"We'll do what we can, Nellie, you can be sure of that," was the reply.

The boys remained with the girls a short time longer and then took
their departure.

"Take care of yourself, Sam," said Grace, on parting.  "If you go West
don't get into any trouble."

"I won't get into any more trouble than I can help," he replied.  "But
we are bound to find Tom and bring him back."

It was dark when the boys got back to Brill, and while Songbird
prepared to go to supper, Sam hurried to the office of the head of the
institution.  He found Doctor Wallington pouring over some teacher's
reports.  He listened with a troubled face to what Sam had to tell and
shook his head slowly.

"Too bad, Rover, and I sympathize with you and your family from the
bottom of my heart.  Clearly that blow on the head has put your brother
completely out of his mind.  I am glad that Richard is coming to Ashton
to aid you.  What you had better do next is a problem."

"I think we'll send word West about Tom and then try to follow him,"
answered Sam.  "That is why I came here--to notify you that I'd have to
leave."

"I shall be sorry to lose you, Samuel.  Let us hope that you'll be able
to come back in a few days--and that Thomas's case will not prove as
bad as we think.  I agree that it is best for you to move at once, for
there is no telling what your missing brother may do.  Can I aid in any
way?"

"You may cash a check for me--I may need some ready money,--if Dick
doesn't happen to have enough with him."

"I'll do that with pleasure.  Anything else?"

"I want to go to Ashton late this evening, to meet Dick.  I'll take a
suitcase with me."

"One of the men can drive you down.  Will your brother come here?"

"Possibly.  But both of us may stay in Ashton, to take the one o'clock
train for Chicago.  It stops on signal, you know."

"Yes.  Very well.  Anything else?"

"No, sir," answered Sam, and then he wrote out the check and got his
money.  A little later, after a hasty supper, he started to pack his
suitcase with such things as he thought he might need for the trip to
Chicago.

He was in the midst of his labors when Songbird came in, followed by
Spud, Stanley, Max and several others.  All wanted to assist him, yet
they could do little.  Each was deeply sympathetic.

"It's too bad, Sam," said Spud.  "I hope you catch Tom before he has a
chance to leave Chicago.  Why when a chap gets out of his mind there is
no telling what he'll do, or where he'll go."

"Oxactly so," came from Max.  "I knowed a man vonce dot goes his mind
owid.  He took an axe, and--veil neffer mind, Dom ton't do nuddings
like dot anyvay," added the German-American student hastily, after a
warning look from Songbird.

"I think that moving picture must have hit Tom hard," said Stanley.
"It was so lifelike.  He talked about it a great deal."

"Yes, he couldn't forget it.  He even talked about it in his sleep,"
returned Sam.  "He wanted to go out and get those nuggets of gold."

"Well, I'd like some nuggets myself," cried Spud.  "But I am not going
to the ice fields of Alaska for 'em," he added, grimly, and this caused
a faint smile to spread on some of the boys' faces.

Songbird had received permission to accompany Sam to Ashton, and at
nine o'clock the youths were on the way, in a carriage driven by one of
the college drivers.  They went directly to the depot, there to await
the arrival of the train that was to bring Dick.

It was a cold, disagreeable evening, with a promise of rain in the air.
The boys were glad enough to go into the station, which was kept open
for the coming of the late train.

"Can a fellow get on that one o'clock Chicago train from here?" asked
Sam, of the ticket man.

"Yes, if he's got a ticket," was the reply.  "I'll have to signal it to
stop though."

"Well, I'll let you know about it as soon as I see my brother.  He is
coming in on the eleven-thirty."

It had begun to rain by the time the last-named train rolled in.  Only
three passengers got off, but one of them was Dick.  He had a suitcase
with him, and he fairly ran to meet Sam and Songbird.

"Any more news?" he demanded.

Sam related the particulars of what had occurred.  In the meantime the
train had gone on and the station was deserted by all but the ticket
man.

"Going to lock up now," he said to the boys, who had gathered in the
station, out of the rain.

"Wait just one minute please," pleaded Sam.

"Here, go out and get some cigars for yourself," added Dick, and passed
over a quarter.

"Thanks, I will," returned the ticket man, and walked off to an
all-night resort not far from the station.

"I don't see anything to do but to follow Tom to Chicago," said Dick.
"We might send a telegram to the authorities, but I can't see how it
would do any good.  They don't know him, and in a big city like that it
is hard enough to find a fellow when he is well-known.  If we take that
one o'clock train we'll be in Chicago by morning, and I'd rather look
around myself than trust the police to do it."

"All right, I came prepared for the trip," answered Sam, and pointed to
his suitcase.

When the station man came back they purchased two tickets for Chicago
and the man set out his lantern to signal the express.  Then Songbird
said good-bye, wishing them all kinds of good luck, and rode back to
Brill.

"Sam, this is simply terrible," observed the big brother, as he paced
the depot platform, the station master having gone away.  "I never
thought such a thing as this would come to Tom."

"Neither did I, Dick.  Nellie is all broke up over it, too."

"Naturally."

"Did you send word home?  I didn't."

"No, I didn't want to worry the folks until the last minute.  But Dora
knows, and so does Mrs. Stanhope."

"What about Dad's business, Dick?  Can you get away from it?"

"I can't get away any too easily, Sam.  Things are in a fearful snarl.
But I telephoned to Mr. Powell, the lawyer, to look after matters
during my absence.  I think we've got those brokers under our thumb--at
least I hope so.  But if we haven't, we stand to lose a bunch of money."

"How much?"

"Twenty or thirty thousand dollars."

"That's too bad.  If you think you ought to go back, I might look for
Tom alone."

"Don't you dare to mention such a thing, Sam.  I think more of Tom than
I do of twice that amount of money--and so do you and the rest of the
family.  Our whole duty is to find Tom, and do it, too, before he gets
into more mischief, or gets hurt," concluded the oldest Rover.

Promptly on time the night express bound west came along.  It seldom
stopped at Brill and the conductor gazed curiously at the two youths as
they got aboard.  Then the lantern was extinguished and set aside, and
the heavy train rolled on.

Fortunately travel was light that night, so the lads had no trouble in
getting a section of a sleeper from the Pullman porter.  They had only
the lower berth made up, and on that laid down, to talk matters over
and get some sleep.

"Yes, it must have been that moving picture that set Tom off," said
Dick, during the course of the conversation.  "And that gives us
something like a clue to work on.  The main scenes took place in
Alaska, and he may be just topsy-turvy enough in his mind to want to
find those places.  Talking about golden nuggets, and about being on
the trail of Bill Stiger, looks like it, anyway."

"I think so myself, Dick.  But his mind may change and he may go to
Mexico, or Europe," and Sam sighed deeply.

Neither of the boys slept much and both were up almost as early as
anybody on the train.  More to pass the time than because they felt
hungry, they went into the dining car for breakfast.

At last the train rolled into the suburbs of the great city of the
lakes and finally came to a stop at the big depot.  The youths took up
their suitcases and filed out with the other passengers.

"Have you any idea where we ought to look first?" asked Sam.

"I think we may as well leave our bags on check at this depot and look
around here," was the answer.  "Tom started from here and maybe we'll
be lucky enough to meet somebody who saw and remembered him."

Having checked the suitcases, the Rovers started in earnest, asking the
men at the news stand and in the smoking room and at the lunch counter
and restaurant.  Then they questioned the taxicab drivers, and even
some of the newsboys and bootblacks.

"It looks almost hopeless," said Sam, at last.

"Not yet," returned Dick.  "We haven't struck the most important people
yet.  Funny we didn't think of them first."

"Whom do you mean?"

"The ticket sellers.  Let me have that photo of Tom and we'll see if
any of them remember him."

From one ticket window they went to another, until they reached an
elderly man, who gazed at the photograph with interest.

"Yes, I remember that young man," he said, slowly.  "He was here
yesterday afternoon."

"Did he buy a railroad ticket?"

"He did."

"Where to?"

"Seattle."

"Can you remember on what train?" asked Sam.

"Sure.  I had to hurry for him, for he took the four-ten train, by way
of St. Paul," was the reply.




CHAPTER XV

BOUND WEST

"Well, Sam we have done all we can do for the present."

"That's right, Dick."

"Whether it will do any good or not remains to be seen," and Dick gave
a long-drawn sigh and leaned back in the sleeping car seat he occupied.

It was about three hours later and in that time the Rover boys had been
very busy.

Following the announcement of the ticket seller that Tom had taken a
train for Seattle by way of St. Paul, the Rovers had sent a telegram to
the conductor of the train, asking him to look out for Tom and have him
detained.  They had procured accommodations on the train they were now
on, and had so notified the railroad official, so he would know where
to address them, provided the missing one was found.  They had also
sent a telegram to the folks at home and another to the girls at Hope.

"Perhaps we'll get word when we reach St. Paul," said Sam.  "For all we
know Tom may be there, awaiting our arrival."

"I sincerely hope so, Sam.  I'm sure I don't want to go away out to the
Pacific coast for him."

"It's too bad Tom didn't buy one of those railroad tickets that a
fellow has to sign," observed Sam.  "If he had done that, it would be
easy to find him."

"That's true."

The train they were on was an express, making but few stops and would
reach St. Paul late in the evening.  It was only about three-quarters
filled, so the Rovers had had no difficulty in getting a section of a
sleeper.  Whether they would go further than St. Paul was, however, as
yet a problem.

"Next stop Milwaukee!" was the cry, and soon the train rolled into that
city.  Anxiously the two brothers looked out and saw one of the
trainmen take several telegrams from a man on the platform.  After the
train had started again the trainman came through the train.

"Telegrams for Miss Baker, Mr. Josephs and Mr. Rover!" he called out.

"Here you are!" cried Sam, eagerly.  "Rover."  And the telegram was
passed over.  Hastily the envelope was torn open and the contents
scanned.  The boys looked at each other blankly.  The telegram read as
follows:


"No young man answering to name Tom Rover on this train.  Will watch
passengers closely as instructed.

"FOLSOM, _Conductor_."


"What do you make of this, Dick.  Maybe Tom didn't use that ticket
after he bought it," gasped Sam.

"But that ticket seller saw him rush for the gate.  He must have gone
on the train, Sam.  He probably didn't answer to his name because if he
is out of his mind he has forgotten what his real name is.  And so long
as he keeps quiet the trainmen won't suspect anything wrong with him."

"Perhaps we'll get another telegram at St. Paul."

"I hope so."

On and on rolled the train through the afternoon, coming presently to
the shore of the upper Mississippi, with its wide stretches of
marshland and its dead trees.  It was not an inviting scene, and the
two Rovers were glad enough, when the time came, to turn from it and go
to the diner for dinner.

There was to be a stop of ten minutes at St. Paul and in that time the
boys must make up their minds whether they were going to continue on
that train or not.  If they laid over, several more hours of precious
time would be lost.

It was well towards midnight when the train reached St. Paul and a
number of sleepy passengers got off and others got on.  Dick and Sam
waited impatiently for a messenger to appear.  The telegram was there,
sure enough, and this time it carried more interesting information.


"Queer-acting young man found, but says his name is Paul Haverlock.
Says he is bound for Alaska.  Wire positive instructions, as I can take
no risks.

"FOLSOM, _Conductor_."


"It must be Tom!" cried Sam.

"But that name, Paul Haverlock," mused Dick.  "Where did he get that?"

"Why, I remember, Dick!  In that moving picture the hero was called
Paul Haverlock.  His name was on the letters they showed on the screen.
Tom must have remembered it, just as he remembered the name of the
villain, Bill Stiger!"

"I see.  Then this Paul Haverlock must really be Tom," returned Dick.
"Now to have him stopped.  I wonder where that other train is now?"

They found out that the other train was then in the vicinity of
Livingston, the junction point for Yellowstone Park.  From there it was
bound for Helena, Spokane, and then to Seattle direct.

"We'll telegraph again, and keep right on this train," said Dick, and
this was done.

If the two youths had slept but little the night before, they were even
more restless this night.  And yet they realized that Folsom, the
conductor of the other train, would not be likely to arouse Tom if he
had gone to bed.

"He won't take the chance," said Dick.  "Remember, he isn't sure of
what he is doing, and all railroad men like to keep out of trouble.  If
he made a mistake, the passenger might sue the railroad company for big
damages, and get them."

"If only we could catch up to Tom!" sighed Sam.

"That is impossible, Sam, because he is on an express, just as we are.
As it is, he'll gain on us when he gets to Spokane, for he will go
through without waiting, while we'll either have to lay over or go by
some other route that is much longer."

As there seemed nothing more to do just then they at last went to
sleep, and did not rouse up again until it was broad daylight.

They immediately asked for further news, but were informed that none
had come in.  Nor did any word come in all that forenoon.

"This suspense is fierce," was Dick's remark, at last.  "That conductor
is either asleep or has given up the search.  I wish I knew of some
first-class detective on the other end of the line who could take up
the case for us."

"We'd know somebody if Tom was bound for San Francisco," returned his
brother.  "But I don't know a soul in Seattle--oh, yes, I do!" he
suddenly shouted.

"Who, Sam?"

"A fellow named Jim Hendricks.  He is a cousin of Stanley Browne, and
also a cousin to Larry Colby, who went to Putnam Hall with us.  He was
at Brill once, for a week, and I got pretty well acquainted with him."

"Why, yes, I remember him.  He and I used to talk about what Larry and
I did at Putnam Hall.  But is he in Seattle now, and have you his
address?"

"I think I have his address.  Wait, I'll look," end Sam pulled a little
notebook out of his pocket.  "He asked me to write to him some time,
but I never did more than mail him a postal.  Yes, here is the address."

"Do you think he would help us, if he was home?"

"Sure I do.  He got acquainted with Tom, and he knew what chums Tom and
Larry were at the Hall."

"Then we might telegraph him.  It won't do any harm anyway."

A rather long telegram was prepared and sent from the next station at
which the train stopped.  There the youths hoped for another message
from Folsom the conductor, but none came.

Slowly the hours dragged by, the express thundering along in the
meanwhile on its journey westward.  They stopped at Livingston, and
there many passengers got off, bound for a trip through that great
natural wonderland, Yellowstone Park.  At Helena they heard from Folsom
again.  This time the message was one full of mystery.


"Cannot find Paul Haverlock anywhere.  So far as known, he did not
leave train at any station.  We are very much crowded, account special
excursion, and break down of Number 126.  Attached two extra cars.  He
may be hiding among new passengers.  I can do no more."


"I think I can explain this," said the conductor of the train, when
Dick showed him the telegram.  "Number 126, the train just ahead of
Number 182, the one your brother is on, broke down.  Now, the second
train is carrying two cars of the other train, and most likely all of
the other train's passengers.  So Folsom is having his hands full with
his extra duties.  In the meantime your brother has disappeared,
probably in the crowd of extra passengers."

"If he didn't jump off the train," sighed Sam.

"Would he do that?" asked the railroad man,

"I don't know.  A fellow who is out of his mind is liable to do
anything."

"That is true."

The train was now in the midst of the Rocky Mountains, but the Rovers
had no heart to look at the scenery.

"Oh, if only we get some sort of encouraging word at Spokane!" sighed
Sam.

"We ought to hear from Jim Hendricks," answered Dick.  "That is, if he
is home and got our message."  They knew that the Hendricks family were
rich and that Jim had a great deal of time to himself.

At Spokane they left the train, for they did not want to go down to
Portland, whither it was bound.  They asked at the telegraph office for
a message and one was handed over to them.

"This is something like it!" cried Dick, as he read it aloud.  It ran
as follows:


"My sincere sympathy.  I remember Tom well and will be on the watch for
him.  Will meet you on your arrival.

"JAMES V. HENDRICKS."


"Well, that's one word of encouragement," said Sam.  "Good for Jim!  I
thought he'd help us."

"If he only got the message in time to catch Tom," returned his
brother.  "We were rather late in getting it to him, remember."

"We'll have to hope for the best."

While the boys were waiting around Spokane, for the train to take them
to Seattle, they fell in with a commercial drummer who said he was
waiting for a companion with some sample cases.  He was a
kindly-looking man and during the course of his conversation let slip
the news that he had been on the train Tom had taken.

"Perhaps you can give us some information," cried Dick.  "We are trying
to catch a young man who was on that train," and he gave a few of the
particulars.

"Well! well!" cried the commercial drummer.  "To be sure I met that
fellow.  The way I noticed him was because he acted so queer.  He
didn't want to sit still, but kept walking up and down the aisle and
from one car to another.  I saw the conductor talk to him once or
twice, too."

"Where did he go?" questioned Sam.

"Well, you know the train ahead of ours broke down and we hooked fast
to some of the cars.  When this was done a lot of new passengers got in
our cars, and there was something of a mix-up.  I saw the fellow go
into one of the cars from the other train, and that's the last I did
see of him."

"And that train went right through to Seattle?" asked Dick.

"Yes.  That is, unless they had more trouble on the line.  And by the
way, did you hear of what happened on the trip from St. Paul?  A lady
lost her handbag containing jewelry to the value of ten thousand
dollars."




CHAPTER XVI

THE ROVER BOYS IN SEATTLE

Sam and Dick looked at each other in new alarm.  They remembered only
too well what had occurred at Hiram Duff's cottage.  Was it possible
that Tom had seen the lady's jewels and taken them?  In his unbalanced
state of mind he was liable to do anything.

"She had the jewels in her handbag?" questioned Dick.

"Yes, a little black affair--so she told the conductor.  When she
discovered that it was gone she was almost crazy.  She said some of the
jewelry belonged to her mother, who was with her."

"Was this in your car?"

"Yes, up at the other end from where I sat, though."  And the
commercial drummer grinned.  "Oh, I had nothing to do with it," he
added, lightly.

"I didn't suppose you had," returned Dick.  "But where was this other
fellow--the one I think was my brother--at this time?"

"Why, he sat up near the other end, too--about two seats from the lady.
He said, the same as did everybody on the car, that he hadn't seen the
bag or the jewels.  The conductor and the porter made a long search,
but nothing came of it.  The lady was wild, and said she would get her
husband to sue the company for her loss.  She had the conductor
worried, I can tell you."

"And that's why he lost interest in helping us," murmured Dick.  "He
certainly had his hands full, with that train breakdown and the missing
jewels, and looking for Tom."

"Who sat next to the lady?" asked Sam.

"Her mother, a very old woman."

"And was that young man we mentioned next?"

"Yes."

"Couldn't they find any trace of the bag at all?"

"Not a thing.  It was mighty queer, and the woman made it worse by
being so excited.  She could hardly tell when she had seen the bag
last, or where.  First she said she had had it in her lap and then she
said she guessed she had put it on a hook with her coat."

"What did they do about it?"

"I don't know, for I got off here, while the lady and her mother went
through to Seattle," answered the drummer.

The commercial man could tell but little more of importance to the
Rovers, and presently, when his companion came with the sample cases,
he went away.

"Dick, do you think Tom took that lady's handbag with the jewels?"
asked Sam, when the two were by themselves.

"Sam, I don't know what to think," was the discouraging reply.  "I only
know one thing--the quicker we locate Tom and put him in some safe
place, the better."

"Do you--you think his mind is affected for good--I mean for always?"

"Let us hope not.  Why, it would be terrible to have to keep him in an
asylum for the rest of his life!  It would just about kill father.  And
think of Nellie."

"It certainly is the worst thing that ever happened!" muttered Sam.
"It's worse than our trouble with Dan Baxter, Lew Flapp, or with Sobber
and those brokers, and old Crabtree."

"So it is."

When the train for Seattle finally came in they got abroad.  It was so
crowded that they had to take seats in a day coach.  But this they did
not mind.  They would have ridden on a freight train, could they have
gotten to Seattle faster thereby.

Hour after hour passed slowly.  The boys could not settle down to read,
and they had little appetite for their meals.  They caught a little
sleep in their seats, and were ready to leave the train the moment the
conductor called out that they were approaching Seattle.

"I see Jim Hendricks!" cried Sam, as he looked out of a window.

"Is Tom with him?" queried his brother.

"No, he is alone."

In a minute more they were out of the train, suitcases in hand, and
shaking hands with the cousin of Stanley and Larry.  Jim Hendricks'
usually jolly face showed his deep concern.

"I've got bad news for you," he said.  "That train Tom was on got here
before I did, and so I didn't have a chance to stop him.  I've been
making some inquiries though, and I am pretty certain he reached this
place.  One man who was on the train told me he had met a young fellow
who said he was bound for Alaska to find some nuggets of gold.  He
wanted to know about the ships that sailed for Sitka and Juneau, and
the man told him what he knew.  He said the young fellow went off in
the direction of the shipping offices."

"Oh, Dick! we must get after him at once!" cried Sam.

"That's it, Sam."  Dick turned to Jim Hendricks.  "Will you show us
where they are?  We can go in a taxicab."

"I've got our auto outside--we can go in that, and you may as well
bring your baggage along," continued the Seattle young man.  "If you
have to remain in town, I want you to stay at our house."

"Thanks, that's kind of you," answered Dick.

Jim led the way outside, to where stood a handsome six-cylinder touring
car.  "I don't know when the steamers sail, but we can soon find out,"
he said, and directed the chauffeur where to go.

They were soon passing through the streets of Seattle, a well-built up
city where much business is done.  As many of my young readers must
know, Seattle is located on Puget Sound, one of the great natural
gateways to the Pacific Ocean.  Just south of it is Tacoma, also a city
of importance.

The ride to the first of the shipping offices did not take long, and
going inside Dick made some inquiries of the clerk at the desk.

"Don't remember any such man," said the clerk.

"When is your next sailing?"

"Day after to-morrow.  Want to book for the passage?"

"Perhaps.  I don't know yet."

"Better make up your mind pretty quick.  We have only a few berths
left," went on the clerk.

"We are looking for a certain young man who was bound for Alaska," went
on Dick, producing Tom's photograph.  "Have you seen anything of him?"

The clerk gave a glance at the photograph and started.

"Well, that's strange!" tie cried.

"You saw him?" put in Sam, eagerly.

"I sure did.  Did you want to meet him?"

"Very much."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't see how you are going to do it.  His name
was, let me see--Haverlock, I believe."

"That's the name he was traveling under," answered Dick, giving his
brother a nudge in the ribs.

"Wasn't his own then?" and the clerk became interested.

"No, it's an assumed name.  I might as well tell you, the young man
isn't all here," and Dick touched his forehead.

"I thought that might be it--he acted so queerly.  But he got his
ticket for the other boat.  You see it was this way: He came in here
just as I was talking to a man who had purchased a ticket for the other
boat and wanted to stay in Seattle another week.  The man wanted me to
exchange the ticket or give him his money back.  While we were
discussing the matter, this Haverlock, or whatever his name is, came
in.  He listened for a minute and then said he'd take the ticket and
glad of the chance, for he said he was in a mighty hurry to get some
nuggets of gold.  So the man transferred the ticket to him, and that
was the last I saw of the young fellow."

"When did that other boat sail?" asked Sam.

"Last night, at nine o'clock."

"Last night!" cried Dick.  "Then he certainly must have rushed
matters!"  He looked at Jim Hendricks.  "What can we do next, do you
suppose?"

"You might send a wireless to the steamship," was the suggestion.  "If
he's under the name of Haverlock they ought to be able to hold him.
Where did the steamer sail for?" Jim went on, to the clerk.

"For Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and all the regular ports."

"She carries a wireless?" asked Sam.

"Certainly.  You can send a message from here if you wish.  We can
telephone it over to the wireless station."

"Let's do it!" burst out Sam.  "The quicker somebody takes charge of
poor Tom the better!"

"You're right," answered Dick.  He wiped his forehead with his
handkerchief.  "What a pity we didn't get here sooner, or that Tom
wasn't delayed!"

Then he and Sam got a blank and started to write out the wireless
message that might put those on board the steamer on the track of Tom.




CHAPTER XVII

OFF FOR ALASKA

"What steamer was that?" questioned Dick and the clerk told him.

"I suppose we had better address the captain," said Sam.  "Now, the
question is, What shall we say?"

"We'll give Tom's assumed name and a short description of him, and ask
that he be held for us at one of the ports," said Dick.  "I don't know
what else to do."

"I don't think the captain will hold the young man on your say-so,"
said the clerk, on being questioned.  "He would be afraid of getting
into trouble with the authorities.  You had better get the police to
make the request."

"The trouble is, we don't want to make this too public," explained
Dick.  "We'd rather keep it quiet.  I'll risk the personal message to
the captain."

"I'll sign the message with you," said Jim Hendricks.  "Maybe the
captain will know our family, at least by reputation."

"Who are you, if I may ask?" came from the clerk, curiously.

"I am James Hendricks, and my father is Colonel Wilby Hendricks."

"Oh, yes, I guess Captain Dwight knows of your father.  Your name will
carry weight with him," added the clerk, for he knew that the colonel
was well-known and was rich.

After considerable trouble the message was made out and telephoned at
once to the wireless station.  This accomplished, there was nothing to
do but to wait for an answer.

"When is the next sailing for Alaskan ports?" asked Dick.

"Our sailing, as I told you before, is day after to-morrow.  But one of
the other lines has a sailing to-morrow, at nine P. M."

"They all seem to sail at nine o'clock at night," mused Sam.

"Yes, that is the usual hour," answered the clerk.

"Well, if we have to, we can take that boat at nine o'clock to-morrow
night," remarked Dick.

"Provided you can get accommodations," said the clerk.

"Oh, we'll get aboard somehow--if we really have to go."

Jim Hendricks insisted that the Rovers ride up to his house with him,
and away sped the touring car for the most fashionable quarter of
Seattle.  Here the Hendricks had a beautiful mansion, and here the
newcomers were cordially greeted by Mrs. Hendricks, the colonel being
out of the city on business.

"You've just got to make yourselves at home," said Jim.  "It won't do a
bit of good to fret so much.  You are bound to get hold of poor Tom
sooner or later, and I can't see that this trip to Alaska is going to
hurt him any.  It may do him good."

"But he may wander away and we may lose all track of him," answered
Sam.  "I've heard of persons disappearing like that."

The Hendricks did all in their power to make the Rovers feel at home.
Sam and Dick were utterly worn out and took a brief rest.  After that
came an elaborate meal, served in the Hendricks' spacious dining room.

The telephone rang several times, but they were only local messages, of
no importance to the Rover boys.  But then came another message that
filled them with interest, being from the wireless office.

"It's from Captain Dwight," explained Jim, who took the message down.
"Too bad," he murmured.

"What does he say?" demanded Sam and Dick, in a breath.

"He can't find anybody by the name of Paul Haverlock, nor can he find
any passenger answering to the description you gave him of Tom.  He
says, 'Too many answering your general description,' which means that
he can't pick Tom out, even if he is on board."

"Tom must have changed his name again," said Sam.  "Most likely he
gives any name that happens to come into his head."

"But he ought to be on the steamer's list of passengers."

"That's true.  I can't understand it."

For a long time the Rover boys talked the matter over.  Had Tom really
gone to Alaska?

"We had better make some inquiries at the dock from which that steamer
sailed," said Dick.  "Maybe we'll meet somebody who will remember Tom."

The next morning found them at the dock, Jim going with them.  All
sorts of men and boys were interviewed, and at last they met a taxicab
driver who had carried Tom from the railroad station.  He recognized
the photograph at once.

"Yes, I took him from the depot to the shipping office, and then
carried his handbag to the steamer," said the taxicab driver.  "He was
a fine young man," he added.

"Maybe he tipped you pretty good," ventured Dick, with a faint smile.

"He sure did;--gave me fare and a dollar over."

"And you are dead sure he got on the steamer?" insisted Sam.

"I am.  He was almost the last passenger on board and I am sure he
didn't come ashore again."

"Then he must have gone to Alaska," said Dick.

The youths had already learned that the ticket Tom had purchased had
been for Skagway.  At that point, so the agent had told them, a
connection could be made for the White Pass and Yukon Route.

"That's the way Tom would go--if he wanted to get up to where that
moving picture was taken," said Dick.  "That's the land of gold--and
also ice and snow."

"I guess the best thing we can do, Dick, is to get to Juneau and
Skagway as soon as we can."

"It would seem so, Sam.  It's a pretty long journey."

"So it is, but what else is there to do?  We don't want poor Tom to
become hopelessly lost, and in such a far-away country as that."

"If the travel wasn't so awfully heavy we'd have a better chance to
locate Tom," went on Dick.  "But with the steamers so loaded it is
pretty hard to find anybody just by a description."

As the boys had both left Ashton in a hurry they had but few things
with them.  In the Hendricks car they traveled around Seattle,
purchasing such things as they needed.

"I don't suppose Tom has much clothing," said Sam.  "Poor fellow, I do
hope he doesn't go away up North where it is so cold!"

"I've got to send some word home and to New York," said Dick, after the
shopping was over.

"Dick, can you really spare the time to go to Alaska?" questioned his
brother.  "If you can't, I could go alone."

"I think it is best for us to go together, Sam.  I imagine we are going
to have our hands full, too.  As for Dad's business, it will have to
wait, that's all.  I think I can trust Mr. Powell to do the right
thing.  The worst of the whole business is, this is going to worry Dad
and Aunt Martha and Uncle Randolph a great deal.  But that can't be
helped."

At last came the time for the steamer to leave.  The brothers had been
fortunate in getting a stateroom together.  It was not a very desirable
room, but it was much better than nothing.  And they would have gone,
"if they had to sleep on the anchor," as Sam expressed it.

Jim Hendricks came down to see them off.  He shook hands cordially on
parting.

"I'm sure I wish you the best of luck," he said.  "And I'll write to
your chums at Brill, telling them of what is taking place."

Slowly the big steamer left the harbor and turned her bow towards the
North.  It was dark, so but little outside of the twinkling lights of
the city could be seen.  Yet the Rovers remained on deck for over an
hour, for neither felt like turning in.

They noticed that the passengers were quite a mixed set.  Many were
mere tourists, taking a round trip to Alaska for sight seeing.  Others
were Alaskan merchants and traders, who had been "down to the States"
on business.  Mixed in with the crowd were many men, young and
middle-aged, bound for the North to try their luck in the gold fields.
The great rush to the Klondyke was a thing of the past, but new gold
fields were being opened continually.

The boys were on their way to their stateroom when they came suddenly
face to face with a burly man who wore a heavy beard and mustache.  The
man was about to pass them when he suddenly stopped short, stared at
Dick and then at Sam, and caught each by the arm.

"Say, am I dreamin', or is this the Rovers!" he gasped.

"We are the Rovers, yes," answered Dick, and he gave the burly man a
closer look.  "And this is Jack Wumble, I believe," he added.

"Jack Wumble!" cried Sam.  "Really!"

"Put her thar!  Put her thar!" cried the man, and took hold of the hand
of each at once.  "Ain't this great!  Whar ye bound now anyhow?  Goin'
to locate another mine--like thet one we found out in Colorady?"

"No, we are not looking for a mine this trip," answered Dick.  "We are
on the trail of something far more important."

"More important than a gold mine?" demanded Jack Wumble, his eyes
opening widely.

"Yes.  We are on the trail of my brother Tom, who is out of his mind
and has wandered away."

"Hoss pistols an' rattlesnakes!  Ye don't tell me!  Well, if Tom is
missin' count me in on the hunt fer him," was the quick and earnest
response.




CHAPTER XVIII

AT JUNEAU AND SKAGWAY

Jack Wumble was an old miner and prospector, a man the boys had met
years before in Colorado, when they went to that section of our country
to locate a mine belonging to their father.  As related in detail in
"The Rover Boys Out West," Wumble had been of great assistance to them
and he knew them all well.  He had, after numerous stirring adventures,
located a claim for himself, which, at the time, paid very well.
Lately, however, the Rovers had not heard from him, and they had often
wondered what had become of the man.

"You're a sight fer sore eyes, so ye are!" cried Jack Wumble, slapping
each on the shoulder.  "I never dreamed o' seein' ye in this out o' the
way corner o' the country."

"We didn't expect to come here either, up to a few days ago," answered
Sam.

"Maybe ye better tell me the story," suggested the old miner.  "If I
kin help ye I will."

"Come on to the cabin," suggested Dick, and led the way.  They sat down
on a corner seat, and there the Rovers told their story, withholding
nothing, for they knew they could trust Jack Wumble in every particular.

"Gosh all hemlock!  Sounds like one of them theatre plays I see in
'Frisco," was the old miner's comment.  "To think Tom would wander away
in thet fashion!  'Tain't no wonder ye are scart to deth!  I'd be scart
myself, thinkin' he might jump overboard, or sumthin' like thet.  He
ought to be put in an asylum."

After that Jack Wumble told his own story.  He said his claim in
Colorado had gradually petered out, and then he had tried his fortunes
in various other places, gradually winding up in the Klondyke.  There
he had struck what he hoped would prove a bonanza.

"I've been down to the States buying some machinery an' some supplies,"
he added.  "They are coming up on a freight boat next week.  I find I
can do better to go to the States fer things than to buy in Alaska."

"Have you taken any gold out of your claim yet?" questioned Sam, with
interest.

Jack Wumble looked around, to make certain that nobody was listening
but the Rovers.

"Don't ye tell nobody," he whispered.  "I took out about two thousand
dollars, in nuggets an' dust, in less'n ten days!"

"Fine!" returned Dick, and Sam nodded.  "I hope you keep it up."

"It's the machinery is goin' to tell the tale," returned Jack Wumble.
"I can't do much more by hand."

"Are you working the mine alone?" asked Sam.

"Fer the present.  When I came away I left the claim in charge o' a
miner named Allison--Tim Allison.  But I told him not to do any
diggin'--just keep his eyes on things.  When there is any diggin' to be
done I want to be on hand."

Wumble was bound for Skagway, where he said his machinery and supplies
would be sent.  He knew that section of Alaska thoroughly, and said he
would show the lads where to go and what to do.

"Things is changin' mightily up there every day," he remarked.  "They
are dredgin' channels an' buildin' railroads, and making all kinds o'
roads.  Go there one year an' the next ye won't 'most know the place,
it will look so different."

"Well, they are developing all parts of the country," answered Dick.

"Maybe; but nuthin' to wot they're doin' in Alaska," answered the old
miner.

The three sat up for half an hour longer, talking matters over.  Of
course Jack Wumble wanted to know about Mr. Rover, and was sorry to
learn that the boys' father was not well.  He could hardly believe that
Dick was married.

"Why, it don't seem like no time since you an' your brothers came out
to Colorady to locate thet mine," he remarked.

There was a little wind, but otherwise the night was calm.  Now that
they could do no more for the present, the Rovers realized how tired
they were, and once in their berths both went sound asleep.  Nor did
they rouse up until well into the morning.  The sleep did them a world
of good, and when they dressed and went to breakfast they felt quite
like themselves once more.

"If we didn't have to worry about Tom, I could enjoy this trip
immensely," remarked Sam.

Jack Wumble had already satisfied his hunger, for he was an early
riser.  After breakfast all sat on the deck, and the old miner related
some of his experiences while prospecting in various localities, and
the boys told how they had finished up at Putnam Hall and gone to Brill.

"I can't hardly believe thet Dan Baxter has reformed," said Wumble,
shaking his head slowly.  "I allers put him an' his father down fer bad
eggs."

"Well, they were pretty bad at one time," answered Dick.  "But Dan
found out that it didn't pay to be bad.  And his father is old and, I
guess, well satisfied to behave himself and take it easy."

"Mr. Baxter might have been a wealthy man if he had done things on the
level," returned the old miner.

The journey up the coast of Canada to the lower point of Alaska was
full of interest to the boys.  In due course of time, the bow of the
steamer was turned into Chatham Strait, and soon they were running past
Admiralty Island.

Both Sam and Dick had expected to see quite a city at Juneau, and they
were disappointed when they beheld only a scattered town, lying on a
strip of land, bound on one side by what is called the Lynn Canal and
on the other by the mouth of the Taku River.  In the distance were some
high mountains, which the boys looked at with interest.

Fortunately the steamer was to remain at Juneau for two hours, and in
that time the Rovers hoped to make certain whether or not Tom had
landed there.  They lost no time in getting ashore, and Jack Wumble
went with them.

At first there was so much confusion at the dock that the youths could
learn little or nothing.  But as the crowd cleared away they were
enabled to make some inquiries of officials and others.  But nobody had
seen Tom, or knew anything about him.

"I think he must have remained on the steamer," said Sam.  "If he was
after those nuggets he'd want to get right up into the land of gold."

"Thet's the way I reason it out," put in Jack Wumble.  "Better stick to
the trip, lads.  I think ye'll be able to learn somethin' in Skagway."

So when the steamer left the dock they were on board.

The trip to Skagway was a decidedly interesting one, and the youths
listened closely to all the old miner had to tell them about the
country and its inhabitants.

"It's changin' amazingly fast," said Jack Wumble.  "They are clearin'
out ship channels an' buildin' railroads, and towns spring up like
magic.  Now whar I'm located--a place called Black Run--thar wasn't a
house thar three years ago.  Now we got a store an' a dozen shacks, an'
more buildin' every day!  I tell you, I think Alaska is one o' the
greatest countries in the world!"

There was a greater bustle and confusion than ever when the steamer
tied up at Skagway.  Here a connection can be made with the White Pass
and Yukon route, and other routes.  About ten miles away, up the Lynn
Canal, was Dyea, also a town of importance.

The boys followed Jack Wumble ashore and waited until some of the
bustle and confusion was over, and then commenced a systematic hunt for
Tom.

The hunt lasted until nearly midnight, and then, utterly worn out, the
Rovers and the old miner had to give it up.  They had met just one man
who remembered having seen a person who looked like Tom on the steamer,
and who said the fellow had landed at Skagway.  But where the unknown
had gone the man could not say.

"Yes, that's the fellow," said the man, when shown Tom's photograph.
"But he didn't look quite as nice as that.  He looked--well, wild like."

"He is wild," answered Dick.  "That is why we want to find him."

Jack Wumble knew of a fairly good hotel, and the three put up there for
the night.  The boys were so tired they slept "like logs," as Dick said
afterwards.  But they were up bright and early, along with the old
miner, and directly after breakfast set out on another search for Tom.

"I hate to waste your time, Jack," said Dick to Wumble.  "So if you
want to go ahead----"

"Stop right thar, Dick!" cried the old miner.  "I ain't in sech an
all-fired hurry I can't try to do ye a good turn.  I like Tom, an' I'm
going to stay with ye fer a few days an' see if we can't locate him."
And thus the matter was settled.

Two days were spent in Skagway and Dyea hunting for the missing one.
Late in the afternoon of the second day the boys and the old miner
separated, to make inquiries in different places.

Sam and Dick came back to the hotel at supper time much discouraged,
having heard nothing to their advantage.  Half an hour later Jack
Wumble came in, his face showing his excitement.

"I've got on the trail!" he cried.  "Come on, we're goin' to git after
Tom right away!"




CHAPTER XIX

FROM ONE CLUE TO ANOTHER

"What have you learned, Jack?"

"When did he leave here?"

"Is he all right?"

"I'm ready to go after him right now."

Such were the words that came from the Rover boys after Jack Wumble had
announced that he had located their missing brother.

"We ain't got no time to spare," cried the old miner.  "Let us pay our
bill here an' git out, an' I'll tell ye all I know while we are on the
way."

The lads lost no time in packing up as directed, and Dick settled at
the hotel desk.  Jack Wumble led the way down to the docks and ordered
them into a small river boat.

"This here ain't no regular boat," he explained.  "But I've hired
passage on her, so it's all right.  We'll save fourteen hours by not
waitin' fer the regular boat."

"But where are we going, Jack?" questioned Dick.

"To a jumpin'-off place called Lindy Falls.  That is whar the party Tom
was with was goin' to start from."

Soon the boat, a large craft of its kind, was on the way up the river.
As they sped along, the boys and the old miner drew into a corner of
the cabin and Jack Wumble told his story.

"By the merest accident I fell in with a man named Rabig I used to know
in 'Frisco," said the old miner.  "He's interested in the Golden Sunset
mine an' the Beggar's Chance.  Well, I told Rabig about you an' Tom an'
he got interested an' asked me how Tom looked an' I told him.  Then he
told about how he fell in with Tom on board thet steamer an' how Tom
had told him he was bound fer the Lion Head gold fields.  He had it in
his head, so Rabig said, that he could pick up nuggets at the Lion
Head."

"The Lion Head?" repeated Dick.  "Where is that?"

"It's a good distance from here, Dick, I can tell ye that.  It's to the
northwest o' the Klondyke.  A wild place.  It's called the Lion Head
acause thar's a mountain thar thet looks like a lion's head.  I was
thar onct, prospectin' around.  But I didn't find any gold thar.  But
some have found gold," added the old miner.

"How will Tom get there?" questioned Sam.

"Thet's the strangest part o' it," resumed Jack Wumble.  "It appears as
how he fell in with a miner named Furner--Ike Furner.  Rabig says
Furner is a bit touched here."  Wumble tapped his forehead.  "Well, the
two made up their minds to go to Lion Head.  Furner told Tom he was
sure they could pick up nuggets, if only they could hit the right spot.
Furner had some kind o' an outfit an' he got Tom to buy some more
things, and away they started.  Rabig thought they was both crazy."

"And so they must be!" murmured Dick.  "Poor Tom!  I hope we catch him
before he gets too far into the mountains."

"Did this man Rabig say what name Tom was traveling under?" asked Sam.

"Yes.  A mighty queer name, too.  Brill Thomas.  How do ye account fer
that?"

"Brill Thomas!" repeated Dick.  "Oh, that's easy.  Brill is the name of
the college he attends and Thomas is his first name in full.  He is out
of his mind, but he still retains snatches of names and things, I
suppose, and that's how he hit on Brill Thomas for a name."

"He told Rabig he was from the land of Hope--the Valley Brook of Hope,"
went on Jack Wumble.  "Rabig never heard tell o' the location."

"Valley Brook is the farm we live on, and Hope is a school near Brill,"
said Sam.  "Poor, poor Tom!  Who would have imagined such a thing as
this could happen to him!"

"How far is Lion Head from here?" asked Dick.

"As the crow flies, about five hundred miles."

"Five hundred miles!" exclaimed Sam.

"Yes, an' it's nearly six hundred by the way they'll have to travel,"
went on Jack Wumble.

This news almost stunned the Rover boys.  Was it possible that Tom was
undertaking a trip of six hundred miles into the little-known portion
of Alaska?

"He'd never do such a thing if he was in his right mind," said Dick.
"We must catch him just as soon as we can!"

"That is why I hired passage on this boat," said the old miner.  "I'm
calkerlatin' we can head him off.  Thet is, if the weather stays good."

"It looks like rain and is getting colder."

"Right ye are, Dick.  An' when it gits cold up here, it gits cold, I
kin tell ye thet.  Last winter I 'most froze to death up in my shack,"
added Jack Wumble.

The trip on the boat to Lindy Falls was without special incident.
There were about a dozen passengers, all miners and prospectors, who
did not care to wait for any of the regular boats.  They were a rather
good-natured set, and whiled away the time by swapping stories and
arguing about the best way to locate paying claims and getting out the
gold.

Lindy Falls was reached one afternoon about two o'clock.  It was little
more than a boat and trading station and here the Rover boys got their
first sight of Alaskan Indians, members of the Chilkoot tribe.

Immediately on landing they made inquiries concerning Tom and the miner
named Ike Furner.  They soon learned that Furner was a well-known
character, and from a trader heard that this man and his young
companion had set off but a few hours before.

"I think they went to Dawson City," said a man standing nearby.
"Anyway, Furner told me he was goin' there first, an' then up to Lion
Head."

This put a new view on the matter, and the boys and Jack Wumble
questioned the stranger.  The upshot was that they decided to go
directly to Dawson, that mecca of all gold hunters in Alaska.

"Now, the thing of it is, How can we get to Dawson from here?" said Sam.

"That's easy," replied Jack Wumble.  "Just leave it to me."

Inside of an hour their arrangements were made and they were off.
Previous to going they made more inquiries concerning Tom and his
strange companion, and reached the conclusion that the pair had really
headed for Dawson.