither do I. I guess they haven't any connections at those farmhouses,
so it will be useless to walk there."

"But what shall we do, Dick?" asked Tom, impatiently. "We can't sit
still and do nothing!"

"We'll go back to the _Dartaway_ and fly after them."

"But the wind----" began Sam.

"It has gone down a little, I think, Sam. And anyway, we've got to take
a chance--it's the only thing left. If you don't want to go----"

"Dick, stop right there! If you go I'll go," cried the youngest Rover,
firmly. "I'm as much interested in this as anybody, even though Grace
isn't there," he added, with a show of color in his round cheeks.

But little more was said just then. The three boys ran down the hill to
the stream and crawled back over the wreckage.

"I guess those horses can carry the lot of us," said Dick; and so it was
arranged, Dick and Sam getting on the back of one steed and Tom and Ike
Henry on the other. The boys asked the colored man about telephone
connections, but he could give them little information excepting to
state that his employer had no such convenience.

At last the boys reached the spot where they had come out of the woods
after leaving the _Dartaway_ and skirting the swamp.