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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40254 ***
+
+BERT WILSON'S TWIN CYLINDER RACER
+
+by
+
+J. W. DUFFIELD
+
+Author of "Bert Wilson at the Wheel,"
+"Wireless Operator," "Fadeaway Ball,"
+"Marathon Winner," "At Panama."
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Copyright, 1914, By
+Sully And Kleinteich
+
+All rights reserved.
+
+Published and Printed, 1924, by
+Western Printing & Lithographing Company
+Racine, Wisconsin
+Printed in U. S. A.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+ CHAPTER                            PAGE
+      I. THE RUNAWAY LOCOMOTIVE        1
+     II. THE "BLUE STREAK"            13
+    III. FROM COAST TO COAST          28
+     IV. A FLYING START               41
+      V. THE DESERTED HUT             53
+     VI. THE BROKEN DAM               65
+    VII. A KENTUCKY FEUD              82
+   VIII. THE FORGED TELEGRAM          97
+     IX. IN DEADLY PERIL             104
+      X. A DAY OF DISASTER           118
+     XI. THE FLAMING FOREST          129
+    XII. RACING AN AIRSHIP           137
+   XIII. AN UNSEEN LISTENER          145
+    XIV. THE OUTLAW PLOT             154
+     XV. A MURDEROUS GRIP            163
+    XVI. DESPERATE CHANCES           175
+   XVII. THE WONDERFUL CITY          188
+  XVIII. A WINNING FIGHT             199
+
+
+
+
+BERT WILSON'S TWIN CYLINDER RACER
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+THE RUNAWAY LOCOMOTIVE
+
+
+"Stop her. Stop her. She's running wild!"
+
+The cry ended almost in a shriek that rang high above the murmur of
+voices at the railroad station.
+
+It was a bright sunny morning early in June. The usual crowd of rustics
+had gathered at the depot to see the train come in and depart. A few
+commercial travelers were consulting time tables and attending to the
+disposition of their baggage. Gay laughter and hasty farewells arose
+from a bevy of girls and the young men who had assembled to see them
+off. The conductor, watch in hand, stood ready to give the signal,
+and the black porters were already gathering up the folding steps
+preparatory to boarding the train. The bells were ringing and the
+whistle had given its preliminary toot, when all were startled at the
+sight of the station agent, who issued wild-eyed from his office and ran
+on the track, frantically waving his hands and shouting at the top of
+his voice.
+
+As the startled passengers and trainmen followed the direction of his
+look, they saw what had occasioned the wild commotion, and, for a
+moment, their hearts stood still.
+
+A big Mogul engine that had been shunted to a side track was moving down
+the line, slowly at first but gathering speed with every passing second.
+Neither engineer nor fireman could be seen in the cab. It was evident
+that they had left before the power was completely shut off, or that
+some sudden jar had started the mechanism. Even while the frightened
+spectators watched as though under a spell, the pace grew swifter. Some
+of the men lounging about the roundhouse made a hurried rush for it,
+with a faint hope of getting aboard and shutting off steam. One of these
+made a desperate grab at the rear end of the tender, but was flung in a
+ditch alongside the track, where he rolled over and over. It was too
+late to stop her. Amid a tempest of yells and a tumult of excitement she
+gathered way and sped down the line.
+
+The station master wrung his hands and tore his hair in desperation. For
+the moment he was crazed with fright.
+
+A clear eyed young fellow, tall, stalwart, muscular, had been chatting
+with a party of friends on the road beside the platform. While he
+talked, his hand rested on the handle-bars of a motorcycle at which he
+glanced at intervals with a look of pride that was almost affection. It
+was a superb machine, evidently of the latest type, and in its graceful
+lines suggested in some vague way a resemblance to its owner. Both
+looked like thoroughbreds.
+
+At the Babel of cries that rent the air the young motorcyclist looked up
+and his nostrils dilated with sudden purpose. At a glance he took in the
+situation--the running men, the panic cries, the runaway engine. Then he
+came plunging through the crowd and grasped the dazed agent by the
+shoulder.
+
+"Come, wake up," he cried. "Do something. Telegraph to the next
+station."
+
+The man looked up dully. Terror had benumbed his faculties. He was
+clearly not the man for a sudden emergency.
+
+"No use," he moaned. "The next station is thirteen miles away. And it's
+a single track," he wailed, "and No. 56 is due in twenty minutes. If
+she's on time she's already left there. They'll meet head-on--O God!"
+
+"Quick," the newcomer commanded, as he fairly dragged him into the
+office. "There's the key. Get busy. Call up the next station and see if
+you can stop 56."
+
+But as he saw the aimless, paralyzed way in which the agent fumbled at
+the key, he thrust him aside and took his place. He was an expert
+telegrapher, and his fingers fairly flew as he called up the operator
+at Corridon.
+
+"Engine running wild," he called. "Stop 56 and sidetrack the runaway."
+
+A moment of breathless suspense and the answer came in sharp, staccato
+clicks that betrayed the agitation of the man at the other end.
+
+"56 just left. Rounding the curve half a mile away. Making up time, too.
+For heaven's sake, do something."
+
+"Do something." What bitter irony! What could be done? Death was at the
+throttle of that mad runaway rushing down the line.
+
+But the young fellow was of the never say die kind, and always at his
+best when danger threatened. He thought with the rapidity of lightning.
+Then he clutched the station agent, who sat with his head bowed on his
+hands, a picture of abject misery.
+
+"Is there a switch between here and Corridon?" he demanded fiercely.
+
+"N-no," muttered the stupefied man. "That is, there is one at the old
+stone quarry, but----"
+
+The remainder of the sentence fell on empty air. Like a flash, the youth
+who had so cavalierly taken matters in his own hands was out of the
+room. He ploughed through the huddled group of passengers and trainmen,
+and flung himself into the saddle of the waiting motorcycle. A roar as
+he threw in the clutch, a quick scattering of those in front, and the
+machine, like a living thing, darted down the road that lay beside the
+track.
+
+The wind sang in his ears and the path fell away behind him as he
+crouched low over the fork so that his body might offer as little
+resistance as possible. And, as he rushed along, his active mind was
+thinking--thinking--
+
+He knew the surrounding country like an open book. There was scarcely a
+lane that he had not threaded, and as for the highways, he had gone over
+them again and again. Now, as in a panorama, he saw every turn and bend,
+every height and hollow of the road that lay before him. In sheer
+delight of living he had ridden it before; now he must do it to keep
+others from dying.
+
+The old stone quarry was a familiar landmark. More than once, he and
+other fellows from the College interested in geology had come over there
+to hunt fossils. At an earlier date, it had been a buzzing hive of
+activity, and a side track had been laid by the railroad company
+in order to load the stone more easily. But of late it had proved
+unprofitable to work the quarry, and nothing now remained but the
+abandoned shacks of the workmen and some broken tools and machinery,
+rusting in the grass that had grown up around them. He remembered that
+the siding ran for about twenty rods and ended at bumpers set within a
+few feet of the wall of rock.
+
+For two or three miles, the road he was traveling ran almost parallel to
+the railroad. At times, a shoulder of the path hid the rails from sight,
+and at one place he had to make quite a wide detour before he again came
+close to the right of way. The switch at the quarry was seven miles from
+the town, and, though he hoped to make it in less than that many
+minutes, it seemed as though he would never reach it. To his agonized
+mind he appeared to be merely crawling. In reality he was flying.
+
+For he was riding now as he had never ridden before. Human life was at
+stake--perhaps hundreds of lives. He pictured the long line of cars full
+of passengers--for 56 was the road's finest train, and almost always
+filled to capacity--coming toward him without a thought of danger.
+Some would be reading, others gazing out of the windows, still others
+laughing and talking. But everywhere would be confidence, ease of
+mind, an eager looking for the journey's end without the slightest
+apprehension. And all this time, death was grimly bearing down upon them
+in one of his most fearful forms.
+
+He shuddered as in his mind's eye he saw the two monster locomotives
+leaping at each other like enraged giants. He had seen a wreck once and
+had fervently prayed that he might never see another. And as that scene
+now came before him, he bent lower over the bars and let out every ounce
+of speed that the machine possessed.
+
+It was leaping now, only touching the high places. Had he been a less
+skilful rider he would have been hurled from the saddle. Discretion was
+thrown to the winds. It was no time to measure possibilities or look out
+for his personal safety. He had to take chances. His siren warned all
+comers to give him the road. A team was hauled up on its haunches by the
+frightened driver; an automobile drew so hastily to one side that two
+wheels went into the ditch. He caught a glimpse of startled faces at
+doors and windows as he passed. Like a meteor he flashed by, all his
+heart and soul wrapped up in the thought of rescue.
+
+Now he had overtaken the locomotive and was running parallel to it. The
+Mogul swayed and lurched as it tore along with all steam up on its
+mission of destruction. Steadily the rider drew up on even terms, with
+less than twenty feet separating the tracks from the high road. Then the
+motorcycle swept into the lead and increased it with every bound.
+
+Only two miles more to the quarry! His heart exulted as he realized that
+he would get there first. But the margin would be fearfully close. The
+switch might prove rusty and refuse to work. Some part of it might be
+out of gear. For years it had been utterly abandoned. What a bitter
+jest of fate if, after reaching it ahead of the locomotive, he should
+have to stand helplessly by and see it dash past on its errand of
+slaughter.
+
+Then, too, a third factor entered into the problem. There was No. 56.
+She was a limited express and famous for her speed. The operator at
+Corridon had said that on this stretch of road, supposed to be clear,
+she would make up time. If she reached and passed the switch before the
+runaway, no power on earth could prevent a frightful disaster. And just
+then, while this fear was tugging at his heart, a faint whistle in the
+distance drove all the color from his face. 56 was coming!
+
+He dared not take his eyes from the road in front, but he knew from the
+lessened noise behind him that he was increasing his lead. And then as
+he swept around a slight curve in the road, the abandoned quarry came
+into view. There were the empty shacks, the deserted platform and, a few
+rods further on, the switch.
+
+He raced to the tracks and threw himself from the machine, almost
+falling headlong from the momentum, although he had turned off the
+power. Then he grasped the lever and tried to throw the switch.
+
+It groaned and creaked, but, although it protested, it yielded to the
+powerful young muscles that would not be denied. But, when it had moved
+two-thirds of the way it balked, and, despite his frenzied attempts,
+refused to budge another inch. And now the runaway engine was coming
+close, rumbling and roaring hideously, while round the curve, a scant
+quarter of a mile away, appeared the smokestack of No. 56.
+
+Looking wildly about for the obstacle, he saw that a stone had been
+wedged into the frog. He tried to remove it, but the turning of the
+switch had jammed it against the rail. Straightening up, he swung
+the lever far enough back to release the stone. He worked as if in
+a nightmare. Fifty feet away, the Mogul was bearing down like a
+fire-breathing demon. With one swift movement he threw the stone aside;
+with the next he bowed his back over the lever until it felt as though
+it would break. Then the rusted rails groaned into place; with an
+infernal din and uproar the runaway took the switch. Scarcely had it
+cleared the track when 56 thundered past, its wheels sending out streams
+of sparks as the brakes ground against them.
+
+The Mogul struck the bumpers with terrific force, tore them away and
+leaped headlong against the wall of the quarry. There was a crash that
+could be heard for miles, and the wrecked locomotive reared into the air
+and then rolled over on its side, enveloped in smoke and hissing steam.
+
+As soon as the long train of 56 could be stopped, the throttle was
+reversed and it came gliding back to the switch. The engineer and
+fireman sprang from their cab, conductor and trainmen came running up,
+and the passengers swarmed from the cars.
+
+There was a tumult of excited questionings, as they gathered round the
+young fellow who stood there, panting with the strain of his tremendous
+efforts. Now that he had succeeded in the forlorn hope that he had
+undertaken, he was beginning to feel the reaction. He responded briefly
+and modestly to the questions that were showered upon him, and, as
+the full meaning of their narrow escape from death burst upon them,
+passengers and trainmen alike were loud in their praise of his presence
+of mind and thanks for their deliverance. They were for making him a
+hero, but he shrank from this and would have none of it.
+
+"Don't thank me," he laughed. "It was this that made it possible;" and
+he patted the handlebars of the motorcycle. "She certainly did herself
+proud this day."
+
+"She surely is a dandy," smiled the conductor, "but you must admit that
+you had a _little_ to do with it. We'll never forget what you have done
+for us to-day. But now we must be starting. We'll put the machine in the
+baggage car, and you come in here with me."
+
+A blast of the whistle and No. 56 had resumed its interrupted journey.
+
+A ringing cheer burst from the anxious crowds that surged about the
+platform as the great train, puffing and snorting, came into the
+station. The agent, white as a ghost, could not believe his eyes.
+
+"Thank God," he cried. "I thought it was all over. I've telegraphed for
+the wrecking crew, and all the doctors in town have been called to go
+along. How on earth did you escape? Where is the Mogul?"
+
+"You'll find that down in the quarry smashed to bits," answered the
+conductor. "You'll need the wrecking train for that, all right, but you
+can call off the doctors. We would have needed plenty of them--and
+undertakers too--if it hadn't been for this young man. He threw the
+switch without a second to spare."
+
+The station agent grasped the rider's hand and stammered and stuttered,
+as he tried to pour out his thanks. But just then a flying wedge of
+college boys came through the crowd and, grabbing the reluctant hero,
+hoisted him to their shoulders.
+
+"Wilson." "Bert Wilson." "O, you Bert." "O, you speed boy," they yelled.
+The enthusiastic lookers on took up the shout and it was a long time
+before Bert, blushing and embarrassed, could free himself from his
+boisterous admirers.
+
+"O, cut it out, fellows," he protested. "It was all in the day's work."
+
+"Sure," assented Tom Henderson, "but _such_ a day's work."
+
+"And such a worker," added Dick Trent.
+
+"Three times three and a tiger for Bert Wilson," roared a stentorian
+voice. The answer came in a tempest of cheers, and, as the train pulled
+out, the last sound that came to the waving passengers was the lusty
+chorus:
+
+    "For he's a jolly good fellow,
+    Which nobody can deny."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE "BLUE STREAK"
+
+
+"Isn't it a beauty?" exclaimed Bert, as, a few days later, he swept up
+to a waiting group of friends and leaped from the saddle.
+
+There was a unanimous assent as the boys crowded around the motorcycle,
+looking at it almost with the rapt intentness of worshippers at a
+shrine.
+
+"It's a dandy, all right," declared Dick, with an enthusiasm equal to
+Bert's own. "You skimmed along that last stretch of road like a bird."
+
+"It's about the speediest and niftiest thing on the planet," chimed in
+Tom. "You'd give an airship all it wanted to do to keep up with you."
+
+"Easy, easy there," laughed Bert. "I wouldn't go as far as that. But on
+'terra cotta,' as Mrs. Partington calls it, there are mighty few things
+that will make me take their dust." And he patted the machine with as
+much affection as if it could feel and respond to the touch.
+
+"About how fast can that streak of greased lightning travel, any way?"
+asked Drake. "What's the record for a motorcycle?"
+
+"The best so far is a mile in thirty-six and four-fifths seconds," was
+the answer. "That's at the rate of ninety-eight miles an hour."
+
+"Some traveling," murmured Dick.
+
+"Of course," went on Bert, "that was for a sprint. But even over long
+distances some great records have been hung up. In England last year a
+motorcycle made 300 miles in 280 minutes. I don't think the fastest
+express train in the world has ever beaten that."
+
+"Gee," said Tom, "I'd hate to be in the path of a cannon ball like that.
+It would be the 'sweet by and by' for yours truly."
+
+"It might possibly muss you up some," grinned Bert. "It's a case of 'the
+quick or the dead' when you amble across the path of a twin-cylinder."
+
+"I should think," remarked Drake, "that it would shake the daylights out
+of you to travel at the speed you were going just now along that last
+bit of road."
+
+"A few years ago it would have," admitted Bert. "The way they bumped
+along was a sure cure for dyspepsia. But with this saddle I could ride
+all day and scarcely feel a jar. Why, look at this cradle spring frame,"
+he went on enthusiastically; "it has the same flat leaf springs that
+they use in the finest kind of automobiles. You wouldn't believe that
+there are over 250 inches of supple, highly tempered springs between the
+saddle and the road. It's as elastic and flexible as a bamboo cane.
+Each spring has double scrolls that come into action one after another
+whenever you have a jolt. Then, too, there are rubber bumpers to take
+the recoil. Why, it's like a parlor car on a limited express. No fellow
+sitting back in a Pullman has anything on me."
+
+"You're a pampered son of luxury, all right," mocked Tom. "We children
+of toil take off our hats to you."
+
+Bert made a playful pass at him and went on:
+
+"As to power, it would take the strength of seven horses to match it.
+The engine has a piston displacement of 61 inches. And yet you can
+control that tremendous power so far as to slow down to three miles an
+hour. Not that I often get down to that, though. Fifty or sixty suit me
+better."
+
+"You ought to name it 'Pegasus,' after the flying horse," suggested
+Hinsdale.
+
+"Old Pegasus would have his work cut out for him if he tried to show me
+the way," smiled Bert. "Still I don't claim to beat anything that goes
+through the air. But when you get down to solid earth, I'd back this
+daisy of mine to hold its own."
+
+"The old Red Scout might make you hustle some," suggested Tom.
+
+"Yes," admitted Bert, "she certainly was a hummer. Do you remember the
+time she ran away from the Gray Ghost? Speed was her middle name that
+day."
+
+"It was, for fair," agreed Dick, "but perhaps she went still faster when
+we scudded up the track that day, with the express thundering behind."
+
+"Our hearts went faster, anyway," declared Tom. "Gee, but that was a
+narrow squeak. It makes me shiver now when I think of it."
+
+"Same here," echoed Bert, little dreaming that before long, on the
+splendid machine whose handlebars he held, he would graze the very
+garments of death.
+
+Happily, however, the future was hidden, and for the moment the little
+group were absorbed in the mechanical wonders of the motorcycle that
+loomed large in the road before them. It stood for the last word in
+up-to-date construction. The inventive genius of the twentieth century
+had spent itself on every contrivance that would add to its speed,
+strength and beauty. It was a poem in bronze and steel and rubber. From
+the extremity of the handlebars in front to the rim of its rear wheel,
+not the tiniest thing had been overlooked or left undone that could
+add to its perfection. Fork and cams and springs and valves and
+carburetor--all were of the finest material and the most careful
+workmanship.
+
+"It seemed an awful lot to pay, when I heard that it cost you over three
+hundred bucks," said Tom, "but after looking it over, I guess you got
+your money's worth."
+
+"The value's there, all right," asserted Bert confidently. "I wouldn't
+take that amount of money for the fun I've had already. And what I'm
+going to have"--he made a comprehensive wave of the hand--"it simply
+can't be reckoned in cold coin."
+
+"It's getting to be a mighty popular way of traveling," said Dick. "I
+saw it stated somewhere that a quarter of a million are in use and that
+the output is increasing all the time."
+
+"Yes," added Drake, "they certainly cover a wide field. Ministers,
+doctors, rural mail carriers, gas, electric and telephone companies are
+using them more and more. In the great pastures of the West, the herders
+use them in making their rounds and looking after the sheep. All the
+police departments in the big cities employ a lot of them, and in about
+every foreign army there is a motorcycle corps. You've surely got lots
+of company, old man."
+
+"Yes, and we're only the vanguard. The time is coming when they'll be
+used as widely as the bicycle in its palmiest days."
+
+"A bicycle wouldn't have done you much good the other day, in that wild
+ride down to the switch," grinned Drake. "By the way, Bert, the press
+associations got hold of that, and now the whole country's humming with
+it."
+
+"Well," said Bert, anxious to change the subject, "if she'll only do as
+well in the race from coast to coast, I won't have any kick coming."
+
+"How about that contest anyway?" queried Hinsdale. "Have you really
+decided to go into it?"
+
+"Sure thing," answered Bert. "I don't see why I shouldn't. Commencement
+will be over by the eighth, and the race doesn't start until the tenth.
+That will give me plenty of time to get into shape. As a matter of
+fact, I'm almost fit now, and Reddy is training me for two hours every
+afternoon. I've almost got down to my best weight already, and I'm going
+to take the rest off so slowly that I'll be in the pink of condition
+when the race begins. Reddy knows me like a book and he says he never
+saw me in better form."
+
+"Of course," he went on thoughtfully, "the game is new to me and I'm not
+at all sure of winning. But I think I have a chance. I'd like to win for
+the honor of it and because I hate to lose. And then, too, that purse of
+ten thousand dollars looks awfully good to me."
+
+The race to which the boys referred had been for some time past a
+subject of eager interest, and had provoked much discussion in sporting
+and college circles. The idea had been developing since the preceding
+winter from a chance remark as to the time it would take a motorcycle to
+go from the Atlantic to the Pacific. A guess had been hazarded that it
+could be done in twenty days. This had been disputed, and, as an outcome
+of the discussion, a general race had been projected to settle the
+question. The Good Roads Association of America, in conjunction with a
+number of motorcycle manufacturers, had offered a purse of five thousand
+dollars for the competitor who made the journey in the shortest time. If
+that time came within twenty days, an additional two thousand dollars
+was to be given to the winner.
+
+One other element entered into the problem. The San Francisco Exposition,
+designed to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal, would be in full
+swing at the time the survivors of the race reached the coast. One of the
+great features of the Fair was to be an international carnival of sports.
+There were to be contests in cavalry riding, in fencing, in auto racing,
+and the pick of the world were expected to compete. But of special
+interest to Bert was the international motorcycle race, which for the
+first time was to be held in America. Two years before, it had taken
+place in Paris and, a year later, in London. But this year it was
+America's turn, and because of the immense crowds expected at the
+Exposition, San Francisco had been chosen as the city to stage the event.
+There was to be a first prize of three thousand dollars and lesser purses
+for those that came in second and third. If, by any chance, the winner
+of the long distance race should break the twenty day limit and also win
+the final race at the Fair, his total reward would amount to ten thousand
+dollars.
+
+With such a possibility in prospect, it was not surprising that Bert
+should be strongly tempted to enter the race. He was a natural athlete,
+and in his college course so far had stood head and shoulders above his
+competitors. As pitcher on the 'Varsity team, he had cinched the pennant
+by his superb twirling in a most exciting series of diamond battles. He
+had been chosen as a contender on the American Olympic team, and had
+carried off the Marathon after a heart-breaking race, in which every
+ounce of speed and stamina had been tried to the utmost. In an auto race
+between rival campers, his hand at the wheel had guided the Red Scout
+to victory over the Gray Ghost, its redoubtable antagonist. He was a
+splendid physical machine of brawn and sinew and nerve and muscle.
+Outdoor life, vigorous exercise and clean living, combined with his
+natural gifts, made him a competitor to be feared and respected in any
+contest that he chose to enter.
+
+But his lithe, supple body was not his only, or indeed, his chief asset.
+What made him preëminent was his quick mind and indomitable will, of
+which his body was only the servant. His courage and audacity were
+superb. Again and again he had been confronted with accidents and
+discouragements that would have caused a weaker fellow to quit and blame
+the result on fate. He had won the deciding game in the baseball race,
+after his comrades had virtually thrown it away. In the Marathon, it was
+with bruised and bleeding feet that he overtook his antagonist at the
+very tape. The harder bad luck tried to down him, the more fiercely he
+rose in rebellion. And it was this bulldog grip, this unshaken tenacity,
+this "never know when you are beaten" spirit that put him in a class by
+himself and made him the idol of his comrades. They had seen him so
+often snatch victory from the very jaws of defeat, that they were
+prepared to back him to the limit. Win or lose, they knew that he would
+do his best, and, if defeated, go down fighting.
+
+With such a character and record back of him, his enthusiastic friends
+were inclined to think that it was "all over but the shouting." Bert,
+however, had no such delusion. If it had been simply a matter of muscle
+or swiftness or courage, he would have felt more confident of the
+outcome. But here the "human equation" was not the only thing involved.
+The quality and strength of the machine he rode would be a very
+prominent and perhaps a deciding factor. He felt sure that he was in
+such prime physical condition that he could endure the gruelling grind.
+But would his machine be equal to the task? The most dashing horseman
+would have to halt, if his steed foundered beneath him. The most daring
+aviator would have to descend to earth, if his motor stopped. So Bert,
+no matter how strong and plucky, must fail, if his machine should go
+back on him.
+
+For there could be no substitute. This was one of the conditions of the
+race. He must finish, if at all, on the same machine with which he
+started. The contestants were permitted to make repairs to any extent.
+Tires, forks, springs and any other parts could be replaced, and, at
+intervals along the route, supplies could be held in readiness, in
+addition to those that the rider carried. But essentially the identical
+machine must be used throughout the race. In the event of a hopeless
+smashup, the luckless rider was, of course, out for good. The racer and
+the machine were thus indispensable to each other. Neither could win if
+the other balked. They were like the two blades of a shears--strong when
+together but useless when separated.
+
+To guard as much as possible against defects, Bert had been especially
+careful in selecting his motorcycle. He had the eye for a machine that a
+gipsy has for a horse. Among a host of others, he had chosen one that
+appealed to him as the acme of what a motorcycle should be. It was
+a seven horse power, twin cylinder racer, with every appliance and
+improvement known at the time it left the factory.
+
+The brakes, for instance, were more powerful than those fitted to any
+previous type. It could be operated by a foot lever on the right side of
+the machine and also by a grip lever in the left handlebar. The double
+action was caused by the expansion and contraction of two bands inside
+and outside a brake drum.
+
+Then, too, there was a foot-starting device that was a marvel of
+simplicity. A single downward pressure of the foot, and the racer
+started off at once.
+
+An improved rear hub also aroused Bert's enthusiasm, because of its
+extra large size and the fact that it ran on ball bearings that were
+absolutely frictionless. In both the front and rear hubs there was a
+knock-out axle, so that the wheels could be removed without interfering
+with the adjustment of the bearings.
+
+In fact, the more Bert studied what had become his most precious
+possession the more convinced he grew that he had secured a "gem of the
+first water." And now that the first stiffness had worn off, the machine
+was "running like a watch."
+
+The ignition was perfect, the transmission left nothing to be desired,
+and the most critical inspection could find no fault with any detail of
+the steel charger that was to carry him and his fortunes to victory or
+defeat.
+
+"What are you going to christen it, Bert?" asked Tom. "Cut out the
+Pegasus stuff and tell it to us straight."
+
+"On the level, I think I'll call it the 'Blue Streak,'" answered Bert.
+"That's the way it covers the ground, as a rule, and I hope it will be
+prophetic. Besides, blue is our college color and it ought to bring me
+luck. That's the color I wore when we took the Grays and Maroons into
+camp, and I had it at my belt when I collared Dorner in the Stadium.
+Everything goes in threes, you know, and this will be the third time I'm
+out to win since I was a Freshie."
+
+"Bully for you, old top," exclaimed Drake, with a rousing thump on the
+shoulder. "The fellows will be tickled to death to know that the good
+old blue is showing the way across country. And when we hear that you've
+come in first, there'll be a yell that you'll hear way off in Frisco."
+
+"Don't count your chickens too soon, my boy," cautioned Bert; but his
+heart was warmed and elated by the confidence his comrades had in him,
+and he vowed to himself that he would justify it, if it were humanly
+possible.
+
+"To judge from the names already entered, it's going to be a weird color
+scheme," laughed Dick. "There's the Yellow Dragon and the Red Devil and
+the Brown Antelope and the White Cloud and the Black Knight; and
+there'll probably be others before the list is full."
+
+"Gee," chortled Tom, "if a hobo should see them coming all at once, he'd
+think that he had them again, sure."
+
+"Yes," agreed Bert, "it would certainly be a crazy quilt effect, if they
+should all come along together. But there are so many different routes
+that, ten to one, we won't catch sight of each other after the bunch
+scatters at the start."
+
+"How about the route?" asked Martin. "I should think that would be one
+of the most important things to take into account."
+
+"So it would, if it were left to me. But it isn't. You see, one of the
+great objects of the Good Roads Association is to plan a great national
+highway from coast to coast. They want to get all the facts about every
+possible route, so that they'll have something to go on, when they put
+it up to the different States to get legislation on their pet hobby.
+This race they think will be of great importance for this purpose,
+because it won't be based on theory but on actual experience.
+So they have mapped out a large number of possible lines to be
+followed--northern, central and southern,--and when they've got them all
+marked out, lots will be drawn and the fellows will have to follow the
+route that chance gives them. Of course, they can't be exactly alike in
+the matter of distance. But it will be as fair for one as the other,
+and, all things considered, they'll average up about alike. I expect to
+get a letter any day now, giving the special trip that luck has picked
+out for me.
+
+"Of course," he went on, "it isn't all absolutely cut and dried. They
+don't mark out every highway and byway that you must travel, on pain of
+being disqualified. But you're given a chain of important towns and
+great centers that you must hit one after the other on your trip across
+the continent. As long as you do that, you are left to your own judgment
+as to the best and quickest way of getting there."
+
+"How about any crooked work?" put in Axtell. "Is there any chance of
+that?"
+
+"I'm not worrying much about that," answered Bert. "To be sure, where so
+much is at stake, there's always a chance of some one trying to turn
+a trick. But I don't see where they could 'put it over.' At every
+important place there'll be timers and checkers to keep tally on the
+riders. The machines are all registered and numbered and so carefully
+described that, in case of a smashup, a fellow couldn't slip in another
+one without being found out at the next stopping place. Then, too, if
+they tried to get a lift on a train, there would have to be too many in
+the secret. Besides, in all the names I've seen so far of the racers,
+there's only one that might possibly stoop to anything of that kind.
+His name is Hayward, and from what I've heard he's been mixed up with
+one or two shady deals. There have only been whispers and suspicions,
+however, and they've never been able actually to prove anything against
+him. So he is still nominally in good standing and eligible to ride. It
+may be all conjecture anyway. He probably wouldn't cheat if he could,
+and couldn't if he would."
+
+"No," said Dick, "it certainly seems as though the best man and the best
+machine ought to win."
+
+"I understand that the race is to start from New York," remarked Drake.
+
+"Yes," answered Bert, preparing to mount the machine, "from one of the
+beaches near the city. It's to be actually from ocean to ocean. The rear
+wheel is to be wet in the Atlantic. Then the fight is on in earnest and
+only ends when the front wheel is dipped in the Pacific."
+
+"'Twill be some race," remarked Martin.
+
+"You'll have to travel like the wind," warned Hinsdale.
+
+"Yes," laughed Bert, as he threw in the clutch, "to make it in twenty
+days, I'll have to go like a blue streak."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+FROM COAST TO COAST
+
+
+The next few days flew by with magical swiftness. There were a thousand
+things to be done, and Bert found himself wishing that each day had a
+hundred hours instead of twenty-four. The term examinations were on, and
+he buckled down to them manfully. He had never neglected his class work
+in favor of athletic sports and his standing had always been high. He
+worked as hard as he played, and in both study and games was up in the
+front rank.
+
+But when these ordeals were over and he had passed triumphantly, every
+spare moment was devoted to the coming race. He put into his preparation
+all his heart and soul. And in this, he was ably aided and abetted by
+Reddy, the college trainer.
+
+"Reddy," as he was called from the flaming mop of hair that adorned his
+far from classic brow, was a character. For many years he had been in
+complete control of the football, baseball and general track teams of
+the college. He had formerly been a crack second baseman in a major
+league, but an injured ankle had forced his withdrawal from the active
+playing ranks. He had a shrewd, though uneducated, mind, and his
+knowledge of sports and ability as a trainer had made him famous in the
+athletic world. His dry wit and genial disposition made him a great
+favorite with the boys, though he ruled with an iron hand when
+discipline was needed.
+
+He was especially proud and fond of Bert for two reasons. In the first
+place, his trainers' soul rejoiced in having such a superb physical
+specimen to develop into a winner. He had so often been called upon to
+"make bricks without straw," that he exulted in this splendid material
+ready to his hand. And when his faith had been justified by the great
+victories that Bert had won, Reddy felt that it was, in part, his own
+personal triumph.
+
+Then, too, Bert had never shirked or broken training. His sense of honor
+was high and fine, and he kept as rigidly to his work in the trainer's
+absence as in his presence. Reddy had never had to put detectives on his
+track or search him out in the poolrooms and saloons of the town. He was
+true to himself, true to his team, true to his college, and could always
+be counted on to be in first-class condition.
+
+So that, although this was not a college event, Reddy took a keen
+personal interest in the coming contest. Every afternoon, he held the
+watch while Bert circled the track, and he personally superintended the
+bath and rubdown, after the test was over. He knew the exact weight at
+which his charge was most effective, and he took off the superfluous
+flesh just fast enough not to weaken him. And his Irish blue eyes
+twinkled with satisfaction, as he noted that just now he had never seen
+him in better shape for the task that lay before him.
+
+"Ye'll do," he said, with an air of finality, two days before the race,
+as he snapped his split-second chronometer, after a whirlwind sprint.
+"I'll not tell ye jist the time ye made for that last five miles, as I
+don't want ye to get the swelled head. But, my word for it, ye're on
+edge, and I don't want ye to touch that machine again until ye face the
+starter. Ye're down fine enough and I don't want ye to go stale before
+the race begins. I've left jist enough beef on ye to give ye a wee bit
+of a margin to work off. The rest is solid bone and muscle, and, if the
+machine is as good as yerself, ye'll get to the coast first with
+something to spare."
+
+"Well," said Bert warmly, "it will be your victory as well as mine if I
+do. You're my 'one best bet' when it comes to getting into form. I
+wouldn't have had half a chance to pull off any of the stunts I have, if
+it hadn't been for you."
+
+But Reddy tossed this lightly aside.
+
+"Not a bit of it," he protested, "'tis yersilf has done the work, and
+yersilf should get the credit. And ye've done it too in the face of
+accident and hard luck. This time I'm hoping that luck will be on yer
+side. And to make sure," he grinned, "I'm going to give yer a sprig of
+four-leaved shamrock that came to me from the folks at home, last
+seventeenth of March. 'Twill not be hurting ye any to have it along with
+yer."
+
+"Sure thing," laughed Bert. "I'll slip it in the tool box and carry it
+every foot of the way."
+
+And as Reddy had groomed Bert, so Bert groomed his machine. Every nut
+and bolt, valve and spring was gone over again and again, until even his
+critical judgment was satisfied. It was to carry not only his fortune
+but perhaps his life, and he did not rest until he was convinced that
+nothing could add to its perfection. It had become almost a part of
+himself, and it was with a feeling of reluctance that at last he had it
+carefully crated and sent on to the starting point, to await his coming
+forty-eight hours later.
+
+That evening, as he returned from the post office, he met Tom and Dick
+at the foot of the steps leading to their dormitory. He waved at them an
+open letter that he had been reading.
+
+"It's from the Committee," he explained. "It gives the route and final
+instructions. Come up to the rooms and we'll go over it together."
+
+A bond of friendship, far from common, united these three comrades--the
+"Three Guardsmen," as they were jokingly called, because they were so
+constantly together. They had first met at a summer camp, some years
+before, and a strong similarity of character and tastes had drawn them
+to each other at once. From that time on, it had been "one for three and
+three for one."
+
+Full to the brim as they were of high spirits and love of adventure,
+they often got into scrapes from which it required all their nerve and
+ingenuity to emerge with a whole skin. Their supreme confidence in
+themselves often led them to take chances from which older and wiser
+heads would have shrunk. And the various exploits in which they had
+indulged had taught each how fully and absolutely he might rely on the
+others. On more than one occasion, death itself had been among the
+possibilities, but even that supreme test had been met without
+flinching.
+
+Only a few months before, when, on their journey through Mexico, Dick
+had fallen into the hands of El Tigre, the dreaded leader of guerillas,
+Bert and Tom had taken the trail at once, and after a most exciting
+chase, had rescued him from the bandit's clutches. During a trip to the
+Adirondacks, Tom had been bitten by a rattler and would have perished,
+had it not been for Bert's quickness of mind and swiftness of foot. And
+Bert himself never expected to come closer to death than that day on the
+San Francisco wharf, when Dick had grasped the knife hand of the Malay
+running amuck, just as it was upraised to strike.
+
+Any man or any danger that threatened one would have to count on
+tackling three. Each knew that in a pinch the others would stick at
+nothing in the effort to back him up. And this conviction, growing
+stronger with every new experience, had cemented their friendship beyond
+all possibility of breaking.
+
+Their early ties had ripened and broadened under the influence of their
+college life. Dick had entered a year before the other two, and it was
+this that had moved them to choose the same Alma Mater. Dick and Tom
+were studying to be civil engineers, while Bert was more strongly drawn
+toward the field of electricity and wireless telegraphy. Their keen
+intelligence had won them high honors in scholarship, and their brawn
+and muscle had achieved an enviable distinction in athletics. On the
+pennant winning team of the year before, Bert's brilliant pitching had
+been ably supported by the star work of Tom at third, while Dick, beside
+being the champion slugger of the team, had held down first base like a
+veteran. All were immensely popular with the student body in general,
+not only for their prowess, but because of the qualities of mind and
+heart that would have singled them out anywhere as splendid specimens of
+young American manhood.
+
+Bert and Dick roomed together, while Tom's quarters were on the floor
+below. Now, as it was nearer, they all piled into Tom's sitting-room,
+eager to discuss the contents of the official letter.
+
+"Here it is," said Bert, as he tossed it over to the others. "You see, I
+have the southern route."
+
+"O, thunder," groaned Tom, "the toughest of the lot. You'll fairly melt
+down there at this time of year."
+
+"It _is_ rough," said Dick. "The roads there are something fierce. The
+northern or central route would have been ten times better."
+
+"Yes," agreed Bert, "it certainly is a handicap. If I'd been left to
+choose, myself, I wouldn't have dreamed of going that way. Still, it's
+all a matter of lot, and I've got no kick coming. Somebody would have
+had to draw it, and I might as well be the victim as any one else."
+
+"Spoken like a sport, all right," grumbled Tom. "But it makes me sore at
+fate. You'll need something more than Reddy's shamrock to make up for
+it."
+
+"You might hunt me up the hind foot of a rabbit, shot by a cross-eyed
+coon in a graveyard, in the 'dark of the moon,' if you want to make sure
+of my winning," jested Bert. "But, seriously, fellows, I'm not going to
+let that rattle me a little bit. It may be harder, but if I do come in
+first, there'll be all the more credit in winning. As for the heat,
+I'll make my own breeze as I go along, and I'll take my chances on the
+roads."
+
+"Well, I suppose there's no use growling," admitted Tom, grudgingly. "At
+any rate, we'll see a section of the country we've never seen before."
+
+"_We_," cried Bert. "What do you mean by that?"
+
+"Just what I say," answered Tom, looking a little guiltily at Dick.
+
+"What," yelled Bert, leaping to his feet. "Are you two rascals going
+along?"
+
+"Surest thing you know," said Dick, calmly. "Did you think for a minute
+that Tom and I would miss the fun of seeing you scoot across the
+continent and win that ten thousand dollars? Not on your life. We were
+going to surprise you, but since this dub has let the cat out of the
+bag, we might as well own up. There's nothing to do, now that we know
+the route but to go out and get the tickets."
+
+"Well, you're a pair of bricks," gasped Bert. "The finest pals a fellow
+ever had. That's the best news I've had 'since Hector was a pup.' I
+didn't know that I'd see a friend's face from the start to the finish.
+Talk about shamrocks and rabbit's feet! This news has got them skinned
+to death. It won't be any trick at all to toss off a few hundred miles,
+if I can figure on seeing you fellows when I turn in for the night.
+Say, fellows, I can't put it into words, but you know how I feel."
+
+"Pure selfishness on our part," said Dick, airily, to mask his own deep
+feeling. "We want to see the San Francisco Fair, and figured that we'd
+never have a better chance."
+
+"Yes," mocked Bert, delightedly, "I size up that selfishness all right.
+But now let's study the route and figure out the schedule. Then you gay
+deceivers can get through tickets with stopover privileges, and I'll
+know just where to find you along the way."
+
+"You see," explained Tom, "we figured that we could get into the big
+towns ahead of you and act as a sort of base of supplies. You can keep
+tab on the way the 'Blue Streak' is running, and if anything goes
+wrong--if a tire bursts or a fork breaks or you have engine trouble--you
+can wire ahead and we'll have everything ready for you to make a
+lightning change the minute you heave in sight. Of course, you may have
+to do some temporary patching and tinkering along the way, but in really
+big things we may come in handy. But now let's cut out the hallelujahs
+and get down to brass tacks."
+
+Which they did to such good effect that before they turned in for the
+night, they had outlined a plan that covered every probable contingency.
+Of course there was no such precision possible as in the case of a
+railroad schedule. A hundred things might happen to cause a change here,
+a delay there, but, between certain elastic limits, the route and time
+were carefully worked out. If they should have to revise it, as they
+doubtless would, the telegraph and long distance telephone could be
+depended on to help them out.
+
+Starting from New York, Bert figured that the first leg of the journey
+would take him as far as Philadelphia. This, of course, would not be
+typical of the regular distance he would have to cover each day, in
+order to beat the time record. But the race was not to start until noon,
+so that a half day was all that would be left the riders. And that half
+day would be slower than the average, because they would have to thread
+the streets of the greater city with all its hindrances and speed
+regulations, and would have bridges and ferries to cross before they
+could fairly let themselves out. Of course this would not count for a
+day in the timing, as they would be allowed a half day at the end of the
+journey to make up for it. In other words, the day ran from noon to
+noon, instead of from midnight to midnight.
+
+From Philadelphia the route would lead to Baltimore and Washington. Then
+he proposed to strike down through West Virginia and into the famous
+Blue Grass region of Kentucky and thence swing down toward Little Rock,
+Arkansas, which would mark the extreme southern point of the journey.
+After that, he would be going almost directly west, with a slight trend
+to the north. He would cut through Oklahoma on a direct horizontal, and
+then for a short time traverse the upper part of Texas. Leaving the Lone
+Star State, he would strike in succession Santa Fé, New Mexico, and
+Flagstaff, Arizona. Then, at last, he would be in California, getting a
+glimpse of the sea at Santa Barbara, and then sweeping up the valley to
+San Francisco.
+
+The record he had to beat was twenty days. He planned to do it in
+fifteen. That is, he was confident that as far as mere time were
+concerned, he could reel off enough miles every day to take him over the
+route within that limit. But that was assuming that everything went
+smoothly, and, in a trip of this length, he knew that such an assumption
+was absurd. He gave himself three days for accidents and delays. This,
+added to the fifteen of actual running time, would still give him a
+comfortable margin of forty-eight hours. But, on the average, despite
+accident or breakdown, wind or rain, sickness or health, mistaken roads
+or dangerous spills, flood or freshet or tempest, he must make from two
+to three hundred miles every day. Not only he must be in shape to do it,
+but the "Blue Streak" also. There were two machines that had to take
+all the chances of wear and tear and mishap--the physical machine above
+the saddle, and the steel and rubber machine below it.
+
+He wanted to make the most of the good roads that he would have at the
+very beginning of the trip. The first three days would be the best ones,
+as far as this feature was concerned. The Eastern and Northern States
+were far ahead of the rest of the country in this respect. Their wealth
+and population, as well as the vastly greater number of motor vehicles
+in use, had early turned their attention to the value and necessity of
+the best kind of roads that money could buy and science invent. After he
+left Louisville, the going would be harder. While, at places, there
+would be magnificent turnpikes along the main arteries of travel, these
+would be more than counterbalanced by roads where clay and sand
+predominated. But, to make up for this, would be the fact that for long
+distances the roads would be clearer and the speed regulations less
+stringent. And, on these stretches, Bert promised himself to "hit it up"
+hard enough to compensate for the inferior quality of the road. It was
+"all in the game," and, in the long run, things would about even up.
+
+"It's a good deal of a lottery, when all is said and done," was the way
+he summed it up, as they rose from the maps and papers spread out before
+them; "I may get knocked out on the first day, and then again I may
+turn up smiling at the finish."
+
+"Of course," assented Tom, "there's no telling what may happen before
+the race is over. But I have a hunch that in this lottery you are going
+to draw the capital prize."
+
+"Well," laughed Bert, "if you're as good a prophet as you are a pal, I'd
+be sure of it."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+A FLYING START
+
+
+The day of the race dawned bright and clear. There was just enough
+breeze to temper the heat of the sun, but not enough to interfere with
+the riders. There had been no rain since three days before, and the
+roads, while a little dusty, were firm and fast. Everything bespoke
+ideal conditions for the event that, it was hoped, would hang up new
+records in one of the most modern of sports.
+
+The three friends had left college the day before, and had taken up
+their quarters at one of the hotels near the beach. They were full of
+health and hope and enthusiasm. The work of the college year was over,
+and they felt like colts kicking up their heels in a pasture. Dick and
+Tom were looking forward to the trip across the continent and the
+wonders of the great Exposition. This of itself would have been enough
+to account for their exuberance, but there was the added excitement of
+watching the progress of the great race, and, in a sense, taking part in
+it. And, with all the optimism of youth, they did not let themselves
+feel the shadow of a doubt that their comrade would come in triumphant.
+
+And Bert, although somewhat sobered by the weight of responsibility that
+rested upon him, was almost as jubilant as they. He was a born fighter,
+and his spirits always rose on the eve of a contest. He was "tuned to
+the hour." The muscles of his arms and legs glided like snakes beneath
+the white skin, his color was good, his eyes shone, and he had never in
+all his many contests felt in better physical trim.
+
+Early in the morning, he had hurried to the garage to which the "Blue
+Streak" had been consigned, and was delighted to find that it had made
+the journey without a scratch. No one but himself was permitted to give
+it the final grooming. He personally filled the tank, looked to the oil,
+and went over every nut and bolt and valve. Then he sprang into the
+saddle and took a five-mile spin around the neighboring race track. And
+even his exacting criticism could find no shadow of defect. The "Blue
+Streak," like its master, was in perfect condition.
+
+"Well, old boy," said Bert, as he patted the beautiful machine, after
+the test, "we're going to be pretty close companions for the next few
+weeks, and you've got a big job cut out for you. But I believe you're
+game for it, and if your rider is as good as you are, I won't have
+anything left to ask."
+
+As the hour drew near, a great crowd assembled to see the start.
+The contest had stirred up a vast amount of interest among motor
+enthusiasts, and many of the motorcycle clubs were represented by big
+delegations. One or two of the entries had dropped out at the last
+moment, and there were ten contestants who faced the starter. Each had
+his coterie of friends and well wishers who had gathered to give him a
+rousing send off. But none were greeted so uproariously as Bert, who had
+a reception that "warmed the cockles of his heart." Undergraduates of
+the old college flocked around him, and these were reinforced by
+hundreds of alumni, living in or near the city, who scented one more
+victory for the blue colors that they loved so dearly. They swarmed
+about him, grasped his hand and thumped him on the back, until if he had
+been in poorer condition, he would have been black and blue. It was with
+difficulty that he could tear himself away from the multitude whose
+enthusiasm outran their discretion. But many a day thereafter, in
+loneliness and peril and the shadow of death, the memory of that
+boisterous farewell was an inspiration. The last hands he clasped were
+those of Tom and Dick and Reddy, whose face was as red as his hair from
+excitement.
+
+"Good luck, me bye," he called. Then in a whisper, "Ye haven't forgot
+the shamrock?"
+
+"You bet I haven't," laughed Bert, and lifting the cover of his tool
+box, he showed it lying on top. Whereat, Reddy heaved a sigh of relief,
+and fell back satisfied.
+
+And now everything was ready for the start. The wheels had been dipped
+in the Atlantic, whose surf curled up to meet them, as though to whisper
+a message to its sister ocean. Then all the riders, standing by their
+machines, were drawn up in line on the boulevard that came down almost
+to the beach. The conditions of the race were read aloud and all of the
+racers with uplifted hand swore to observe them. A letter from the Mayor
+of New York to the Mayor of San Francisco was delivered to each
+contestant. Only the one who reached there first was to deliver his.
+The others would be of value as souvenirs of perhaps a gallant but
+unsuccessful struggle.
+
+Then there was a moment's silence, while the excitement grew tense. The
+starter lifted his pistol and glanced along the waiting line. There came
+a flash, a sharp report, and before the echoes died away the riders were
+in the saddle. A tremendous roar from the exhausts made the crowd shrink
+back, and it scattered as the great machines leaped forward. It was like
+the bursting of a rainbow. Blue and red and black and white darted
+forward in flying streaks of color, spreading out like the sticks of a
+gigantic fan. Before the startled spectators could catch their breath,
+the racers were vanishing from sight up the boulevard. The dash from
+coast to coast had begun.
+
+For the five mile ride along the parkway there was no need of observing
+the speed regulations. The road had been kept clear of all other
+vehicles, and policemen placed along the route kept the crowds to the
+paths on either side. The "motor cops," who were personally interested
+in that race, that involved their own pet machine, waved greetings as
+they passed.
+
+In a few minutes they had left this atmosphere of friendliness and
+enthusiasm, and were getting into the stream of the city's traffic. From
+now on, there was need of constant vigilance. The riders began to
+separate, each steering through the street that they figured would bring
+them most quickly and easily to the bridges that spanned the river. By
+the time Bert had crossed the old Brooklyn Bridge, he had lost sight of
+all his competitors. By different roads, from now on, they would fly
+toward the common goal, so many thousand miles distant. The spectacular
+features were in the past. Now each one, alone and unaided, was to "work
+out his own salvation."
+
+But there was no sinking of the heart, as Bert, after crossing the
+bridge and winding through the packed streets of lower New York, stood
+on the ferry boat and watched the irregular sky line of the great city.
+What would happen to him before he saw it again, it was fortunate that
+he could not guess. But just now, his heart beat high with the delight
+of struggle and achievement. He had his chance. And he was determined to
+make that chance a certainty.
+
+He was the first one off the boat when it swung into its slip, and as
+soon as he got beyond the business quarter of Jersey City, he began to
+"eat up" the space across the meadows. He was flying when he reached
+Newark, where he again had to let up in his pace for a few minutes. But
+luck was with him and gave him an unexpected pace maker, just as he drew
+into the open spaces beyond the city limits.
+
+The broad road ran right alongside the railroad track, and just as
+Bert let out a link and got into his stride, a limited express came
+thundering along at a high rate of speed. The racing instinct woke in
+Bert and he let his machine out until it was traveling like the wind.
+For a mile or two they went along like a team, neither seeming able to
+lose the other.
+
+The passengers, gazing listlessly out of the windows, gradually woke up
+to the fact that this tiny machine was actually racing with their train.
+At first they were amused at the seeming impudence, but as mile after
+mile passed, with the "Blue Streak" holding its own, they became
+excited. The sportsman spirit that seems characteristic of America was
+aroused, and all the windows on that side of the train were filled with
+crowding faces. It was like a pygmy daring a giant, a tugboat
+challenging the _Imperator_.
+
+The engineer, at first looking languidly at the impertinent racer, made
+no special effort to increase his speed. But when Bert hung to his flank
+and refused to be shaken off, he turned and said something to his
+fireman. The latter shoveled desperately, the engineer let out his
+throttle, and the great train lunged forward.
+
+But Bert, too, had something "up his sleeve." He had been keeping well
+within his limit, and he knew the speed of which his gallant mount was
+capable. A mile ahead he could see where the road crossed the track.
+With a quick twist of the wrist, he threw in the highest speed and
+had to grip his handlebars hard to keep his seat as his iron steed
+responded. He flashed on ahead, fairly scorching up the road, and dashed
+across the track fifty feet ahead of the onrushing locomotive. Then, as
+the passengers rushed over to the other side of the cars, he waved his
+cap to them, shook it defiantly at the discomfited engineer and fireman,
+and disappeared around the bend of the road. Then he gradually slackened
+his pace, though still maintaining a high rate of speed.
+
+Bert was hilarious. It was his first race, so far, and he had come out
+ahead. He took it as an omen.
+
+"Some race, old scout," he confided joyously to his mount. "You
+certainly lived up to your name that time." And he laughed aloud, as he
+remembered the look on the faces in the cab.
+
+The race had been a capital thing, not only for the many miles he had
+covered, but because of the added confidence that had been infused into
+his veins by the successful outcome. He had "ridden rings" around his
+redoubtable opponent, and his heart was full of elation.
+
+As he neared Trenton, he stopped at a garage to replenish his gasoline.
+He had plenty left to finish out the stretch that he had mapped out for
+that day's work, but he was taking no chances, and always felt better
+when he knew that his tank was full.
+
+A tall young fellow had preceded him on the same errand, and was just
+about to mount his wheel when Bert entered. There was something familiar
+about him and Bert cudgeled his brains to remember where he had met him.
+The stranger seemed equally puzzled. Then a sudden gleam of memory
+lighted up his face, and he came toward Bert with outstretched hand.
+
+"Beg pardon," he said. "But isn't your name Wilson--Bert Wilson, the
+college pitcher?"
+
+"Yes," answered Bert, taking the hand held out to him, "and you--sure I
+know," he exclaimed, as recognition flashed upon him--"you're Gunther of
+the Maroons. I couldn't place you for a minute."
+
+"You placed me all right in that last game, when you struck me out in
+the ninth inning," grinned Gunther. "Do you remember?"
+
+Did Bert remember? Could he ever forget? Again the scene came before
+him as though it were yesterday. He saw the diamond gleaming in the
+afternoon sun, the stands packed with twenty-five thousand howling
+maniacs. It was the final game of the season, and the pennant hung upon
+the outcome. Two men were out when Gunther came to the bat. He was the
+heaviest slugger of the league, and the home crowd was begging him to
+"kill the ball." Bert had outguessed him on the first strike, and
+snapped one over by surprise on the second. Then, on the third, he had
+cut loose that mighty "fadeaway" of his. For forty feet it had gone on a
+line--hesitated--swerved sharply down and in, and, evading Gunther's
+despairing swing, plumped into the catcher's mitt. And the howl that
+went up--and the mighty swoop of the fellows on the field--and the wild
+enthusiasm over Bert--and the bonfires--and the snake dances! Did he
+remember?
+
+"You certainly had me buffaloed that day, all right," went on Gunther.
+"It isn't often that I hit a foot above a ball, but that fadeaway of
+yours had me going. I simply couldn't gauge it. It's a teaser, for
+fair. You were the whole team that day."
+
+"We had the luck, that's all," protested Bert. "The breaks of the game
+were with us."
+
+"It wasn't luck," said Gunther, generously; "you simply outplayed us.
+But we did make you work to win," he added, with a reminiscent smile.
+
+By this time, the tank had been replenished, and he was recalled from
+his "fanning bee" by the necessity of resuming his trip. Gunther had
+heard of the contest and had seen Bert's name among the competitors, but
+had not associated it with the Wilson of baseball fame.
+
+"You can't get away from the game," he joked, referring to the ten
+contestants. "I see that you are still playing against a 'nine.' If that
+pun isn't bad enough, I'll go you one better--or worse--and bet that
+you'll bowl them over like ninepins."
+
+"Thanks, old man," responded Bert. "I hope I'll make a 'strike.' But now
+I'll have to skip and cut out the merry jesting. Jump on your wheel and
+set the pace for me for the next ten miles or so."
+
+"Swell chance of my making pace for that crackerjack you have there,"
+said Gunther, looking admiringly at the "Blue Streak," "but I'll try to
+keep alongside, anyway."
+
+He had a surprisingly good machine and doubled Bert's dare by riding
+twenty miles or more, before he finally hauled up and, with a warm
+handgrip, said goodby.
+
+"Two pleasant things to-day," mused Bert, as he sped on, referring to
+the popular theory that events, good or bad, come in threes. "I guess
+the third will be in meeting good old Tom and Dick, when I swing into
+the City of Brotherly Love."
+
+And pleasant it certainly was, when, after reporting to the checkers and
+timers at the club headquarters, and putting up his motorcycle, he
+turned toward the hotel where his chums awaited him with a royal
+welcome.
+
+"You've surely got off to a flying start, old top," said Tom. "I hadn't
+any idea that you'd hit this burg so soon. We've just fairly got in
+ourselves. But before anything else, let's wrap ourselves about some
+eats. Are you hungry?"
+
+"Am I hungry?" echoed Bert. "Is a wolf hungry? Is a hawk hungry? Is a
+cormorant--say, lead me to it."
+
+And at the bountiful table to which they straightway adjourned, Bert
+proved that none of the natural history specimens he had mentioned "had
+anything on him." Nor did his friends lag far behind, and it is doubtful
+if three happier and fuller young fellows could have been found in
+Philadelphia, as, afterward, they discussed the events of the day. They
+were especially interested in Bert's meeting with Gunther, as they
+themselves had taken part in that famous game. Dick's mighty work with
+the stick on that occasion and Tom's great steal home from third were
+matters of baseball history.
+
+Then Bert mentioned the railroad episode.
+
+"You ought to have seen the way I beat a train, fellows," he gloated.
+"My, but it took some tall speeding."
+
+"Beat a train?" questioned Tom, incredulously.
+
+"What was it--a freight?" bantered Dick.
+
+"Freight nothing," retorted Bert, a little nettled. "A limited express,
+if you ask me."
+
+"Near Newark, did you say?" queried Tom.
+
+"I didn't say," was Bert's rejoinder, "but as it happened, it was just
+outside of Newark."
+
+"Beat a limited express," murmured Dick, shaking his head. "Tom, I'm
+afraid Bert's stringing us."
+
+"Imposing on our innocence, it seems to me," assented Tom, gloomily.
+"The next thing, he'll be telling us that he made a daredevil dash
+across the track in front of the locomotive."
+
+"And waved his cap at the passengers," mourned Dick.
+
+"And shook it at the engineer," added Tom.
+
+"Say," began Bert, "what----" But the sight of his bewildered face was
+too much, and they burst into a roar.
+
+"You poor boob," sputtered Tom, as soon as he could speak. "We were on
+that train."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE DESERTED HUT
+
+
+Bert's first thought, when he opened his eyes the next morning, was of
+the weather. This was destined to be the chief object of anxiety all
+through the trip. As long as it kept reasonably dry and clear, one big
+element of danger and delay could be left out of his calculations. The
+lowering of the sky meant the lowering of his hopes.
+
+As he rushed to the window and drew aside the curtain, he was relieved
+to see that the sun was rising. To be sure, there was a slight haze
+around it that might portend rain later on. But for the present, at
+least, the roads were good. If rain were on the way, all the more reason
+why he should do some tall "hustling" while the going was fair.
+
+His sleep had been restful and refreshing, and he hummed gaily to
+himself, as he rushed through his ablutions. He stowed away a hasty but
+ample breakfast, and then after a hearty farewell to his chums, hurried
+around to the garage where his machine was stored.
+
+He was surprised to find a large gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts on
+hand. The news had spread abroad that one of the contestants in the
+great race had reached the city the night before, and delegations from
+the many clubs had gathered to give him a send-off and accompany him for
+a few miles out of town. Bert greeted them warmly, and, after assuring
+himself that the "Blue Streak" was in first-class condition, leaped into
+the saddle and started out at the head of the procession.
+
+First one and then the other would make the pace, sprinting for a short
+distance for all that he was worth, and then dropping back into the
+ruck. But Bert "saw their bluff and went them one better," and no matter
+how hard they "hit it up," he was always within striking distance of
+their rear wheel. One by one they gave it up, and by the time that
+thirty miles had been covered, Bert found himself riding on alone. He
+had welcomed the visitors, because of the goodwill that they had shown
+and the pace that they had made. Their company made the miles less long
+and furnished him a mental tonic. Yet he was glad, when, with nothing to
+distract him, he could bend all his energies to the task before him and
+put the "Blue Streak" to the top of its speed.
+
+For he wanted to make this day a record breaker in the matter of miles
+covered. The roads were superb, and it behooved him to make the most of
+them, with a view to having some surplus of time on hand, when he
+struck the slower stretches further on.
+
+There was plenty about him to enlist his thoughts, had he allowed them
+to wander. He was on historic ground, and every foot was rich in
+Revolutionary memories. Here had Washington with his ragged and
+barefooted and hungry armies defied all the power of Great Britain.
+Mifflin and Greene and Lafayette and "Light Horse Harry Lee" had here
+done deeds of daring that electrified the world. And, before night, he
+expected to be on the scene of that greater and sadder struggle, where
+Grant and Lee had flung their giant armies at each other and drenched
+the soil with fraternal blood. But, although Bert was an ardent patriot,
+and, at any other time, nothing would have more strongly appealed to
+him, now he was utterly engrossed in the colossal task set before him.
+This, in fact, was the one great quality that had won him so many
+victories in the athletic world--the ability of shutting out every
+thing else for the time being, and concentrating all his strength and
+attention on the task that lay at hand.
+
+Now, he was fairly flying. Mile after mile swept away behind him, as he
+gave the "Blue Streak" its head and let it show him what it could do.
+The "speed lust" ran riot in his veins. As he neared the different
+villages, on his route, he was forced to slacken speed to some extent.
+It would never do to be arrested for breaking the speed limit. He
+foresaw all the heart-breaking delay, the officious constable, the
+dilatory country justice of the peace, the crowd of gaping rustics, the
+possible jail detention. He was amply supplied with money to meet any
+possible fine--but imprisonment was another matter, that might be
+fraught with the direst consequences. So, although he inwardly raged at
+the necessity, he curbed his natural impulse, and slowed up at crossings
+and country towns. But when again he found himself out in the open, he
+amply reimbursed himself for "crawling," as he called it, through the
+towns. It is doubtful whether the startled townspeople would have called
+it "crawling." But everything in this world is comparative, and where
+they would have thought themselves flying at twenty miles an hour, Bert
+felt that he was creeping at forty.
+
+Few faster things had ever flashed like a streak of light along the
+country roads. Horses, grazing in the adjoining pastures, after one wild
+glance, tossed up their heels and fled madly across the fields. Even the
+cows, placidly chewing their cud, were roused from their bovine calm and
+struggled to their feet. Chickens, squawking wildly, ran across the
+road, and although Bert tried his best to avoid them, more than one paid
+the penalty for miscalculating his speed. Dogs started fiercely in
+pursuit, and then disgustedly gave it up and crept away with their tail
+between their legs. And all the time the speedometer kept creeping
+rapidly up and up, until, within two hours after the start, he had wiped
+a hundred miles off his schedule.
+
+Just once he had stopped in his mad flight, to get a glass of milk at a
+farmhouse. He was in the Pennsylvania Dutch district, the richest and
+thriftiest farming country in the world. All about him were opulent
+acres and waving fields of corn and big red barns crammed to bursting.
+They were worthy, sober people, rather prone to regard every new
+invention as a snare of the Devil, and the farmer's wife was inclined
+to look askance at the panting machine that Bert bestrode. But his
+friendly, genial face thawed her prejudice and reserve, and she
+smilingly refused the money that he had offered for the rich creamy milk
+she brought from one of the shining pans in her dairy.
+
+By ten o'clock, he had passed through Baltimore, and, before noon, he
+was riding over the splendid roads of the nation's capitol. Here,
+despite the temptation to spend an hour or two, he only paused long
+enough to take a hearty meal and check his time. He thrust aside the
+well-meant invitations that were pressed upon him at the club, and by
+two o'clock had left Washington behind him and was riding like a fiend
+toward West Virginia. He wanted if possible to reach Charleston before
+night closed in. If he could do this, he would be very well content to
+dismount and call it a day's work.
+
+But now old Nature took a hand. All through the morning, the haze had
+been thickening, and now black clouds, big with threats of rain, were
+climbing up the sky. The wind, too, was rising and came soughing along
+in fitful gusts. Every moment now was precious, and Bert bent low, as he
+coaxed his machine to do its utmost.
+
+And it responded beautifully. Like Sheridan's horse on the road to
+Winchester, it seemed to feel the mood of its rider. It was working like
+a charm. Mile after mile sped away beneath the wheels that passed light
+as a ghost over the broad path beneath. Even when it had to tackle
+hills, it never hesitated or faltered, but went up one slope almost as
+fast as it went down another.
+
+And the hills were growing more frequent. Up to this time the roads had
+been almost as level as a floor. But now, Bert was approaching the
+foothills of the Blue Ridge, and not until he struck the lowlands of
+Arkansas, would he be out of the shadow of the mountains, which, while
+they added immensely to the sublimity of the scenery, were no friends to
+any one trying to make a record for speed.
+
+Still, this did not worry Bert. He expected to get the "lean" as well as
+the "fat." The North American continent had not been framed to meet his
+convenience, and he had to take it as it came. All that especially
+bothered him was that threatening sky and those frowning clouds that
+steadily grew blacker.
+
+His eyes and thoughts had been so steadily fixed upon the heavens, that
+he had scarcely realized the change in the surrounding country. But now
+he woke up to the fact that his environment was entirely different from
+that of the morning. Then he had been in a rich farming country, the
+"garden of the Lord;" now he was in the barren coal regions of West
+Virginia. Beautiful mansions had given place to tiny cabins; prosperous
+towns to mountain hamlets. The farms were stony and poorly cultivated.
+Great coal breakers stood out against the landscape like gaunt
+skeletons. The automobiles that had crowded the eastern roads were here
+conspicuous by their absence. The faces of those he passed on the road
+were pinched and careworn. He was seeing life on one of its threadbare
+levels.
+
+But his musings on the inequalities of life were rudely interrupted by a
+drop of rain that splashed on his face. It was coming, then. But perhaps
+it would only prove a shower. That would not deter him. In fact he would
+welcome it, as it would serve to lay the dust. But if it developed into
+a steady downpour, he would have to seek shelter. It would only be
+foolhardy to plough through the mud with his tires skidding and
+threatening an ugly fall that might mean a broken leg or arm.
+
+Faster and faster the drops came down, and faster and faster the "Blue
+Streak" scorched along the road, as though to grasp every possible
+advantage, before the elements had their way. Gradually the roads lost
+their white, dusty appearance and grew yellow in the waning light. Bert
+could feel a perceptible slowing up as the mud began to grip the wheel.
+Still he kept on, holding like a miser to every precious mile that meant
+so much to him.
+
+Soon, however, he realized that "the game was up." The rain was coming
+down now in torrents, and he was wet to the skin. And with the rain came
+darkness so thick as "almost to be felt." Then a flash of lightning rent
+the sky, and a terrific crash of thunder warned him that the storm was
+on in earnest.
+
+He looked about him for some place of shelter. But there was nothing in
+sight, not even one of the little cabins, of whose hospitality he would
+so gladly have availed himself. The lightning came so fast now that the
+sky was aflame with it, and the thunder was continuous and deafening. He
+did not dare to seek shelter under the trees, and, in the open, the
+steel and iron of his motorcycle might easily attract a lightning
+stroke.
+
+As he looked about him in perplexity, a peculiarly blinding flash showed
+him a little shack at the top of the hill he had been climbing when the
+storm had broken. It was only a few rods ahead of him, and, with a
+feeling of immense relief and thankfulness, he made for it. There was no
+light coming from it, and he did not know whether it was inhabited or
+abandoned. But, in either case, it was shelter from the fierceness of
+the storm, and that was enough.
+
+Leading the wheel from which he had dismounted, he climbed the
+intervening space and rapped at the door. He waited an instant and then
+knocked again. Still there was no answer and after pausing a moment, he
+pushed open the door, that had no latch and yielded to his touch, as he
+stepped inside.
+
+At first, coming from the outer air, he could only make out the outlines
+of the single room, of which the cabin seemed to consist. He called out,
+but there was no response. Then he rummaged in his tool box, and got out
+a bit of candle that he had provided for an emergency. From a waterproof
+pouch in his khaki suit, he produced a match and lighted the candle.
+Then, as the flickering light grew into a steady flame, he was able to
+take stock of his surroundings.
+
+As he had surmised on his entrance, there was only a single room. The
+floor was of dirt, and the shack had been simply slung together in the
+rudest kind of a way. There was a small table of unplaned boards and a
+stool, from which one of the three legs was missing. A bunk in the
+corner and a tattered blanket completed the entire outfit of the
+temporary shelter in which Bert had so unexpectedly found himself.
+
+It might have been a cabin formerly dwelt in by one of the "poor whites"
+of the mountains, or possibly a hunter's shack that served at intervals
+for a temporary camp. At all events, it was shelter, and, in his present
+wet and desperate condition, Bert was not inclined to "look a gift horse
+in the mouth."
+
+"It isn't exactly the Waldorf-Astoria," he thought to himself, as he
+brought his motorcycle in out of the pounding rain, "but it surely looks
+mighty good to me just now."
+
+There was a rude fireplace at one side and some wood and kindling left
+by the previous occupant, and it was only a few moments before a cheery
+blaze gave an air of comfort to the small interior. After the fire was
+well started, Bert took his wet garments one by one and dried them
+before the fire. In a little while he was snug and dry, and inclined
+to look philosophically on the day that had had such an unlooked for
+ending. He even chuckled, as he looked at the speedometer and found that
+it registered over two hundred and fifty miles. He at least was nearly
+up to his schedule, in spite of the rain, and to-morrow was "a new day."
+
+"It might easily have been worse," he thought. "Suppose it had rained
+that way this morning, instead of holding off as long as it did. I've
+cleared the Eastern States, at any rate, and am at last 'down South.'"
+
+As a precaution, when he stopped at Washington, he had secured a few
+sandwiches and a can of sardines. These he put out on the rough table,
+and, as hunger is always "the best sauce," he enjoyed it hugely. There
+wasn't a crumb left, when at last he leaned back contentedly and
+stretched his legs before the fire.
+
+"Like Robinson Crusoe, I'm master of all I survey," he mused. "Not that
+my kingdom is a very extensive one," as he looked about the little room,
+that he could have covered with one jump.
+
+The rain still kept on with unabated fury, but the harder it poured, the
+more cozy the shack seemed by contrast.
+
+"Guess you and I will have to bunk it out together, old chap," he said,
+addressing his faithful wheel. "Well, I might easily find myself in
+worse company. You're a good old pal, if there ever was one."
+
+He took from his kit some oiled rags and together with some old gunny
+sacking that he found in a corner, started to clean the machine. The
+mud with which it was caked made this a work of time, as well as a
+"labor of love," and two hours wore away before he had concluded. But it
+was a thorough job, and, by the time he was through, the "Blue Streak"
+was as bright and shining as when it faced the starter at noon on the
+day before.
+
+While he was at work, Bert at times seemed to hear something that
+sounded like the roar and dash of waves. But he dismissed this as
+absurd. It was probably the splashing of the water, as it ran down the
+gullies at the side of the road. He was far above the level of lake or
+pond, and there was nothing on his map to indicate the presence of any
+considerable body of water in that locality. Once he went to the door, a
+little uneasily. But in the pitch darkness, all he could see was the
+lights of a little town, far down the valley. He told himself that he
+was dreaming, and, after promising himself an early start on the
+following morning, he stretched himself out on the little bunk in the
+corner, and in a few minutes had fallen into a deep and refreshing
+sleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE BROKEN DAM
+
+
+How long he slept he did not know, but, while the cabin was still
+shrouded in darkness, he woke suddenly and sat upright, as though in
+response to a voice that called.
+
+He looked about him, unable at first to realize where he was. Then, as
+he reached out his hand, it came in contact with the motorcycle, which
+he had stood at the head of the bunk. His sleepy brain cleared, and the
+events of the day before--the storm--the deserted cabin--came back to
+him. He struck a match and glanced at his watch. It was a little after
+four, and, promising himself that he would not go to sleep again, he
+blew out the light and lay back in his bunk, planning out the ride for
+the day so near at hand.
+
+But try as he would, he could not concentrate his mind on the subject in
+hand. Why had he awakened so suddenly? It was wholly apart from his
+ordinary habit. Usually he slept like a log, and, like a healthy animal,
+came slowly out of sleep. But this time it had been with a jump. He told
+himself that it was probably due to his unusual surroundings, and
+again tried to pin himself down to his schedule. But a vague sense of
+uneasiness would not vanish at his bidding. He felt as though some
+monstrous danger was threatening. Something direful and evil was in the
+air. In vain he called himself an "old woman," and laughed, a little
+uncertainly, at his fears. The subtle threat persisted.
+
+He had never had a strong premonition of danger that had not been
+justified. He was high strung and sensitively organized, and warnings
+that would leave unstirred a duller mind rang in his consciousness like
+an alarm bell. He recalled how, at Panama, not long ago, he had been
+impressed by the same feeling of coming peril, when the plot to destroy
+the canal was rapidly coming to a head. It had been justified then. Why
+should he not trust it now?
+
+He hesitated no longer. He hastily threw aside the old tattered blanket,
+hurried himself into his clothes and went to the door of the cabin.
+
+The rain had ceased, although the water was still running in streams in
+the ditches that lined the road. Darkness yet held sway, but, in the
+East, he could see the gray fingers of the dawn. In the dimness, he
+looked about him, and, as his eyes became accustomed to the surroundings,
+he saw, at a little distance, the outlines of a great structure that lay
+level with the plateau on which the cabin stood.
+
+With a few quick strides, he crossed the intervening space until he
+stood on the brink of a gigantic dam. Then he knew what was meant by the
+splashing and gurgling he had heard the night before.
+
+Stretched out in front of him was an angry waste of swirling waters.
+It was yellow and turbid from the clay brought down by the mountain
+torrents that acted as feeders to the lake. Great tree trunks, tossed in
+the boiling waters, had been jammed against the edge, increasing the
+pressure, already great. Over the brink a cataract was falling, that
+grew in volume with each passing moment. Through crevices in the lower
+part of the structure, other streams were trickling.
+
+To Bert, as with whitening face he looked upon the scene, it was evident
+that the dam was in danger of collapse. There had been very heavy rains
+in the preceding May, and the lake had been filled to capacity. The storm
+of the night before had probably developed into a cloudburst farther up
+in the mountains, and the floods that came down in consequence were
+putting it to a strain that had not been counted upon when the dam was
+built. It was none too strong originally--Bert could see masses of rubble
+that had been inserted in the structure in place of solid stone--and
+now the innocent were in danger of paying a fearful price for the
+carelessness or criminality of the builders.
+
+It had become much lighter now, and, as he looked down at the valley
+below, he could dimly make out the outlines of the houses in the town.
+Human beings were sleeping there, serene and confident, men, women and
+children, babes in their mothers' arms. And he alone knew of the
+terrible monster that at this moment was threatening to leap upon and
+destroy them.
+
+He turned again to the dam. The crevices were wider now. A perfect
+torrent was pouring over the brink. Even while he looked, there was a
+great bulge in the central part, and a deluge burst through. Two of the
+capstones yielded and fell, with a noise that was drowned by the still
+greater roar of the unleashed waters. There was no longer any doubt. The
+dam was giving way!
+
+With a sickening fear at his heart, he turned and raced for the cabin. A
+louder roar behind him added wings to his feet. He burst open the door,
+dragged out the "Blue Streak," and in another moment was in the saddle
+and riding for dear life down the valley.
+
+The mud was deep and at a curve of the road, his rear tire skidded and
+threw him, bruised and bleeding, a dozen feet in advance. But he felt
+nothing, thought of nothing but the unconscious sleepers who must be
+warned. Stumbling and shaken, he resumed his seat, and tore along the
+mountain road like the wind.
+
+At the scattered farmhouses along the way, lights could be seen in the
+windows. Here and there, he passed farmers already at work in the
+fields. He blew his horn and yelled at these and pointed behind him.
+They cast one startled glance up the valley and then rushed to their
+houses.
+
+He did not dare to look behind him, but he could hear a sullen roar that
+momentarily grew louder. He knew that the monster had broken its bonds
+and was abroad seeking for prey. He let out the last ounce of power that
+he possessed as he raced on to the sleeping town. He had ridden fast
+before, but never as he was riding now.
+
+As he neared the town, he pulled wide open the siren that he only used
+on extraordinary occasions. It wailed out in a wild, weird shriek that
+spoke of panic, danger, death. There was no mistaking the meaning of
+that call.
+
+Now he was in the outskirts, and frightened faces appeared at the
+windows while half-dressed men ran out of the doors. He waved his hand,
+and shouted at the top of his lungs:
+
+"The dam has broken. Run for your lives!"
+
+The roar had now swelled into thunder. The flood was coming with fearful
+velocity. No more need of his siren. That hideous growl of the tumbling
+waters carried its own warning.
+
+The path on which Bert had been riding wound along the side of the hill
+to the east of the town. Corresponding slopes lay on the other side.
+The dwellers on the sides of the hills were comparatively safe. It was
+unlikely that the water would reach them, or, at any rate, they could
+climb still higher up and escape, even if their houses were washed away.
+But there was no hope for the buildings in the valley itself. They were
+right in the path of the onrushing flood and would be swept away like so
+many houses of cards. Nothing could resist that pitiless torrent now
+less than a mile away.
+
+Bert leaped from his wheel and dragged it into a thicket at the side of
+the path. He cast a swift look up the valley. A great foaming wall of
+yellow water, forty feet high, bearing on its crest gigantic tree trunks
+and the debris of houses it had picked up in its path, was bearing down
+on the town with the swiftness of an avalanche.
+
+The houses were emptying now and the streets were full of frantic
+people, fleeing for their lives. Bert heard the hoarse shouts of the
+men, the screams of the women, the wailing of little children roused
+suddenly from sleep. From every door they poured forth, making desperate
+efforts to reach the higher ground. The air resounded with the shrieks
+of those driven almost mad by sudden terror.
+
+Into that pandemonium Bert plunged with the energy of despair. The time
+was fearfully short and the tumult of the coming flood was like the
+thunder of Niagara. He met a mother with a babe in her arms and two
+crying children holding to her skirts. He grabbed the little ones up and
+with a tousled little head under each arm placed them in safety. A
+crippled boy, hobbling painfully along on crutches, felt himself
+suddenly lifted from the ground and hurried to the hillside. He was
+here, there and everywhere, guiding, pointing, encouraging. And then,
+just as he was stooping to lift up a woman who had fainted, the flood
+was upon him!
+
+It struck the doomed town with the force of a thunderbolt. Frame houses
+were picked up and carried along like straws. Brick structures were
+smashed into fragments. It was a weltering chaos of horror and
+destruction.
+
+When that mountainous mass of water crashed down upon him, Bert for a
+moment lost consciousness. It was like the impact of a gigantic hammer.
+There was an interval of blackness, while the water first beat him down
+and then lifted him up. He had a horrible strangling sensation, and
+then, after what seemed ages of agony, he found himself on the surface,
+striking out blindly in that churning mass of water that carried him
+along as though in a mill race. He had never before realized the
+tremendous power of water. He was a mere chip tossed hither and thither
+upon the waves. His head was dizzy from the awful shock of the first
+impact, there was a ringing in his ears, and the spray dashing into his
+eyes obscured his sight. Almost mechanically, he moved his hands and
+feet enough to keep his head above the surface. Gradually his mind
+became clearer, and he could do some connected thinking.
+
+At any rate, he was alive. That was the main thing. Although sore and
+bruised, he did not think that any of his bones were broken. He was an
+expert swimmer, and knew that if he kept his senses he would not drown.
+His most imminent danger lay in being struck by a tree trunk or jammed
+between the houses that were grinding each other to pieces. If this
+should happen, his life would be snuffed out like a candle.
+
+Even at that moment of frightful peril, one thing filled his heart with
+gladness. He felt sure that almost all the townspeople had escaped. Here
+and there, he could see some one struggling like himself in the yeasty
+surges, or clinging to some floating object. Once the body of a man was
+carried past within a few feet of him. His last conscious glance before
+the flood overwhelmed him had shown him a number who had not yet reached
+the higher ground. These had been caught up with him, and some no doubt
+had perished. But he thanked God that hundreds, through his warning, had
+found shelter on the hillsides. Their property had been swept away, but
+they had retained their most precious possession.
+
+The loss in animal life was heavy. Bert groaned, as he saw the bodies of
+cows and horses and dogs tossed about in the raging waters. Not far off,
+a horse was swimming and gallantly trying to keep his head above water.
+His fear-distended eyes fell on Bert, and he whinnied, as though asking
+for help. But just then a great log was driven against him, and with a
+scream that was almost human he went under.
+
+And now Bert noted that the force of the flood was abating. It had
+reached the lowest part of the valley, and, ahead of him, the ground
+began to rise. With every foot of that ascent the torrent would lose
+its impetus, until finally it would reach its limit.
+
+But there a new danger threatened. There would be a tremendous backwash
+as the current receded, and in the meeting of the two opposing forces a
+terrific whirlpool would be generated, in which nothing human could
+live. In some way he must reach the shore before the flood turned back.
+
+There was not an instant to lose, and he acted with characteristic
+decision. The torrent was slackening, and he no longer felt so helpless
+in its grasp. He could not swim at right angles to it and thus approach
+the shore directly, but must try gradually to pull to the left, in a
+long diagonal sweep. Inch by inch, he drew away from the center of the
+stream and slowly neared the bank. Twice he had to dive, to avoid tree
+trunks that dashed over the spot where he had been a moment before. Once
+he barely escaped being caught between two houses. But his quick eye and
+quicker mind stood him in good stead, at this hour of his greatest need.
+His lungs were laboring ready to burst and his muscles were strained
+almost to the breaking point. But his long powerful strokes brought him
+steadily nearer to the eastern bank and he steered straight for a huge
+tree, that stood on the edge of the rushing waters. He missed it by a
+foot, but was just able to grasp a trailing branch as he was swept
+beneath it. A desperate clutch, a quick swing upward and the ravening
+waters had been cheated of a victim. Slowly he made his way over the
+bough to the trunk of the tree, and fell, rather than dropped, to the
+ground. Utterly exhausted, he crumpled into a heap and lay there
+gasping.
+
+He had escaped death by the narrowest of margins. Even while he lay
+there, bereft of strength and worn out with struggle, the flood reached
+its limit, paused a moment and then rushed back. The receding current
+met the other still advancing. Like giant wrestlers, they locked in a
+fierce embrace, and the waves shot up for thirty feet. Great logs flew
+out of the waves and fell back with a resounding crash. Had Bert been
+in the center of that seething maelstrom, nothing could have saved him
+from instant death.
+
+But he was safe. He had gone into the very jaws of death and come out
+alive. Spent and wrenched and bruised he was, and weary beyond all
+telling. Each arm and leg felt as though it weighed a ton. But he had
+never incurred pain or danger in a worthier cause, and he rejoiced at
+the chance that had impelled him to take up his quarters in the deserted
+hut the night before. The rain had assuredly been a "blessing in
+disguise," bitterly as he had regretted it at the time.
+
+A full hour elapsed before he was able to get on his feet. Had it
+not been for his splendid physical condition, he would have utterly
+collapsed under the strain. But soon his heart resumed its normal
+rhythm, the blood coursed more strongly through his veins, and he
+struggled up from his recumbent posture and began to take note of his
+surroundings.
+
+How far he had been carried in that wild ride, he had no means of
+knowing. But he judged that he must be fully six miles from the site of
+the town. There had been several turnings in the valley and from where
+he stood looking back, he could not see more than a mile before a bend
+in the road cut off his view. But the stream itself was sufficient guide
+as he retraced his steps, and he knew that all too soon he would reach
+the sad and stricken crowd that would be camped on the banks, bewailing
+the calamity that had come upon them with the swiftness of a lightning
+stroke.
+
+He looked at his watch. It had stopped at ten minutes to five, probably
+just at the second that the mountain of water swooped down upon him. He
+threw a glance at the sun which was only a little above the horizon, and
+concluded that it was not much more than six o'clock. Scarcely more than
+an hour had passed, but it seemed to him as though ages had elapsed
+since the moment when he had been startled by that first premonition of
+danger.
+
+How lucky that he had heeded it! Had he obeyed his first impulse and
+disregarded it, he would have been compelled to stand by, a helpless
+spectator, and see a whole community wiped out of existence. And the
+bitter memory of that neglected opportunity would have cast its shadow
+over him as long as he lived.
+
+His thoughts went now to the gallant machine that had carried him so
+swiftly to the work of rescue. Good old "Blue Streak!" Once more it had
+proved a tried and trusty comrade, responding to every call he made upon
+it. How quickly the miles would fall away behind him if he only bestrode
+it now.
+
+The wish had scarcely been formed before a substitute appeared. He heard
+the sound of wheels, and a team came up behind him. The man who was
+driving told Bert to jump in, and whipped up his horses as he hurried on
+to the scene of the disaster.
+
+Soon they came upon the homeless throng, huddled upon the slope that
+overlooked what had been home. Some were weeping and running about, half
+crazed with anguish. Others were dry-eyed and dumb, moving as though in
+a dream, their minds paralyzed by the shock. They needed everything,
+food and tents and medicines and doctors and nurses. The telegraph
+and telephone service was out of commission and the offices had been
+swept away. The outside world knew nothing, as yet, of the frightful
+visitation that had come to the little town, nestling in the West
+Virginia hills.
+
+Bert's resolution was taken on the instant. There was nothing more
+that he could do here. Little, in fact, could be done until the flood
+subsided, and there were plenty of hands only too willing to dull their
+heartache in work that would keep them from brooding too much on the
+disaster. But no horse could get to the world without as quickly as he
+on his motorcycle. He waited only long enough to learn the shortest
+route to the next town of any size. Then he rushed to the thicket on the
+hillside where he had left his wheel, and was rejoiced to find it safe.
+Fortunately, it had been beyond the high water mark of the flood. He
+dragged it out, mounted, and, with one last look at the waters that had
+so nearly been his grave, threw in the clutch and started up the valley.
+
+The sun was much higher now and the roads, while still muddy, were
+rapidly drying out. He cleared the summit of the hills and could see far
+off the buildings and spires of the town he sought. Like a meteor, he
+shot down the slope, and in a few minutes was the center of an excited
+group in the telegraph office, to which he at once repaired. Soon the
+wires were humming, and within a short time the entire country, from
+Maine to California, was stirred to the depths by the news of the
+calamity. Doctors and supplies were rushed from the points nearest to
+the stricken town and from Washington the Federal Government sent a
+squad of Red Cross nurses and a detachment of troops to take charge of
+the work of rescue and reconstruction.
+
+Only one thing was omitted from Bert's graphic recital of the story. He
+said not a word of his wild ride in the early dawn. Others, later on,
+when they had regained something of composure and could recall events
+preceding the catastrophe, remembered a rider rushing along the country
+roads and calling upon them to flee for their lives. They told of the
+siren, shrieking like a soul in pain, that had roused them from their
+sleep with its dreadful warning. The reporters, avid of sensation,
+listened eagerly, and embroidered upon the story some fanciful
+embellishments of their own. They did their utmost to discover the name
+of the rider who had come racing through the mists of that early
+morning, but failed. The only one who could tell the truth about it
+never did. Except to a few of his intimates, and that under the pledge
+of secrecy, Bert locked the story in his own breast and threw away the
+key. It was enough for him that he had been able at a critical juncture
+to do, and do successfully, the work that stood ready to his hand. The
+deed carried its own compensation, and he rejoiced that he was able to
+keep it from public view. But, somewhere in West Virginia, a crippled
+boy remembered him gratefully, and two little youngsters were taught to
+mention a nameless stranger in their prayers.
+
+And now that nothing was left to do in behalf of others, Bert's thoughts
+reverted to his own affairs. The day was still young, despite the events
+that had been crowded into it. Up to this moment he had not thought of
+food, but now he was conscious that he was ravenously hungry. As soon
+as he could shake himself loose from the crowd that had listened
+breathlessly to his story, he went to the hotel and ordered an abundant
+breakfast. When he had finished, he was once more his normal self. He
+replenished his gasoline supply, consulted his map, jumped into the
+saddle and was off. Before long he reached the road that he had been
+traveling the previous day; and, bending low over the handlebars, he
+called upon the "Blue Streak" to make up for lost time.
+
+The scenery flew past as in a panorama. Up hill and down he went at
+railroad speed, only slackened within the limits of a town. In this
+thinly settled country, these were few and far between, and he chuckled
+as he saw his speedometer swiftly climbing. The roads were drying out,
+and, though still a little heavy, had lost their clinging quality. In a
+few hours, he flashed into Charleston, where his ears were greeted by
+the cries of the newsboys, calling out the extras issued on account of
+the flood. Staying only long enough to report his time and get a meal,
+he resumed his trip, and, before night, had left the worst part of the
+hills behind him and had crossed the border line into Kentucky, the land
+of swift horses and fair women, of Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, the
+"dark and bloody ground" of the Revolution.
+
+It was a tired rider who almost fell from his saddle that night, after
+having covered three hundred miles. A fierce determination had buoyed
+him up and the most daring kind of rough riding had carried him through.
+Now the reaction had set in. An immense weariness weighed him down and
+every separate muscle had its own distinctive ache. But his mind was at
+peace. He had fought a good fight. A supreme emergency had challenged
+him, and he had met it squarely. And no twinges of conscience for duty
+unperformed came to disturb the sleep of utter exhaustion into which he
+fell as soon as his head touched the pillow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+A KENTUCKY FEUD
+
+
+The following morning he arose early, his abounding vitality having
+enabled him to recuperate entirely from the exciting events of the
+day before. He was soon in the saddle, bowling along at a good clip
+through the "Blue Grass" State. He found widely varied road conditions
+confronting him. At times he would strike short stretches of "pike" that
+afforded fairly good going. As a rule, however, the roads were sandy,
+and consequently, very bad for motorcycle travel.
+
+At times, the sand was so deep that he felt lucky if he averaged fifteen
+or twenty miles an hour. Often the only way he could get along at all
+was to ride in one of the ruts worn by the wheels of carriages and
+buggies. These were usually very deep, so deep, in fact, that with both
+wheels in them the footboards barely cleared the surface of the road. Of
+course, this made riding very dangerous, as the slightest turn of the
+front wheel meant a bad fall.
+
+It was only by skilful balancing that Bert managed to make any progress
+at all. As every one knows, a bicycle or motorcycle is kept erect by
+moving the front wheel to one side or the other, thus maintaining the
+proper center of gravity. Riding in a rut, however, this method became
+impracticable, so Bert was forced to keep his equilibrium by swaying his
+body from side to side, as necessity dictated.
+
+He found that the faster he traveled through these ruts the easier it
+was to keep his balance. Of course, if he had a tumble going at that
+speed he was much more apt to be badly hurt, but he had no time to think
+of that. If he didn't go fast, he couldn't win the race, and to him that
+was reason enough to "hit it up" regardless of possible consequences.
+
+Sometimes he met a carriage, and then there was nothing for it but to
+dismount and wait for it to pass, that is, if he thought the driver had
+not seen him. But if he was on a long stretch of road and the driver had
+ample time to get out of the way,--well, there was no stopping then. The
+driver, seeing a blue streak approaching him at close to a mile a minute
+clip would hastily draw to one side of the road and then descend and
+hold his horse's head; and usually none too soon. There would come a
+rattle and roar, and Bert would be a speck in the distance, leaving a
+cloud of dust to settle slowly behind him.
+
+The driver, after quieting his horse--all the horses in this part of the
+country were unused to motor vehicles of any kind--would resume his
+journey, muttering curses on them "pesky gasoline critters." But taken
+altogether, Bert found his first day in Kentucky one of the most
+strenuous he had ever experienced.
+
+Night found him in a rather unlooked for situation. He was a little
+ahead of his schedule, and he had reached the town at which he had
+planned to stay several hours short of sundown.
+
+"No use losing three or four precious hours of daylight," he thought. "I
+might as well push forward and take a chance of getting shelter at some
+village along the way."
+
+This he did, following directions given him in the town in which he had
+originally intended to stay. As usual, however, the directions proved to
+be wrong, and the village failed to materialize. To add to his troubles
+as darkness came on, he took a wrong fork in the road, and before long
+found himself in a road that was absolutely impassable on account of
+sand.
+
+"Well," thought he, "it begins to look like a night in the open for me,
+and that won't be much fun. I want to get a good night's sleep to-night.
+Heaven knows I need it."
+
+But when he had just about resigned himself to this, he was relieved to
+see a light spring up, some distance away. "That's good," he thought,
+"I'll see if all I've heard about Kentucky hospitality is fact or just
+mere talk."
+
+Accordingly he started the motor and threw in the clutch on low speed.
+He made no attempt to mount, however, but contented himself with walking
+beside the machine, guiding it through the deep sand.
+
+He had no need to announce his arrival. The unmuffled exhaust did that
+for him. As he approached the cabin from which the light emanated, he
+could see the whole family grouped on the doorstep, peering into the
+night, for by now it was quite dark.
+
+The head of the house was a little in advance of the others, and as Bert
+and the "Blue Streak" approached the door he stepped forward.
+
+"Wall, stranger, what kind of a contraption do you-all reckon to have
+thar?" he drawled, gazing curiously at the palpitating motorcycle.
+
+Bert shut off the motor before he replied.
+
+"Why," he said, "that's my motorcycle, and it's one of the best friends
+I have. I took the wrong road a way back, I guess, and I was just going
+to camp out over night, when I saw the light from your window. If you
+can put me up for the night you'll be doing me a big favor."
+
+"Not another word, son," replied the big mountaineer, "come right in an'
+set down. You look nigh dead beat."
+
+"I am about all in," confessed Bert. "I'll leave my machine right here,
+I guess."
+
+"Shore, shore," said the big Kentuckian, "I reckin thar ain't nobuddy
+within a hundred miles hereabouts that could make off with the blamed
+machine ef he had a mind to. Hosses is considerable more common in these
+parts. The pump's around the side of the house ef you 'low to wash up,"
+he continued, as an afterthought.
+
+"All right, thanks," replied Bert, "I'll be with you in no time."
+He disappeared in the direction indicated, and soon returned, much
+refreshed by a thorough sousing under the pump.
+
+As he entered the cabin, a tired-looking but motherly woman bustled
+forward. "Jest you set over there to the right of paw," she said,
+indicating Bert's place at the table, "an' make yourself comfortable.
+We ain't got much to offer you, but sech as it is, you'r welcome."
+
+There was not much variety to the viands, it must be confessed, but
+there was plenty of "corn pone" and bacon, and rich milk with which to
+wash it down. After his strenuous day in the open he ate ravenously. The
+mountaineer uttered hardly a word during the meal, and indeed none of
+the family seemed very talkative.
+
+The children, of whom there were six, gazed round-eyed at the unexpected
+guest, and seemed, if one were to judge from their looks, to regard him
+as a being from another world.
+
+After the meal was dispatched, the mountaineer produced a blackened old
+pipe, and, filling it from a shabby leather pouch, lit it. "Do you
+smoke, son?" he asked, holding the pouch out to Bert, "ef you do, help
+yourself."
+
+"No, thanks," said Bert, declining the hospitable offer with a smile.
+
+"Don't smoke, eh?" commented the other. "Wall, ye'd ought to. There's a
+heap of comfort in baccy, let me tell you."
+
+"I don't doubt it," replied Bert, "but I've been in training so long for
+one thing or another that I've never had a chance to form the habit.
+Everybody that smokes seems to get a lot of fun out of it though, so I
+suppose it must be a great pleasure."
+
+"It shore is," affirmed the big Kentuckian. "But it's hot in here. What
+do you say we light out and take a squint at that machine of yourn? I
+ain't never got a good look at one close up. They're ginerally travelin'
+too fast to make out details," with a grin.
+
+"Well, they're not the slowest things in the world, that's certain,"
+laughed Bert, "but come ahead out and I'll be glad to explain it to
+you."
+
+They went outside together, the Kentuckian carrying a lantern, and
+followed by the children, who gazed wide-eyed at the strange machine.
+Bert explained the simpler points of the mechanism to the mountaineer,
+who seemed much interested.
+
+"I kin see it's a mighty neat contraption," he admitted, at length. "But
+I'd rether ride quietlike behind a good bit o' hoss flesh. You can't
+make me believe that thet machine has got the strength o' seven hosses
+in it, nohow. It ain't reasonable."
+
+Bert saw that he might argue for a week, and still fail to shake the
+obstinacy of his host, so he wisely forbore to make the attempt. Instead
+he guided the conversation around to the conditions and pursuits of the
+surrounding country, and here the Kentuckian was on firm ground. He
+discoursed on local politics with considerable shrewdness and good
+sense, and proved himself well up on such topics.
+
+They talked on this subject quite a while, and then the conversation in
+some way shifted to the feuds a few years back that had aroused such
+widespread criticism. "Although I haven't seen any sign of them since
+I've been in Kentucky," confessed Bert, with a smile.
+
+"No," said his host, with a ruminative look in his eyes, "they're dyin'
+out, an' a good thing it is fer the country, too. They never did do the
+least mite o' good, an' they often did a sight o' harm.
+
+"Why, it warn't such a long time back that the Judsons an' the Berkeleys
+were at it hammer an' tongs, right in this country roundabout. One was
+layin' fer 'tother all the time, an' the folks thet wasn't in the fracas
+was afraid to go huntin' even, fer fear o' bein' picked off by mistake.
+They wasn't none too particular about makin' sure o' their man, neither,
+before they pulled trigger. They'd shoot fust, an' ef they found they'd
+bagged the wrong man they might be peeved, but thet's all. More'n once
+I've had a close shave myself."
+
+"But what started the feud in the first place?" asked Bert. "It must
+have been a pretty big thing to have set people to shooting each other
+up like that, I should think."
+
+"Not so's you could notice it," was the answer. "Blamed ef I rightly
+remember just what it was. Seems to me, now I come to think of it, that
+ole Seth Judson an' Adam Berkeley got mixed up in the fust place over
+cuttin' down a tree thet was smack on the line 'atween their farms. Ole
+Seth he swore he'd cut thet tree down, an' Adam he 'lowed as how it
+would be a mighty unhealthy thing fer any man as how even took a chip
+out of it.
+
+"Wall, a couple o' days later Adam went to town on one errand or
+another, and when he got back the cussed ole tree had been cut down an'
+carted away. When Adam saw nothin' but the stump left, he never said a
+word, good or bad, but turned around and went back to his house an' got
+his gun. He tracks over to Seth Judson's house an' calls him by name.
+Seth, he walks out large as life, an' Adam pumps a bullet clean through
+his heart. Them two men had been friends off an' on fer over thirty
+year, an' I allow thet ef Adam hed took time to think an' cool off a
+little, he'd never a' done what he did.
+
+"Howsomever, there's no bringin' the dead back to life, an' Adam tromps
+off home, leavin' Seth lyin' there on his front porch.
+
+"'Twasn't more'n a week later, I reckon, when we all heard thet Seth's
+son, Jed, had up an' killed Adam, shootin' at him from behind a fence.
+
+"Waal, thet's the way it started, an' it seemed as though it war never
+goin' to end. Young Adam, he 'lowed as how no man could shoot his daddy
+an' live, so he laid fer Jed as he was goin' to the village, an' shot
+him 'atween the eyes as neat as could be. Then the younger sons, thet
+were still not much more than boys, as you might say, they took to lyin'
+in wait fer each other in the woods an' behind fences. Pretty soon their
+relatives took to backin' them up, and jined in on their own account. O'
+course, most o' the folks hereabouts is related to one another in some
+way.
+
+"I wasn't a native o' these parts myself, an' so managed to keep clear o'
+the trouble. It was a hard thing for me to set by an' see my neighbors
+killin' each other off like a passel o' mad dogs, though, an' all the
+more because I knew there wasn't any real call fer it in the first place.
+
+"Howsumever, they've stopped fightin' now, an' it's none too soon,
+nuther. Another year, an' I reckon there wouldn't a been a Berkeley
+or a Judson left alive in the hull State."
+
+The farmer stopped speaking, and gazed reflectively into the night.
+
+"But what put an end to it finally," inquired Bert, who had listened to
+this narrative with absorbed interest.
+
+"Waal, there was considerable romance consarned in it, as you might
+say," said his host. "Young Buck Judson, he met one o' ole Berkeley's
+daughters somewhere, an' those two young fools hed to go an' fall in
+love with each other. O' course, their families were dead sot agin' it,
+but nothin' would do the critters short o' gettin' hitched up, an' at
+last they talked their families into a peace meetin', as you might say.
+All the neighbors was invited, an' o' course we-all went. An', believe
+me, those people reminded me of a room full o' tom cats, all wantin' to
+start a shindy, but all hatin' to be the fust to begin.
+
+"But all we-'uns thet wanted to stop such goin's on did our best to keep
+peace in the family. To make a long story short, everythin' went off
+quiet an' easy like, an' Buck an' his gal was hitched up all proper.
+The hard feelin' gradually calmed down, an' now the two families is
+tolerable good friends, considerin' everything. But that cost a heap of
+more or less valable lives while it lasted, I can tell you."
+
+After a short pause, he continued, "But there was some turrible strong
+feelin's on both sides while it lasted, son. Why, people was afraid to
+get 'atween a light an' a winder, for fear of a bullet comin' through
+and puttin' a sudden an' onpleasant end to them. Ole Sam Judson, as how
+always had a streak o' yaller in him at the best o' times, got so at
+last thet he wouldn't stir out o' the house without he toted his little
+gran'darter, Mary, along with him. O' course, he figured thet with the
+baby in his arms nobuddy'd take a chanst on wingin' him and mebbe
+killin' the kid, an' he was right. He never even got scratched the hull
+time. An' I could tell you a hundred other things o' the same kind, only
+you'd probably get tired listenin' to them."
+
+"It certainly was a bad state of things," said Bert at last, after a
+thoughtful silence, "but couldn't the authorities do something to stop
+such wholesale killing?"
+
+"Not much," replied the mountaineer, "it would 'a taken every constable
+in Kentucky to cover this part o' the country, an' even then I reckon
+there wouldn't 'a been anywhere near enough. They must 'a realized
+that," he added drily, "'cause they didn't try very hard, leastways,
+not as fur as I could see."
+
+"I'm glad it's over now, at any rate," commented Bert. "A needless waste
+of life like that is a terrible thing."
+
+"It shore is," agreed his host, and puffed meditatively at his pipe. At
+last he knocked the ashes from it and rose to his feet.
+
+"It's gettin' late, son," he said, "an' I reckon you-all must be might
+tuckered out after a day on that there fire spoutin' motorbike o' yourn.
+The ole lady's got a bunk fixed up fer you, I reckon, an' you can turn
+in any time you feel like it."
+
+"I am tired out, for a fact," acknowledged Bert, "and I don't care how
+soon I tumble in."
+
+"Come along, then," said Anderson, as his host was named, "come on
+inside, an' we'll put you up."
+
+So saying, he entered the cabin, followed by Bert.
+
+Mrs. Anderson had fixed a bed for him in a little loft over the main
+room, reached by a ladder. After bidding his host and hostess good
+night, Bert climbed the rungs and ten minutes later was sleeping
+soundly.
+
+When he was awakened by a call from the farmer, he jumped up much
+refreshed, and, dressing quickly, descended the ladder to the living
+room, where the entire family was already assembled. After exchanging
+greetings, he took his place at the table and made a substantial meal
+from plain but hearty fare.
+
+This over, he bade a cordial farewell to the kind farmer and his
+wife, who refused pointblank to accept the slightest payment for the
+hospitality they had extended him. Bert thanked them again and again,
+and then shook hands and left them, first being told of a short cut that
+would save him several miles and land him on a good road.
+
+The good old "Blue Streak" was in fine shape, and after a few minor
+adjustments he started the motor. The whole family had followed him out,
+and were grouped in an interested semicircle about him. At last he was
+ready to start, and threw one leg over the saddle.
+
+"Good-bye," he called, waving his hand, "and thanks once more."
+
+"Good-bye, good luck," they cried in chorus, and Bert moved off slowly,
+on low gear.
+
+At first the going was atrocious, and he was forced to pick his way with
+great caution. The road steadily improved, however, and in a short time
+a sudden turn brought him out on an exceptionally good turnpike, the one
+of which his host of the night before had told him.
+
+"All right," he thought to himself, "here goes to make speed while the
+road lasts," and he grinned at this paraphrase of a well-worn saying.
+He opened up more and more, and his motor took up its familiar
+deep-toned road song. Mile after mile raced back from the spinning
+wheels. The indicator on the speedometer reached the fifty mark, and
+stayed there hour after hour. At times the road ran more to sand, but
+then he simply opened the throttle a trifle wider, and kept to the same
+speed.
+
+The air was like wine, and riding was a keen pleasure. The trees and
+bushes waving in the early morning breeze--the beautiful green country
+spread out on every side--the steady, exhilarating speed--all made
+life seem a very fine thing indeed, and Bert sang snatches of wild,
+meaningless songs as he flew along. For three hours he never slackened
+speed, and then only pulled up in a fair-sized town to replenish his oil
+and gasoline. Then he was off again. The road became worse after he had
+gone ten or fifteen miles, but still he contrived to make fair time, and
+about noon he rode into Louisville.
+
+His arrival there was eagerly awaited, and he was warmly received at the
+local agency. While his machine was being cleaned and oiled, he took the
+opportunity of reporting to the proper authorities. Upon his return the
+"Blue Streak" was turned over to him, shining and polished, and he once
+more took the road. Several motorcyclists accompanied him to the
+outskirts of the city. He experienced varying road conditions, and was
+twice delayed by punctures. But the rattling work of the early morning
+made up for the afternoon's delays, and dusk found him two hundred and
+eighty miles nearer the goal of his ambition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE FORGED TELEGRAM
+
+
+Bert's stay in Louisville was brief, and all the more so, because
+neither Tom nor Dick was there to meet him, as they had planned. Bert
+took it for granted that something out of the ordinary had happened,
+however, and bore his disappointment as philosophically as he could.
+
+"No doubt they've been delayed," he thought, "and will meet me in the
+next town. That will be a spur to me to go faster so that I can see them
+sooner."
+
+He had a refreshing sleep, and was up early, resolved to make a
+profitable day of it. After he had eaten breakfast, he paid his bill,
+and was just going out the door when the clerk stopped him. "Just a
+minute, sir," he said. "Here's a telegram for you. I almost forgot to
+give it to you."
+
+"When did it come?" asked Bert, as he took the yellow envelope and
+prepared to open it.
+
+"Oh, just about an hour ago," replied the clerk, "no bad news I hope?"
+
+This question was occasioned no doubt by the expression of Bert's face.
+"Come quick," the telegram read, "Tom very sick; may die. We are in
+Maysville. Dick."
+
+Bert's voice shook as he addressed the hotel clerk. "One of my friends
+is very sick," he said. "He's in Maysville. How long will it take me to
+get there?"
+
+"Well, it's a matter of close on two hundred miles," replied the clerk,
+in a sympathetic voice, "but the roads are fair, and you can make pretty
+fast time with that machine of yours."
+
+Bert whipped out his map of Kentucky, and the clerk pointed out to him
+the little dot marked Maysville.
+
+"All right, thanks," said Bert, briefly, "good-bye."
+
+"Good-bye," said the other, "I hope your friend isn't as bad as you
+fear."
+
+But before he finished speaking Bert was on the "Blue Streak," and was
+flying down the street. In a moment his mind had grasped every angle of
+the catastrophe. If he went to Tom, it would very likely mean the loss
+of the race, for a matter of four hundred miles out of his road would be
+a fearful handicap. But what was the race compared to dear old Tom,
+Tom, who at this very moment might be calling for him? Every other
+consideration wiped from his mind, Bert leaned over and fairly flew
+along the dusty road. Fences, trees, houses, streaked past him, and
+still he rode faster and faster, recklessly, taking chances that he
+would have shunned had he been bound on any other errand. He shot around
+sharp bends in the road at breakneck speed, sometimes escaping running
+into the ditch by a margin of an inch or so. Fast as the "Blue Streak"
+was, it was all too slow to keep pace with his feverish impatience, and
+Bert fumed at the long miles that lay between him and his friend.
+
+Now a steep hill loomed up in front of him, and he rushed it at breakneck
+speed. Slowly the motorcycle lost speed under the awful drag of the steep
+ascent, and at last Bert was forced to change to low gear. The "Blue
+Streak" toiled upward, and at last reached the top. A wonderful view lay
+spread out before him, but Bert had no eye just now for the beauties of
+nature. All he saw was a road that dipped and curved below him until it
+was lost in the green shades of a valley. Bert saw he would have no need
+of his motor in making that descent, so threw out the clutch and coasted.
+Faster and faster he flew, gaining speed with every revolution of the
+wheels. With the engine stopped, the motorcycle swept along in absolute
+silence, save for the slight hissing noise made by the contact of the
+tires with the road. The speed augmented until he was traveling almost
+with the speed of a cannon ball. At this speed, brakes were useless, even
+had he been inclined to use them, which he was not. Two-thirds of the
+way down he flashed past a wagon, that was negotiating the descent with
+one wheel chained, so steep was it. Had the slightest thing gone wrong
+then; had a nut worked loose, a tire punctured, a chain broken or jumped
+the sprockets, Bert would have been hurled through the air like a stone
+from a catapult. Fortunately for him, everything held, and now he was
+nearing the bottom of the hill. Ten seconds later, and he was sweeping up
+the opposite slope at a speed that it seemed could never slacken. But
+gradually gravitation slowed him down to a safer pace, and at last he
+slipped in the clutch and started the motor. In the wild descent his cap
+had flown off, but he hardly noticed it.
+
+"I'll soon be there at this rate," he thought, glancing at the
+speedometer. "I've come over a hundred and fifty miles now, so Maysville
+can't be much further." And, indeed, less than an hour's additional
+riding brought him to the town of that name.
+
+He went immediately to the hotel at which his friends were supposed to
+be. But when he stated his object to the hotel clerk, the latter gazed
+at him blankly. "There are no parties of that name stopping here," he
+said. "I guess you have the wrong address, young man." Bert showed him
+the telegram, but the clerk only shook his head. "There's something
+wrong somewhere," he said; "suppose you see Bently, the telegrapher. He
+could probably give you a description of the person that sent the
+telegram, anyway."
+
+"Thanks, I will," said Bert, and hastened out. A dim idea of the true
+state of affairs was beginning to form in his brain, but it hardly
+seemed possible his suspicions could be true. He soon reached the
+telegraph office, and accosted the operator.
+
+"Can you tell me," he asked, "who sent that telegram early this
+morning?"
+
+The station agent glanced at the telegram, and replied: "Why, I can't
+give you a very good description of the man, for I didn't take special
+notice of him. He was a young man of medium build, though, with light
+hair, and now I come to think of it, he wore goggles. Seems to me I
+heard some one say he was riding a motorcycle in some cross country
+race, but that I can't vouch for."
+
+"I think I know who he was, all right," said Bert, "and I'm much obliged
+to you."
+
+"Don't mention it," returned the other, and turned again to his work.
+
+Bert walked out of the station with clenched fists and blazing eyes.
+"It's Hayward who sent that telegram," he muttered, between clenched
+teeth. "I'd stake my soul on it. But I'll win this race in spite of that
+crook and his tricks. And anyway," he thought, with his eyes softening,
+"old Tom _isn't_ sick after all, and that's almost enough to make me
+forgive Hayward. I feel as though I had just awakened from an awful
+nightmare."
+
+It was characteristic of Bert that his anger and chagrin at being
+tricked in this dastardly way were swallowed up in his relief at finding
+the report of his friend's illness false.
+
+Bert consulted his map, and found that by taking a different route
+than that by which he had come he could save quite some distance, and
+started out again, after filling the "Blue Streak's" tanks with oil and
+gasoline, with the grim resolve to have revenge for the despicable trick
+that had been played on him, by snatching from Hayward the prize that he
+was willing to stoop to such depths to gain.
+
+Up hill and down he flew, around curves, over bridges that shook and
+rattled at the impact of racing man and machine. Steadily the mileage
+indicator slipped around, as league after league rolled backward, and
+Bert exulted as he watched it. "We'll make it ahead of everybody else or
+die in the attempt, won't we, old fellow?" he said, apostrophizing the
+"Blue Streak." "Nobody's going to play a trick like that on us and get
+away with it, are they?"
+
+Only once on the return trip did he stop, and then only long enough to
+snatch a little food. Then he was off again like the wind, and as dusk
+began to fall rode into Louisville. As he entered the hotel, after
+leaving his machine in a garage, Dick and Tom swooped down upon him.
+"What's up?" they demanded, both in the same breath, "who sent that
+telegram, do you know?"
+
+"I think I know," replied Bert. "I haven't a doubt in the world that it
+was sent by Hayward. You remember that we heard he was more or less
+crooked, and now we know it."
+
+"I wish I could lay my hands on him," exclaimed Dick, with flashing
+eyes. "I'd make him regret the day he was born. Just you wait till the
+next time I come across him, that's all."
+
+"If I see him first there won't be anything left for you," said Tom. "Of
+all the dirty, underhanded tricks I ever heard of, that is the limit."
+
+"Well, I won't contradict you," said Bert, grimly, "but all he'll ever
+gain out of it will be a sound thrashing. Don't you believe for a minute
+that it's going to help him win this race. I'll ride day and night until
+I've made up for this lost time."
+
+And ride he did, crowding three days' mileage into two, until at last he
+felt that he had recovered the time lost in answering the call of the
+forged telegram.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+IN DEADLY PERIL
+
+
+It was after he reached the Western deserts that Bert experienced the
+hardest going. The roads, if mere trails could be dignified by that
+name, were unspeakably bad, and time and again he was forced to ride on
+the railroad embankment, between the tracks. Of course, progress in this
+manner was necessarily slow, and again and again Bert had occasion to
+feel grateful for the wonderful springing system of his mount. Without
+some such aid, he felt his task would be well nigh hopeless.
+
+As it was, he had to let a little air out of the tires, to reduce the
+shocks caused by contact with the rough ballast and uneven ties. In some
+places, where the roadbed was exceptionally well ballasted he was able
+to open up a little, but such stretches were few and far between. In
+places he was forced to dismount because of drainage culverts running
+under the tracks. When this happened he would lift the "Blue Streak" up
+on a rail and trundle it over. It was back-breaking work, and tested
+even his courage and endurance to the utmost.
+
+His oil and gasoline supply ran low, but by great good fortune he was
+able to secure almost a gallon of gasoline from an agent at a lonely
+little station, and about a quart of very inferior lubricating oil. But
+he comforted himself with the thought that "half a loaf is better than
+none" and went on. After a while he noticed that a passable looking road
+skirted the railroad to the left, and he resolved to try it.
+
+Accordingly, he scrambled down the steep embankment, the "Blue Streak"
+half rolling and half sliding down with him. He arrived safely at the
+bottom, and a minute later was on the road. It proved to be fairly good
+at first, but became more and more sandy, and at last Bert was brought
+to a standstill.
+
+"I guess I'm through for to-day," he reflected, and gazed anxiously in
+every direction for any sign of human habitation. His searching gaze met
+nothing but empty sky and empty desert, however, and he drew a sigh of
+resignation. "I guess there's nothing for it but to camp out here and
+make the best of things," he thought, and set about unstrapping his
+impedimenta from the luggage carrier.
+
+His preparations for the night were soon made. He smoothed out a patch
+of sand and spread his thick army blanket over it. "Now that that's
+done," he thought, "I'll just have a bite to eat, and turn in. This
+isn't half bad, after all. It's a lot better than some of the hotels
+I've put up at on this trip, and the ventilation is perfect."
+
+He always carried a substantial lunch with him, to guard against
+emergencies, and of this he now partook heartily. When he had finished,
+he busied himself in cleaning and thoroughly inspecting his faithful
+mount, and found it in fine condition, even after such a strenuous day.
+"No need to worry about your not delivering the goods, is there, old
+boy?" he said, affectionately. "As long as you stick to the job, we'll
+pull through all right."
+
+By the time he had completed his inspection and made some adjustments it
+was almost dark, and Bert rolled himself in his blanket and was soon
+sleeping soundly.
+
+Meantime Tom and Dick were awaiting him at Boyd, a small town in
+Northern Texas. When he failed to arrive, they decided that some
+unforeseen event had delayed him, and were not much worried.
+Nevertheless, they were not quite easy about him, and Tom made a
+proposition that met with instant approbation from Dick.
+
+"Why wouldn't it be a good idea," Tom proposed, "to hire an automobile
+early to-morrow morning and meet him outside the town on his way in? It
+will break up the trip a little for him, and then, in case he's had a
+breakdown we can help him out."
+
+"Fine!" agreed Dick, enthusiastically, "let's go out right now and make
+arrangements with the garage keeper so we'll be sure to get the machine
+in the morning. We might as well be on the safe side."
+
+They immediately sallied out to put this plan in execution. They
+experienced no difficulty in making the necessary arrangements. They
+paid the proprietor of the garage a deposit, and so secured the use of a
+fast, two-seated runabout for the following morning.
+
+Before they left Dick asked the proprietor at what time the place was
+open. "Oh, it's always open," he replied, "come and get the car any time
+you want it. It's all the same to me, so long as it's paid for."
+
+"All right, we'll take you at your word," they promised, and returned to
+the hotel.
+
+"We'll get a good early start," planned Tom, "we ought to leave the
+garage before six o'clock if we expect to meet Bert in time."
+
+"We'll do just that," agreed Dick, "and maybe I won't be glad to set
+eyes on the old reprobate again."
+
+"I, too," said Tom, "he'll be a sight for sore eyes."
+
+"That's what," agreed Dick, "but if we're going to get started at that
+unearthly hour, we'd better turn in early to-night."
+
+This proposition being self-evident, it met with no opposition, and
+shortly afterward they retired, leaving an early call at the office.
+
+They were awakened punctually the next morning, and tumbled hastily into
+their clothes. They did not even stop for breakfast, arguing "that there
+would be plenty of time for that later on." In a very short time they
+presented themselves at the garage, and the party in charge, following
+instructions left with him by the owner of the place, turned the
+automobile over to them.
+
+Dick took the wheel, and they were soon spinning rapidly through the
+quiet streets of the town. Once outside the limits, Dick "cracked on
+speed," and they went along at a fast clip. They passed right by the
+place where Bert had encamped at a distance of several miles, and before
+long came to a village, where they inquired if Bert had been through.
+No, the villagers said, he had not been through there, but they had
+heard that a motorcyclist had been seen riding on the railroad
+embankment, and there could be little doubt that the rider was Bert.
+
+"You must have passed him somewhere," concluded one of their informants,
+an old native whose tanned and weather-beaten face was seamed by a
+thousand wrinkles. "P'raps he stuck to the railroad tracks clean
+through, an' is in Boyd by this time."
+
+But Dick shook his head. "If he'd followed the tracks right along he'd
+probably have reached town last night," he said, with an anxious look in
+his eyes. "I'm afraid he's left the track for one reason or another,
+and lost his way."
+
+"Is there any road near the track that he might have used?" queried Tom.
+
+"No, there ain't," replied the veteran, "leastways, nothin' except the
+old Holloway trail, and you can't rightly call that a road. It's most
+wiped out now, an' jest leads plumb to nowhere."
+
+"Just the same," exclaimed Dick, excitedly, "that's just what has
+happened." He explained hurriedly the race and its object, and ended by
+entreating the old plainsman to guide them to the road he had spoken of.
+
+"Waal, all right," exclaimed the old man, after a moment of hesitation,
+"I'll go ye. But whareabouts in that gasoline buggy o' yourn am I goin'
+to sit? Thar don't seem to be much room to spare."
+
+"You sit here," exclaimed Tom, jumping out. "I'll sit on the floor and
+hold on somehow. Let her go, Dick."
+
+Before the plainsman had fairly settled himself in the seat Dick had let
+in the clutch, and the car started away with a jerk, Dick steering
+according to directions given him by the old man as they went along.
+They plowed through the sand at a breakneck pace, Tom hanging on for
+dear life. Soon they came in sight of the railroad embankment, and Dick
+slowed down slightly. Their guide waved his arm to the right, and Dick
+wrenched the wheel around, causing the machine to skid wildly in the
+yielding sand. Their guide hung on desperately, but was heard to mutter
+something about "stickin' to hosses after this." Soon they reached the
+road that Bert had traversed the night before, and there, sure enough,
+were the marks of motorcycle tires. Their guide gave a whoop. "We're
+close on his trail now," he yelled, "give this tarnation machine a touch
+o' the spurs, young feller."
+
+Dick followed out the spirit of this admonition, at any rate, and after
+ten minutes of furious driving they caught sight of the "Blue Streak." A
+little further, and they could make out Bert's recumbent form,
+apparently asleep.
+
+"Well," exclaimed Tom, heaving a sigh of relief as Dick reduced speed,
+"we've had all our worry for nothing, I guess."
+
+But the old plainsman was peering out from under his horny palm. "It's
+almighty queer," he muttered under his breath. "That young chap must be
+an all-fired heavy sleeper to sleep in broad daylight like that. Let's
+get out an' walk the rest o' the way," he continued, aloud.
+
+Dick looked at him curiously, but did as he proposed, and brought the
+car to a standstill. They all got out, and Tom and Dick were going to
+make a dash for the sleeper, but their guide held them back. "Easy boys,
+easy," he cautioned. "There's somethin' wrong here, an' I've an idee I
+know what it is, too."
+
+"That's whatever!" he exclaimed, when they had advanced cautiously a few
+steps further. "They's a bunch o' scorpions has crawled up on him durin'
+the night to keep warm, an' if he moves an eyelash they'll sting him,
+sure. An' ef they do----" he stopped significantly, and the two friends
+of the threatened man paled as they realized the full horror of the
+situation.
+
+Here was their friend menaced by a hideous death, and they found
+themselves powerless to help him. They were within a hundred feet of
+him, but to all intents and purposes they might as well have been a
+hundred miles distant. The first attempt on their part to help him would
+only precipitate the very tragedy that they sought to avoid.
+
+Bert lay in the shadow cast by the "Blue Streak," over which he had
+thrown a blanket to protect it from wind-blown sand. The hideous
+creatures would not leave him until the sun drove them into hiding, and
+Bert might wake at any moment. What to do they knew not. They racked
+their brains desperately for some plan of action, but could think of
+none.
+
+It was the old frontiersman who came to their rescue. "Ef I only had a
+bit o' lookin' glass," he muttered, looking aimlessly about him, "I
+might do somethin'. But they probably ain't no sech thing nearer than
+ten miles."
+
+"If that would do any good I can get you one," exclaimed Tom, seized
+with an inspiration. He raced back to the auto, and, seizing a wrench,
+attacked the mirror attached to the dash for the purpose of reflecting
+objects coming in back of the car. He had it off in less time than it
+takes to tell, and ran back, waving it over his head. "Here you are!" he
+exclaimed, thrusting it into the hands of the guide. "But I don't see
+what good that will do."
+
+"Never you mind, son," said the old man, snatching the mirror from him.
+"Jest you watch my smoke."
+
+He took up a position on the other side of Bert, and manipulated the
+mirror so that a bright beam of sunlight fell on the recumbent form. Its
+effect was soon apparent. The poisonous insects stirred uneasily, trying
+to avoid the glare that they hated. Finding that there was no escaping
+it, they at last commenced to crawl down in search of a more shady
+resting place.
+
+One by one they made off, the flashing ray of light hastening the
+departure of the laggards. Watching breathlessly, Dick and Tom waited
+for the last noxious insect to crawl sluggishly down onto the blanket
+and then off into the sand. Even after the last one had been dislodged,
+the prairieman played the reflected sunlight over Bert until there was
+no longer cause for apprehension.
+
+"All right, young fellers," he said at last. "I cal'late you can wake
+your friend up now without takin' any long chances."
+
+Dick and Tom were about to avail themselves of this permission, but
+found that there was no need. As they started forward the "sleeper" sat
+up, and then scrambled to his feet.
+
+His comrades uttered a simultaneous expression of surprise, and Dick
+exclaimed, "Of all the lucky old reprobates that ever lived, Bert,
+you're certainly the luckiest, without exception. If you had waked up
+ten minutes sooner, you would----"
+
+"Waked up your grandmother," interrupted Bert. "Why, I've been awake
+over an hour. I was awake when you got here, but I was afraid to move
+for fear of having one of those things bite me--ugh!" and a great
+shudder of disgust passed over him, "that was a waking nightmare in
+earnest. I feel as weak as a rag. Look at that!" and he held out his
+hand. It was trembling like a leaf.
+
+"Waal, I'll be jiggered," exclaimed the Westerner, in an admiring voice,
+"you've sure got nerve, young feller, and no mistake. It ain't everybody
+as could hold hisself the way you did with them blamed critters crawlin'
+all over him. It took nerve, it shore did."
+
+"Probably you'd have done the same thing if you'd been in my place,"
+observed Bert, with a friendly smile.
+
+"Waal, mebbe I would an' mebbe I wouldn't," replied the old man,
+evidently much gratified by this little compliment, "although I don't
+say as how I haven't had one or two close shaves in my time, mind ye."
+
+"Well, at any rate, I guess I owe my life to you, and, of course, to
+my pals here," said Bert, "and all I can say is, that I'm more than
+grateful."
+
+"That's all right, young feller," replied the plainsman, with a
+deprecatory wave of his hand, "you can thank me best by not sayin' a
+word about it. You'd have done the same fer me ef you'd had the chance."
+
+Bert said no more, but shook hands all around, and then prepared to
+start on. "You fellows lead the way," he said, "and I'll follow. My
+appetite is beginning to come back with a rush."
+
+"Ye'd better follow the road we come by back a piece," advised their
+guide, "ye'll soon come to the main road leadin' into Boyd, and you
+oughtn't to have any further trouble."
+
+"That listens all right," observed Bert, and Dick and Tom were of the
+same mind. Accordingly, they lost no time in packing up Bert's luggage,
+and soon had it stored neatly on the carrier. Then Dick pointed the
+nose of the automobile in the direction their guide had advised, Bert
+following at a little distance to give the dust raised by the passage
+of the automobile time to settle. In a short time they reached the road
+of which the guide had spoken, and they spun along merrily.
+
+They made a slight detour to set down the old frontiersman, who had
+rendered them such invaluable assistance. They parted from him with
+great regret and many expressions of gratitude. He stood in the sandy
+road waving his hat after them until his figure became indistinct in the
+distance.
+
+"There was a friend in need, if there ever was one," said Tom, and Dick
+was of the same opinion.
+
+After awhile the road broadened out somewhat, and Bert ranged up
+alongside the automobile. He closed the muffler of his machine, and as
+it glided along with scarcely a sound he and his friends conversed
+without the slightest difficulty. In this way the distance seemed
+nothing at all, and in due time they drew into Boyd.
+
+Bert left the "Blue Streak" at the garage, and went with Tom and Dick to
+their hotel. They were all ravenously hungry, and the ravages they
+caused among the eatables filled the waiters with astonishment. At last
+they had finished, and then proceeded to discuss their future movements.
+
+"I've managed to keep pretty well to schedule so far," he told them,
+"and some of the worst going is over. But, believe me, I wouldn't want
+to repeat some of the experiences I've had. Take this morning, for
+instance."
+
+"No, I shouldn't think you would," said Dick. "But tell us about a few.
+It won't do you any harm to rest up an hour or two now, and we're crazy
+to hear some of your adventures. Reel off a few, like a good fellow."
+
+Bert gave them a brief review of his recent movements, and they listened
+with the greatest interest. Some of the incidents were very amusing, but
+they elicited less laughter than they usually would, for the nerves of
+all three had not yet fully recovered from the shock they had received
+that morning.
+
+"Well," said Bert at last, rising, "I'm sorry, fellows, but I'm afraid
+I'll have to be moving. Get hold of that auto again, why don't you, and
+go with me a little way. You can do that all right, can't you?"
+
+"Sure," exclaimed Dick. "Bet your sweet life we can," chimed in Tom, and
+so it was settled.
+
+The three comrades proceeded directly to the garage, and had no
+difficulty in hiring the car that had already served them so well that
+morning. Bert ran the "Blue Streak" out onto the sunlit road, and,
+running beside it, shot on the spark. The motor started immediately, and
+he gave a flying leap into the saddle.
+
+Dick and Tom were close behind, and tried to catch up with him. But Bert
+would not have it so. As soon as they began to get close he would shoot
+ahead, and although they had a speedy car, they realized that they stood
+no chance against such a motorcycle as the "Blue Streak."
+
+Laughingly they gave over the attempt, and Bert dropped back until they
+were abreast of him.
+
+"No chance, fellows," he called gaily. "The old 'Blue Streak' and I
+don't take the dust of any mere automobile."
+
+They exchanged jokes and friendly insults until they had gone much
+further than they realized, and were forced to turn back.
+
+They stopped before parting and shook hands.
+
+"So long, old fellow," said Dick. "We'll be waiting to meet you at
+Oklahoma."
+
+"Good-bye," said Bert, wringing their hands, "see you later," and,
+leaping on the "Blue Streak," was soon lost to sight in a cloud of
+dust.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A DAY OF DISASTER
+
+
+After he left his companions, Bert made good speed for a time,
+and hummed along smoothly. At first all went well, and Bert was
+congratulating himself on his good progress, when suddenly his engine
+commenced racing wildly. In an instant Bert had shut off power, and came
+to a stop as soon as possible. Then he dismounted, and commenced a hasty
+examination. The first thought that flashed across his mind was that the
+clutch had given way in some manner, thus allowing the motor to slip.
+The clutch proved to be in perfect condition, however, but a short
+further search revealed the cause of the trouble.
+
+The nut that held the engine driving sprocket on the shaft had worked
+loose and dropped off. Of course, the key that prevented the sprocket
+from slipping on the shaft had dropped out soon afterward, thus allowing
+the shaft to revolve without transmitting the slightest power.
+
+"Well," thought Bert, "I'm in a pretty fix now, for fair. Here I am
+thirty miles from the nearest town and provided with a permanent free
+engine. It rather looks as though I were up against it for fair."
+
+He made a careful search among his spare parts, but met with only
+partial success. He found a nut that fitted the shaft fairly well, but
+nothing he could substitute for the key.
+
+"Perhaps if I walk back a way I'll find it," he thought, and accordingly
+he walked slowly back the way he had come, carefully scanning every foot
+of the path. He realized that the likelihood of finding it was very
+slim, but there was always the chance, so he hunted carefully. His
+efforts met with no success, and at last he was forced to admit to
+himself the hopelessness of the search.
+
+"But I've got to do something," he thought, "since I haven't got the
+part, I'll have to try and make one, that's all." He reflected a few
+moments, and then, seized with an idea, once more looked through the
+tool bag. He selected the smallest of his screwdrivers and a file, and
+began to file away at the screwdriver about half an inch from the end,
+intending to use it in place of the lost key. But the steel of which it
+was composed was very hard, and he found it a harder task than he had
+anticipated.
+
+At last, by dint of patient filing until his fingers ached, he cut
+through the obstinate metal and finally held the precious bit of steel
+between his fingers.
+
+"By Jove!" he exclaimed, mopping his streaming face, "that was an awful
+job, but the end justifies the means. I wouldn't swap this little bit
+of steel now for ten times its weight in gold."
+
+He tried it in the slot on the engine shaft, and found it a fairly tight
+fit. "Eureka!" he exclaimed aloud, "that's bending circumstances to suit
+your will, or I don't know what is."
+
+He quickly screwed on the holding nut, and once more was ready to start.
+"Come along now, old fellow," he said, apostrophizing the "Blue Streak,"
+"we've got to do double work now to make up for this delay. Speed's the
+word from now on."
+
+Misfortune after misfortune overtook him, however, and he was delayed
+again and again. It almost seemed as though fate repented of having
+saved him from a horrible death that morning, and was resolved to make
+up for her leniency by imposing unusual hardships on the devoted
+motorcyclist.
+
+He had not gone more than ten miles from where he had made the new shaft
+key when the long driving chain snapped. Of course, he had extra links
+with him, and repaired it quickly, but even then much valuable time was
+lost. Then, he had hardly started again before a weak place in the front
+tire gave way with a report like that of a pistol shot, and he was
+forced to put in a new tube and a repair patch.
+
+This done, he chugged on some time without further mishap, and was just
+beginning to believe that his troubles were over, when suddenly he was
+apprised by the hard jarring of the back wheel that the tire on it had
+gone flat. This meant another half hour's delay, and Bert began to feel
+that he was "hoodooed" in earnest.
+
+"I wonder what will happen next," he thought, as he started off, after
+remedying the last misfortune. "Hard luck seems to be keeping me
+company, and that isn't the best kind of a road companion to have."
+
+But for the present his fears remained unrealized, and as the road
+continued fairly good he raced along, mounting up the miles on his
+speedometer in a very satisfactory fashion. He made good time, and only
+stopped when the pangs of hunger warned him that it was lunch time.
+
+Tom and Dick had taken care to see that he was provided with plenty of
+wholesome "grub," and had personally supervised the putting up of the
+lunch by the good-natured hotel chef.
+
+"They certainly made a good job of it," thought he appreciatively, as he
+partook of delicious fried chicken sandwiches and crisp brown crullers.
+He washed down the meal with a long pull from his canteen, and then,
+after allowing himself a few minutes of hard-earned rest, was off again
+toward the goal that now began to seem less distant than it had before.
+
+But the "jinx" had not yet deserted him, as he was soon to discover. As
+he was bowling along at a pace well over thirty miles an hour, he
+suddenly turned a sharp bend in the road and ran squarely into a deep
+bed of sand. Before he could slow down appreciably, he was in it--and, a
+second later, was in it literally. All his skill and strength could not
+keep the machine from skidding, and he experienced a bone-racking fall.
+
+In a second he had picked himself up, and ran to where the "Blue Streak"
+was lying, its motor still plugging away and the rear wheel sending
+showers of sand into the air. Bert shut off the power and proceeded to
+take stock of damages. The footboard on the right had struck through the
+sand to the hard gravel below and had broken one of its supports. This
+weakened it so much that Bert found it would not bear his weight.
+
+There was nothing for him to do but repair the damage as best he could,
+and at length he managed to make a temporary repair with a spool of
+copper wire and a pair of pliers.
+
+"This is getting serious," thought Bert ruefully, as he finished the
+job. "I'll never get anywhere if this keeps up long. But perhaps it's
+better to have everything come at once and get it over with. I might as
+well look at the bright side of it, anyway."
+
+He started off finally, and now it seemed that at last he was to go
+forward without interruption. But unfortunately, he was to find that
+this view of the case was altogether too sanguine. The road grew
+continually worse, and it became impossible to make even average speed.
+In places it was very sandy, too, and this hindered him a good deal.
+
+His trusty mount stood the bumping and wrenching it received without the
+slightest sign of weakening, and Bert was grateful indeed for the
+staunch construction that made its present satisfactory performance
+possible.
+
+The road was deeply rutted, and it was only by the most careful managing
+that he steered clear of the depressions. But nothing could stop him,
+and he plugged doggedly on. The "Blue Streak" slipped and skidded, and
+tried to "lie down and roll over," as he described it afterward, and the
+strain on his wrists and arms was tremendous. If the handlebars had once
+gotten out of his control they would have zigzagged wildly and the
+result would have been a bad fall. This Bert did his best to avoid, as
+he was already bruised by the spills he had been through.
+
+At times he was forced to stop and rest a few minutes, and he always
+made use of these breathing spells to let the old oil out of his motor
+and pump in a fresh supply. Then when he resumed his journey the motor
+would be like a different piece of mechanism. It almost seemed as though
+it, too, became weary at times and benefited by a brief rest. Probably
+every experienced motorist has noticed this, and many theories have been
+advanced in explanation, but none of them seem very satisfactory. Bert
+by this time was beginning to feel the effects of the strain he had
+endured all through the day. He plowed slowly through the clinging sand,
+traveling most of the time on low gear. This was not the best thing in
+the world for his engine, and every once in a while he was forced to
+stop and let it cool. With the engine turning over so fast he had to use
+an excessive supply of oil, and at length was warned, by the sucking
+sound of the oil pump, that the tank was empty.
+
+Fortunately, however, before he left Boyd he had secured an extra half
+gallon can of lubricating oil, which he had strapped on the luggage
+carrier. "And it's a mighty lucky thing I did, too," he thought,
+"otherwise I'd be stalled for good, with the prospect of a long tramp to
+the nearest town. But now I can still beat the game."
+
+He unstrapped the can, and emptied its contents into the oil tank. "That
+ought to last me until I reach some place where I can get more," he
+thought, throwing the empty can away. "Here goes to buck this sand like
+a rotary plow going through a snow bank."
+
+He gave the motor a couple of pump fulls of oil, and started it going.
+Slipping in the clutch, he moved forward with the grim resolve to take
+long chances for the sake of gaining ground. Gradually he opened the
+throttle, and when he had attained a good speed, changed to high gear.
+The "Blue Streak" gained momentum and charged ahead, throwing showers of
+sand into the air. Every muscle tense, Bert held the motorcycle on the
+trail, despite the strong inclination it evinced to go off on little
+exploring expeditions of its own. He reeled off mile after mile at a
+good clip, and began to feel better.
+
+"This might be a lot worse," thought Bert, "if nothing happens now,
+I'll have made pretty fair progress by supper time." Consulting his
+speedometer he found that he had covered something over a hundred and
+twenty miles so far, which, considering all the delays he had been
+subjected to, and the bad roads, was very fair progress.
+
+But even as this thought was passing through his mind, the front wheel
+caught in a hollow, the handlebars were wrenched from his hands with a
+force that almost broke his wrists, and he was flying through the air.
+He landed with a crash, and for a few moments, dazzling lights glittered
+before his eyes. Gradually these cleared away, and he sat up, feeling
+very dizzy and sick.
+
+As his head cleared, he staggered to his feet, and looked around for his
+motorcycle. There it lay, at some distance, half buried in the sand. He
+went over to it, and, after scooping some of the sand away, succeeded
+by a great effort in pulling it upright.
+
+"I guess my part of the race is finished right here," he thought, with a
+sinking heart. "Something _must_ have been badly broken in a fall like
+that. It's a wonder I wasn't killed myself."
+
+He set the "Blue Streak" up on its stand, and cranked the engine. It
+gave a few spasmodic explosions, but then stopped. "I knew it," he
+exclaimed aloud, with a feeling nearly akin to despair. But his
+indomitable spirit was not yet ready to give up hope, and he commenced a
+careful examination of his mount.
+
+The handlebars were slewed around until they stood at right angles to
+the machine. But this was a minor thing, and with the aid of a wrench he
+soon set matters right. The main thing was to locate the cause of the
+motor refusing to run, and he set himself to solve the problem, as he
+had so many others in the course of this most eventful and unlucky day.
+
+He tested the magneto spark by kicking the motor over energetically,
+and holding the conduction cable a quarter of an inch or so from the
+cylinders. A hot blue spark jumped snapping across the gap, and Bert
+drew a sigh of relief. Provided the magneto were all right, he felt that
+he might get started again after all.
+
+"The trouble must be in the carburetor," he concluded, and forthwith
+proceeded to dissect that highly important part of his equipment. His
+suspicions proved well founded. The carburetor was packed with sand,
+which had worked up into the spray plug and completely blocked the fine
+grooves cut in it.
+
+"That's easy," thought Bert. "I'll just wash this out in a little less
+than no time, and then I hope everything will be all right."
+
+He washed gasoline through the carburetor, and cleaned the spray plug
+till not a vestige of sand remained. He then quickly assembled the
+instrument and connected it up with the induction pipes. Flooding
+the carburetor with gasoline, he gave the engine a quick turn over.
+Immediately it started off with a roar, and Bert threw the wrench he had
+been using into the air, and deftly caught it again.
+
+"Hurrah!" he cried, "now, old boy, we'll try it again."
+
+He still felt rather dizzy, but the sun was getting low, and he knew he
+would have to "go some" to reach the next town before dark. He hastily
+put his tools away, and in a short time was speeding along again,
+nothing daunted by the accident. Presently the road improved, a sure
+sign that he was approaching a settlement. Soon he could make out the
+low houses of the little prairie town before him and he increased his
+speed, "splitting the air" like a comet.
+
+He reached the village without further trouble, and was soon solacing
+himself for the strenuous day he had gone through with the best dinner
+the resources of the town could provide.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE FLAMING FOREST
+
+
+Early on the morning of the eighth day of the trip, Bert crossed
+the line into Oklahoma. He found little difference in the roads he
+encountered, most of them being of a very poor description. But by this
+time he was used to all sorts of going, and could listen without
+laughing, when one of the natives, in a fit of enthusiasm, would speak
+of some atrocious path as a "highway."
+
+Of course, in isolated instances some village or town had inaugurated a
+"good roads" movement, and then Bert found nothing to complain of. But
+as a rule the roads were inferior, and he found fast travel practically
+impossible.
+
+He rode steadily, however, and by noon had made fairly good progress. He
+now found himself in a thickly wooded country, and rode mile after mile
+in a deep shade that was very grateful after some of the blistering
+hours in the open he had been forced to undergo. There was a brisk
+breeze blowing, and the leaves rustled pleasantly, allowing slender
+shafts of sunlight to flicker through them as they swayed and whispered.
+
+Bert drew in great breaths of the fragrant air, redolent of a thousand
+woody odors, and wished that the whole of his journey lay through such
+pleasant places. After a while he came to a beautiful little glen
+through which ran a sparkling brook.
+
+"Just the place to eat lunch," thought Bert, and quickly brought the
+"Blue Streak" to a standstill. Dismounting, he unpacked his lunch box,
+and, sitting down on a broad, flat-topped rock at the edge of the
+stream, ate contentedly.
+
+"This place is a regular little Garden of Eden," he mused. "There must
+be fish in that stream. If I only had a hook and line along, I'll wager
+I'd get some sport out of it." Then another thought struck him. "By
+Jove!" he exclaimed aloud, "a swim would feel mighty good now, and there
+must be a place deep enough for one somewhere around here. I'm going on
+an exploring expedition, anyway."
+
+Sure enough, around a slight bend in the stream he discovered a pool
+that almost looked as though it had been made to order. A gigantic tree
+had fallen across the stream, forming a natural dam. The clear water ran
+over and under it with a tinkling, splashing sound, and Bert gave a
+shout of joy.
+
+"Here goes for a glorious swim," he cried, and, undressing hastily,
+plunged in. The water was icy cold, and for a moment the shock of it
+took away his breath and made his heart stand still. But in a few
+seconds the reaction came, and he splashed around, and even managed to
+swim a few strokes in the deepest part.
+
+"This is great," he thought. "I wouldn't have missed it for worlds. It's
+too bad the old 'Blue Streak' can't enjoy it with me." He smiled as this
+absurd thought crossed his mind, but little knew how much of prophecy
+there was in it.
+
+When he felt thoroughly refreshed, he climbed out to the bank, and
+quickly slipped into his clothes. "I can dry out as I go along," he
+thought, with a grin. "Somebody evidently forgot to hang bath towels on
+these trees. Very careless of them, _I_ think."
+
+He hurried back to where he had left the motorcycle, and soon was once
+more purring along the woodland track. He had traveled something less
+than an hour, when he began to notice a thin blue haze in the air, and
+at the same time to smell a pungent smoke. His first thought was that he
+was near some settler's cabin, but as he rode on he could see no sign of
+human habitation, and the green forest stretched away on both sides of
+the road without any break that might denote a trail.
+
+But the smoke kept getting heavier every second, and suddenly the truth
+smote him like a blow in the face. "A forest fire," he thought, "a
+forest fire! and here I am, in the heart of these woods, with absolutely
+no way of escape, that I can see." Even as these thoughts flashed
+through his mind, a rabbit dashed out onto the road, so mad with terror
+that it almost ran under the wheels of the motorcycle.
+
+Bert brought his machine to a standstill with a jerk, the back tire
+skidding as he jammed on his brake. A thousand plans raced through his
+head, only to be rejected as soon as formed. Of them all only one
+offered the slightest hope of escape.
+
+"The brook," he thought, "if I can only get back there I'll have a
+chance to pull through. If the fire beats me to it--well, there will be
+one less contestant in this race, that's all."
+
+He lifted the motorcycle bodily from the ground, in his excitement and
+dire need, handling it as easily as he would a bicycle, pointing it back
+the way he had so lately come. Then, with a shove and a leap he was off
+on a wild ride, with life itself as the prize.
+
+He flew swiftly along the narrow trail, careless of ruts and obstructions
+that he had avoided with the greatest care but a short time before. The
+smoke grew thick and choking, reddening his eyes, irritating his lungs.
+It was only by the greatest good fortune that he avoided a collision with
+the panic-stricken animals that dashed across the road in great numbers,
+disappearing among the underbrush on the other side. Now he could hear a
+distant roaring and crackling, and great waves of heat billowed down upon
+him. He clenched his teeth, and opened the throttle to the utmost. The
+woods streaked away on both sides, and soon he saw that he was nearing
+his goal.
+
+But the fire was traveling fast as well as he, and he could see it
+leaping through the tops of the trees at no great distance. The heat
+scorched and burned him, and the motorcycle felt hot to the touch. But,
+after what seemed an interminable time, he reached the brook, which now
+offered the last chance of safety.
+
+Scarcely checking his speed, Bert swung off the road. His machine
+skidded wildly, but the tires gripped in time, and Bert steered for the
+deep pool in which he had bathed less than two hours ago. The "Blue
+Streak" crashed through the underbrush, beating down all opposition by
+its terrific momentum, the powerful motor forcing it forward like a
+battering ram. Bert gripped the tank with his knees, and held on grimly,
+checking his mount at last at the brink of the pool.
+
+By now, the heat was almost intolerable, but there was still something
+left for him to do before he could plunge into the cool water. Way back
+in his camping days he had learned the best way of fighting a forest
+fire, and now he put his knowledge to account. He applied a light to the
+grass and underbrush bordering the pool, and a thin line of flame began
+creeping to meet the furious conflagration dashing through the trees.
+This would leave a narrow belt of charred land around the pool that
+would hold the fire at a little distance, at least.
+
+This done, Bert seized the handlebars of his motorcycle, and hauled it
+into the pool after him, until it was partly immersed.
+
+"That's the best I can do for you, old friend," he said. "I guess the
+fire can't reach you there, at any rate."
+
+Then he waded in until he reached the deepest part of the pool, and
+waited for the advance of the devouring element.
+
+He had plenty of company, as rabbits, foxes, and numerous other wild
+creatures continually plunged into the water, their eyes wide with
+terror, and all thoughts of age-old enmities wiped from their minds.
+
+The heat grew more intense every moment, and Bert felt the skin on his
+face blistering. He took a long breath, and ducked his head completely
+under water. He kept it there until it seemed as though his lungs would
+burst for lack of air, and then lifted it to take another breath. In
+those few seconds the fire had made tremendous strides, and now met the
+backfire that Bert had started. He had only time to take a hasty glimpse
+of all this, and then was forced to duck under again. Every breath he
+drew was hot as the blast of a furnace, and seemed fairly to scorch his
+lungs.
+
+The fire burned for a few minutes with no appreciable lessening of its
+fury, but then, deprived of fuel, gradually passed by on each side of
+the pool. Its terrific roaring slowly died away in the distance, and the
+unbearable heat abated somewhat, although smoke still hung in a heavy
+pall over the blackened ground.
+
+At last Bert found he could venture from the water with safety, and
+accordingly did so. At the same time the wild creatures who had sought
+refuge in the same place bethought themselves of engagements elsewhere,
+and scampered off.
+
+Bert hauled the "Blue Streak" out of the water, and found it practically
+unharmed. Some of the enamel had blistered, but Bert paid little
+attention to this, so long as the machine was still in running order. He
+had taken care not to let the water touch the magneto, and so was able
+to start immediately.
+
+As he rode over the blackened trail, Bert could not help comparing the
+scene of desolation that now met his eye with the beautiful appearance
+the woods had presented so short a time before. In places the ground
+still smoked and smouldered, and in others trees burned like giant
+torches.
+
+But Bert realized that he had had a narrow escape from death, and this
+thought kept him from dwelling too long on the devastated landscape.
+After two or three hours' riding, he passed the fire belt, and once
+more entered a flourishing forest. He made steady progress, and before
+nightfall reached a fair-sized town. Most of the able-bodied men had not
+returned from fighting the fire, and at first the few who were left
+would hardly believe Bert's account of his escape. But a look at the
+blistered enamel on the motorcycle convinced them, and they united in
+congratulating him on his good fortune. As one grizzled old fellow
+remarked, "Thar ain't many folks as can say they've come through a
+forest fire as easy as you did, son. Thar generally ain't much o' them
+left to tell the story."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+RACING AN AIRSHIP
+
+
+It was a hot, oppressive day when Bert set out from Ralston. But he had
+had a restful sleep, and felt in fine trim for anything. He had eaten a
+hearty breakfast, and this no doubt added to his feeling of buoyancy and
+satisfaction with life in general. In addition, his mount was acting
+beautifully, purring along with the deep-throated exhaust that tells its
+own story of fine adjustments and perfect carburetion.
+
+The country through which he traveled was very flat, and for mile after
+mile he glided easily along, encountering no obstructions worthy of the
+name. The road was smooth, and, contrary to the general run of roads
+in this section, comparatively free from sand and dust. The fresh,
+invigorating air added to his feeling of exhilaration, and he was
+tempted to "open 'er up" and do a little speeding.
+
+He had about decided to do so, when suddenly he became conscious of
+hearing some noise not proceeding from his machine.
+
+At first he thought it must be an automobile coming up back of him, but,
+as he glanced over his shoulder, he could see no sign of one, although
+the road stretched out for miles without a break.
+
+Instantly his mind grasped the significance of the sound.
+
+"It must be an aeroplane," he thought, and, glancing upward, was not
+much surprised to see one outlined against the clear blue of the sky.
+
+"Well, well," thought Bert, "this is an unexpected pleasure. I didn't
+know there was an aeroplane within two hundred miles of here."
+
+The aeroplane, which proved to be of the biplane type, was evidently
+descending. At first, Bert had stopped to get a good look at it, but
+then, feeling that he had no time to lose, had remounted and resumed his
+journey.
+
+But as he went along, he knew that the 'plane was still descending
+because of the increasing noise of its exhaust. In the same way he could
+tell that the machine was overtaking him, but at first the thought of
+trying to beat it never entered his head. Even in all his varied and
+exciting adventures he had never had a brush with such an adversary.
+
+In an incredibly short time, however, the aeroplane was directly over
+his head, and he glanced upward. As he did so, the aviator leaned
+forward slightly, and waved his gloved hand. Bert waved in reply, and
+then the airman made a gesture which Bert interpreted, and rightly, as
+being a challenge.
+
+Needless to say, our hero was not one to decline such an invitation, and
+accordingly he opened his throttle a little. Instantly his exhaust
+changed from its deep grumble to a harsh bark, and his machine leaped
+forward.
+
+In answer to this, the aviator fed more gas to _his_ motor, and his
+graceful machine soared forward in advance of Bert and the "Blue
+Streak."
+
+"Oho!" thought Bert, "this will never do," and he gave his powerful
+machine more throttle, at the same time advancing the spark to the
+limit. That last fraction of an inch of spark sent his machine surging
+ahead like some wild thing let loose, and he leaned far down to escape
+the terrific resistance caused by the wind. The road streamed away
+behind him, and he had a thrill of exultation as he felt his machine
+leap forward in response to the slightest touch of the throttle.
+
+His adversary in the air was not to be easily outdistanced, however, and
+he kept up with Bert, refusing to be shaken off.
+
+Bert felt that now was the time to take the lead, if possible, and
+accordingly he opened the throttle almost to the limit, although he
+still held something in reserve.
+
+The powerful motor responded nobly, and the machine skimmed over the
+sun-baked road at a terrific pace. The bird-man did his best to squeeze
+a little more speed out of his whirling motor, but was unable to cope
+with the rushing, roaring little speck down below him. At last he was
+forced to a realization of this, and abruptly cut down his speed.
+
+Bert continued his headlong flight for a short time, but finding that
+the aeroplane did not pass him, concluded that it must have fallen
+behind. Accordingly, he slackened his own speed, but very gradually, for
+he was too wise to risk disaster by slowing down too suddenly.
+
+Soon his speed had abated sufficiently to allow the use of the brakes,
+and he brought his machine to a standstill. Lifting it onto its stand,
+he pushed his goggles up on his forehead, and looked around for his late
+rival.
+
+He made out the aeroplane at no great distance, and could see that it
+was making preparations to land. When the aviator reached a point almost
+over Bert's head, he shut off his engine entirely, and, describing a
+great spiral, landed gently on the ground not a hundred yards from where
+Bert and the "Blue Streak" were standing.
+
+Bert immediately ran toward him, and the aviator stepped stiffly from
+his seat and held out his hand.
+
+"You've got a mighty fast machine there, comrade," he said, with a grin,
+as Bert shook hands with him. "I thought my 'plane was pretty good, but
+I guess your motor bike is better."
+
+"Well, it isn't so bad, perhaps," replied Bert, unable no matter how
+hard he tried, to keep a little note of pride out of his voice. "I
+manage to get a little action out of it once in a while."
+
+"I should say you did," agreed his late rival, "but what are you doing
+way out here a thousand miles from nowhere, more or less?"
+
+"I might ask the same question of you," replied Bert, with a smile, "but
+as you beat me to it, I'll answer yours first."
+
+Bert then proceeded to outline briefly the contest in which he was
+engaged, but, before he had gone far, his companion interrupted him.
+
+"Oh, I know all about that!" he exclaimed. "And so you're one of the
+chaps in the transcontinental race, are you? Well, you haven't got so
+much further to go, considering the distance you've covered already."
+
+"No, I guess the worst of it is over," agreed Bert, "although I've been
+told that there are some very bad roads ahead of me."
+
+"You're right, there are," replied the aviator, "and that's where I have
+an advantage over you. I don't have to worry over road conditions."
+
+Bert saw that he was a little chagrined over his defeat, and so forebore
+to argue the merits of motorcycle versus airship.
+
+"Just the same," he thought to himself, "I'm a whole lot more likely to
+get where I want to go than he is."
+
+Then he and his new-found companion fell into a discussion regarding
+various types of motors, and inspected each other's machines with
+interest. By the time this was over it was high noon, and Bert proposed
+that they eat lunch together.
+
+The aviator agreed heartily to this, and accordingly they unpacked their
+lunches and, sitting in the shade of one of the aeroplane wings, made a
+hearty meal.
+
+When the last crumb had been disposed of, they shook hands with
+expressions of mutual regard, and the aviator was very cordial in
+wishing Bert all kinds of success in the contest. Then they said
+good-bye, and resumed their respective journeys. Bert watched the
+airship ascend in great spirals, until it was a mere speck in the
+distance, winging rapidly eastward.
+
+Before starting, Bert looked over his machine carefully, in order to
+assure himself that nothing had been loosened by the vibration caused by
+the high speed. Everything seemed in perfect shape, and in less time
+than it takes to tell he was "eating up space" in a fashion that
+promised to land him speedily at his destination.
+
+But before he had gone many miles, he found the road, which up to now
+had been exceptionally good, becoming more and more sandy, and he was
+forced to go slowly and pick his way very carefully. As the sand grew
+deeper his machine evinced a very decided tendency to skid, and he was
+forced to exert all his strength to keep the front wheel pointed
+straight ahead.
+
+Soon he shifted to low gear, and crawled forward at a pace little faster
+than a brisk walk. He now had reason, as indeed he had a score of times
+so far, to bless the foresight that had led him to purchase a two-speed
+machine. Without this, he felt that the accomplishment of his task would
+be well-nigh hopeless.
+
+The heat became more and more oppressive, and the alkali dust on his
+face smarted and blistered. At intervals he would dismount, take a drink
+from his canteen, and give his motor a chance to cool off.
+
+Then he would start on again, resolved to reach the next town before
+nightfall. What with the many interruptions and the slow pace, however,
+darkness overtook him while yet he was more than ten miles from his
+destination.
+
+Dismounting, he lighted his lamp, and once more took up the forward
+flight. The air, from being excessively hot, now became quite the
+opposite, and he felt chilled to the bone. He kept doggedly on,
+nevertheless, and at last his perseverance was rewarded by his catching
+a glimpse of the lights of the town for which he was bound. At the same
+time the road became much better, and he covered the intervening mile or
+two at good speed.
+
+The town was not a large one, but it could afford a square meal and a
+good bed, and that was all that Bert asked for. He had a hard time to
+tear himself away from the other guests, who were very much interested
+in his adventures, and plied him with innumerable questions.
+
+At last he managed to say good-night, and fifteen minutes afterward was
+sunk in the deep, dreamless sleep of utter but healthy exhaustion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+AN UNSEEN LISTENER
+
+
+Bert was lost. There was no use blinking the fact. For two hours past
+this feeling had been growing stronger, and now it had deepened into a
+conviction.
+
+It was an unusual and disconcerting experience for him. His sense of
+location was very keen and acute, and, even without a compass, he had
+been able almost instinctively to distinguish the cardinal points. But
+just now he was deprived of the help of that trusty counselor. He had
+been compelled to dismount, a little while since, to make some trifling
+adjustment. Some time later, when the sun had disappeared under a cloud,
+he felt in the pocket where he usually carried his compass, and was
+dismayed to find it empty. He must have lost it in bending over the
+machine. He could replace it when he reached the next large town, but
+just at present he missed it sorely. For an hour now, the sun had been
+invisible, and although he felt confident he was traveling due West, he
+would have given a good deal for absolute assurance of that fact.
+
+If he had been following some broad highway, he would not so much have
+cared, as he would have been sure before long to reach some settlement
+where he could again get his bearings. But there had been a number of
+trails, none of them well-defined, and he had chosen one that grew
+fainter and fainter as he progressed until it had faded away into the
+mass of the prairie. In bright sunlight, he might have still been able
+to trace it, but, in the dun haze and gathering dusk, it was no longer
+visible.
+
+Although the country was mostly a level plain, it was interspersed here
+and there with bits of woodland and rocky buttes, rising in places to a
+height of two hundred feet. One of these Bert descried in the distance,
+and, putting on more power, he neared it rapidly. If he had to spend the
+night in the open, which seemed very probable now, he wanted to have the
+cheer and comfort of a fire, and there was no material for that in
+the treeless plain. At the edge of the wood he could get boughs and
+branches. By the aid of the spirit lamp that he carried in his kit, he
+could make a pot of coffee to supplement the sandwiches he had with him.
+
+By the time he had reached the woods it had grown wholly dark. He jumped
+from the saddle, leaned the "Blue Streak" against a tree, and commenced
+to gather twigs and branches. He soon had enough for his purpose, and
+was just about to apply a match, when he caught the twinkle of a light,
+farther up the wooded slope. He looked closely and could see the
+outlines of a cabin from which the light was streaming.
+
+The discovery was both a surprise and a delight. Here was human
+companionship, and an opportunity to know just where he was and how he
+could best reach the nearest town. He thought it was probably the hut of
+some sheepherder or cattleman, and he had no doubt of a warm welcome.
+Apart from the hospitality that is proverbial on the Western plains, the
+occupant of that lonely cabin would be just as glad as himself to have a
+companion for the night. He thrust his matchbox back in its waterproof
+pouch, and, taking his machine by the handlebars, began to trundle it up
+the slope.
+
+His first impulse was to blow the horn of his motorcycle, as a cheery
+announcement that a stranger was coming. But as he reached out his hand,
+some unseen power seemed to hold him back. There seemed to be no reason
+for the caution, but that subtle "sixth sense," that experience had
+taught Bert to rely upon, asserted itself. On such occasions he had
+learned not to argue, but to obey. He did so now, and, instead of going
+directly to the cabin as he had planned at first, made a wide circle and
+came up behind. He left the motorcycle fifty feet away, and then with
+infinite care drew near the cabin.
+
+It was a rude structure of logs, and mud had been used to close up the
+chinks. There was no window on that side, but in several places the
+dried mud had fallen away, and the light shone through the crevices.
+Bert glued his eye to the largest of these openings and looked in.
+
+A smoky lamp stood on a rough pine table, before which a man was seated
+on a nail keg. His face was partly turned away, and, at the moment Bert
+saw him, he was applying his lips to a half-filled whiskey bottle. He
+took an enormous dram and then slammed the bottle down on the table and
+drew his sleeve across his mouth.
+
+Around his waist was a cartridge belt, and two ugly-looking revolvers
+peeped from his holsters. A bowie knife lay on the table beside the
+lamp. The outlook was not reassuring, and Bert blessed the caution that
+had impelled him to "hasten slowly" in approaching the cabin.
+
+He blessed it again when the man with an oath and a snarl picked up a
+handbill that had dropped on the floor. In doing so, he exposed his full
+face to view, and Bert thought that he had seldom seen one so wholly
+villainous.
+
+The ferret-like eyes, set close together, as they looked out from
+beneath bushy brows, glinted with ferocity. Although comparatively
+young, dissipation and reckless living had stamped their impress on
+every feature. His outthrust jaw bespoke a bulldog courage and
+determination. Brute was written largely all over him. An ugly scar
+across his temple told of the zip of a bullet or the crease of a knife.
+It was the face of a desperado who would stop at nothing, however
+murderous or cruel, to gain his ends.
+
+As the light fell upon the paper, Bert saw that it was headed by the
+word "REWARD" in staring capitals. Then came a picture that corresponded
+closely to the face of the man who was reading. Large print followed, of
+which Bert could see enough to grasp the meaning. It was an offer of
+five thousand dollars reward for the capture, alive or dead, of "Billy
+the Kid," who had held up a stage at Valley Gulch two weeks before, and,
+after killing the driver and one of the passengers who had resisted, had
+made his escape with the contents of the express company's pouch.
+
+Billy the Kid! The newspapers had been full of the robbery at the time
+it was committed, and columns had been published narrating his exploits.
+He was wanted for thefts and murders covering a series of years. Posses
+were out for him in all directions, but he seemed to bear a charmed life
+and had successfully evaded capture. An almost superstitious fear
+attached to his name, and he was cited as an illustrious example of the
+"Devil taking care of his own."
+
+"Dead or alive," muttered the outlaw with an ugly sneer. "It will have
+to be dead, then. They'll never get me alive."
+
+Bert was in a ticklish situation. The slightest move on his part might
+betray his presence to this sullen bandit, to whom human life was
+nothing. He slipped his hand behind him and was comforted by the feel of
+his revolver. It was a Colt .45, fully loaded, and he knew how to use
+it. In that fight with the pirates off the Chinese coast it had done
+good service. He knew that, at need, he could rely upon it now. He took
+it from his hip pocket and put it in his breast, with the handle
+protruding so that he could grasp it instantly.
+
+Just then the gallop of horses smote upon his ears. The outlaw heard it,
+too, and jumped to his feet. He blew out the light and snatched up his
+weapons. The hoof beats drew nearer and a halloo rang out that was
+evidently a preconcerted signal. With an oath of relief the desperado
+relighted the lamp and went to the door.
+
+"It's time you came," he ripped out savagely. "What kept you so long?"
+
+"Couldn't help it, Cap," protested a man who entered the cabin, closely
+followed by four others. "Manuel had to hang around the telegraph office
+till the message came from Red Pete. The minute it came, we beat it
+lickety split and almost killed our hosses getting here."
+
+The leader snatched the held out telegram and read it eagerly while the
+five men, of the same desperate type as their captain, stood around
+ready to jump at his bidding. It was clear that they feared and cringed
+to him. His brute force and superior cunning combined with his evil
+reputation held them in complete subjection.
+
+The telegram was brief and seemingly innocent:
+
+"Mary leaves at ten. Meet her with carriage. Pleasant visit."
+
+He drew from his pocket a scrap of paper, evidently containing a key to
+the message. He compared it with the telegram, and a light of unholy
+glee came into his eyes.
+
+"It's all right, boys," he said, his fierce demeanor softening somewhat.
+"The Overland Limited will be at the water tank near Dorsey at three
+o'clock. There'll be forty thousand in the express messenger's safe.
+It's up to us to make a rich haul and a quick getaway. Now listen to
+me," and with the swift decision that marks the born leader and that
+went far to explain his ascendancy over his men, he sketched out the
+plan of the coming robbery.
+
+"You, Mike and Manuel, will attend to the engineer and fireman. First
+get their hands up over their heads. Then keep them covered and make
+them uncouple the engine and express car from the rest of the train and
+run up the track a half a mile or so. I'll see to the express messenger
+myself. He'll open that safe or I'll blow his head off and then break
+open the safe with dynamite. Joe and Bob and Ed will stay by the train
+and keep shooting off their guns, to cow the passengers and trainmen
+while we get in our work. We won't have time to go through the cars, as
+it will be too near daylight, and we'll have to do some hard riding
+while it's dark. I hate to let the passengers' coin and jewelry go, but
+we'll get enough from the express car to make up for that. Let your
+horses rest till twelve and then we'll saddle up and get to the water
+tank by two. Now you fellows know what you've got to do, and God help
+the man who makes a bad break. He'll have to reckon with me," and he
+laid his hand significantly on the handle of his knife.
+
+There was an uneasy grin on the part of the men, and then they fell to
+discussing the details of the plan, while the bottle passed freely from
+hand to hand.
+
+Bert, who had listened breathlessly to the daring plot, was doing some
+rapid thinking. He had not the slightest idea where the water tank was
+located. It might be east, west, north or south, as far as he knew.
+But what he did know was that it behooved him to get away from that
+dangerous locality at the earliest possible moment. His life would not
+have been worth much if he had been discovered before they had discussed
+the robbery. Now that he was in possession of the details, it would be
+worth absolutely nothing. A killing more or less made no difference to
+these abandoned outlaws, and they would have shot him with as little
+concern as they would a prairie dog.
+
+Then, too, the alarm ought to be given at once. By riding into the
+night, he would have a chance of reaching some town and getting into
+touch with the railroad authorities, by wire or phone. Or he might run
+across some one familiar with the country who could guide him. Anything
+was better than inaction. Theft and murder were in the air, and every
+passing moment made them more probable. He might break his neck, collide
+with a rock or a tree, ride over a precipice in the dark. But he had to
+take a chance. Danger had never yet turned him from the path of duty. It
+should not daunt him now.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE OUTLAW PLOT
+
+
+Slowly, carefully, hardly venturing to breathe, he backed away from the
+cabin. He got outside the zone of light and felt for his motorcycle.
+With the utmost caution not to touch the horn or siren, he guided it in
+a wide semicircle down the slope. One of the horses whinnied as he
+passed and an outlaw appeared at the door. After listening for a moment,
+while Bert stood like a stone image in his track, the man, evidently
+satisfied, turned and went inside.
+
+Then Bert moved on again by inches until he reached the edge of the
+woods. From there he knew that the faint click made by the valves in
+starting could not possibly be heard from above. He drew a long breath
+and for the first time turned his gaze toward the sky. He was rejoiced
+to find that the clouds had vanished and that the deep blue was sown
+with stars. He needed no compass now. There was the gleaming Polar Star
+by which he had often guided his course as unerringly as by the sun. He
+paused a moment to get a direction due west. Then he leaped into the
+saddle and was off.
+
+Not until he was sure that he was beyond the sight of any possible
+watcher from the cabin, did he dismount and light his lamp. Then with
+the confidence that came from the light streaming far ahead of him, he
+threw in the clutch and let his machine out to the limit.
+
+He had ridden perhaps twenty miles, looking anxiously about for the
+lights of a town, when at some distance he saw the flames from a
+campfire in the lee of a bluff far away to his right. He could see a
+group of men, some moving about, others stretched out near the fire
+apparently asleep. Mindful of his previous experience, he put out his
+light and glided toward them like a shrouded ghost.
+
+Stopping outside the circle of light, where he could study the scene at
+his leisure, he counted a dozen men. They were strapping fellows, rough
+in dress and appearance, but with honest, fearless faces. One of them
+wore a badge that stamped him as an official of some kind, and he was
+evidently in command of the party. Bert hesitated no longer, but,
+mounting, rode slowly into the firelight.
+
+There was a gasp of wonder at his appearance, and the men who were still
+awake sprang to their feet with their hands on their pistol butts. A
+second glance, however, as Bert waved his hand in friendly fashion,
+disarmed them and they came hastily forward.
+
+"Well, stranger," said the man with the badge, "you came in on us rather
+sudden like and we was plumb surprised for a minute. You seem to be all
+right though, and that machine of yours is certainly some beaut. We're
+more used to riding four-legged things, though. We don't ask anything
+about a man's business out here unless we happen to have some particular
+business with him," and he touched his star. "So you can tell us nothing
+or as much as you like. As to me I ain't got any secrets as to whom I
+am. I'm the sheriff of Wentworth County and this here is my posse."
+
+"Just the man I'd rather see at this minute than any one else in the
+world," exclaimed Bert, delightedly. And then, in words that tumbled
+over one another in their haste, he told them who he was, how he had
+been lost on the prairie and of his adventure near the cabin of "Billy
+the Kid."
+
+At the mention of that notorious name the sheriff fairly jumped. "What!"
+he shouted. "Billy the Kid and his gang? They're the fellows we're out
+for now. Here, boys," he yelled, "get busy. We're on a fresh trail and
+we'll bag the hull bunch before daylight."
+
+Instantly the camp was alive with excitement. Horses were untethered and
+saddled, and within five minutes the posse was ready to start. Bert had
+given hurriedly the details of the plot and the sheriff's campaign was
+quickly planned. He knew every foot of the surrounding country and he
+headed his troop straight as the crow flies for Dorsey, the little town,
+beyond which lay the tank where the Limited would slow down to take
+water. His line of march was shorter than that of the outlaws, and
+besides, they had not planned to leave the cabin before midnight.
+He could count on getting there first and having time to make his
+dispositions for the round-up of the gang.
+
+"Well, son," he said, with a warm grip of the hand, when they were ready
+to start, "I sure owe you a lot for this tip. This country's going to
+sleep a heap sight better when they know these fellows have dangled from
+the end of a rope. But how about you, now? I'll send one of my men along
+with you to Lonsdale, if you like. That's fifteen mile west of here and
+on the line of road you're traveling."
+
+"No, thanks," replied Bert promptly, "I'm going with you, if you'll have
+me."
+
+"Going with us," echoed the sheriff in surprise. "Of course, I'm glad to
+have you. But that gang is 'bad medicine' and there's goin' to be some
+shooting. You ain't got no call to mix in, 'cept of your own free will."
+
+"Sure, I know," said Bert. "I'm going along."
+
+"Son," exclaimed the sheriff, extending his hand, "put her thar. I'm
+proud to know you. You're the real stuff, all wool and a yard wide. Come
+along."
+
+A word of command and they clattered off, Bert keeping alongside of the
+leader. He was thrilling with excitement. The primitive emotions had him
+in their grip. A little while before, he had been in the conventional
+world of law and order and civilization. Now, he was seeing life "in the
+raw." A battle was imminent, and here he was riding to the battlefield
+over the prairies at midnight under the silent stars. The blood coursed
+violently through his veins and his heart beat high with passion for the
+fight. That he himself was running the risk of wounding and death was
+only an added stimulus. For the moment he was a "cave man," like his
+ancestors in the morning of the world, stealing forth from their lair
+for a raid against their enemies. Later on, when cooler, he would
+analyze and wonder at these emotions. But now, he yielded to them, and
+the time seemed long before the little cavalcade swept through the
+sleeping town of Dorsey, and then, at a more slow and careful pace, made
+their way to the water tank below the station.
+
+As they came nearer, they dismounted and led their horses to a clump of
+trees on the eastern side of the tank and a half a mile away. Two men
+were left in charge, with orders to strap the horses' jaws together, so
+that they could not neigh and thus betray their masters. It was figured
+that the outlaws would approach from the west, and the members of the
+posse disposed themselves in a wide semicircle, so that, at a given
+signal, they could surround and overpower the robbers. If possible, they
+were to capture them alive so that they could answer to justice for
+their crimes. But, alive or dead, they were to "get" them. And as Bert
+looked on the stern, determined faces of his companions, he had no doubt
+of the outcome of the struggle.
+
+After they had taken their places, lying flat on the ground with such
+shelter as a bush or cactus plant afforded, there was a considerable
+wait that was more trying to the nerves than actual fighting. Bert and
+the sheriff were close together, but, except for an occasional whisper,
+neither spoke. They were busy with their thoughts and intent on the
+approaching fray.
+
+Perhaps an hour had elapsed before they heard the distant tramp of
+horses. Soon they could see half a dozen men approaching, their figures
+dimly outlined in the starlight. The grip of the watchers tightened on
+their pistol butts as they strained their eyes to get a better view of
+their quarry.
+
+Then silence fell again. A half hour went by. Suddenly a faint whistle
+was heard in the distance, the ground began to tremble and a great
+headlight swung into view, far up the track. It was the road's crack
+train, the Overland Limited. The moment was at hand.
+
+With a terrific rumbling and clanking and ringing of bells, the
+ponderous train slowed down at the tank. The fireman was already on the
+tender, ready to slew over the pipe that would bring a cataract of
+water down into the reservoir. Just as he reached for it, there was a
+fusillade of shots. Two masked men covered the startled engineer and
+fireman with their revolvers and ordered them to hold up their hands.
+Another hammered at the door of the express car and commanded the
+messenger to open, on pain of instant death. Farther down the train
+other shots rang out and windows were shattered by bullets to warn
+passengers to stay inside.
+
+But just then came a diversion. With a yell and a rush the sheriff and
+his men swept down upon the astonished outlaws, firing as they came. The
+bandits were caught like rats in a trap. They were the center of a ring
+of flame, but they fought back savagely. There were cries and curses, as
+men emptied their revolvers and then clinched in deadly struggle. The
+bandit leader, leaving the express car, plunged headlong into the fight,
+battling like a fiend. When his revolver was empty he flung it into the
+sheriff's face and made a break for his horse. But Bert was too quick
+for him, and tackled him, just as he had put one foot in the stirrup
+and was swinging the other over his mount. With a mighty wrench he
+dragged him from the saddle. The "Kid" uttered a fearful oath and
+reached for his knife. Bert's hands closed around his throat and they
+went to the ground rolling over and over like two panthers.
+
+At gun or knife play the outlaw would have been the victor. But in this
+hand-to-hand struggle, Bert was easily his master. His tremendous
+strength, reinforced by clean living and athletic training, soon
+triumphed over the rum-soaked body of the "Kid." But the latter's
+ferocity was appalling, and Bert had to choke him almost into
+unconsciousness, before his muscles relaxed and he lay there limp and
+gasping.
+
+As Bert rose, breathless but victorious, he saw that the fight was over.
+Two of the outlaws were dead and another fatally wounded. The other two
+were in the hands of their captors, and the sheriff coming up, snapped
+handcuffs on the "Kid" and jerked him to his feet.
+
+Passengers and trainmen came pouring from the cars, and there was a
+Babel of excited questionings. The conductor, full of relief and
+gratitude at his train's escape from looting, offered to carry the party
+to the next town on the line. But the sheriff elected to take his
+prisoners across country to the county seat, and after another exchange
+of congratulations, the train moved on.
+
+Then the triumphant posse, with one of its members severely, another
+slightly wounded, took up their homeward trip. They had made one of the
+most important captures in the history of the State, and the next day
+the country would be ringing with their praises. They were naturally
+jubilant, and the sheriff urged Bert earnestly to come with them as the
+real hero of the roundup. But he stoutly refused and the only favor he
+would accept was the loan of a guide to take him over to Lonsdale.
+
+"Well," said the sheriff at last reluctantly, "I suppose you know your
+own business best, but I shore am sorry to say good-bye. You've made an
+awful hit with me, son. That was a lovely scrap you put up with the
+'Kid,' and I've never seen a prettier bit of rough housing. I hope you
+win your race and I believe you will. Anybody that can put one over on
+'Billy the Kid' can pretty near get anything he goes after. If ever
+you're looking for work," he joked, "come out to Wentworth County and
+I'll make you assistant sheriff. Perhaps, though, you'd better not," and
+his eyes twinkled, "cause it wouldn't be long before you'd have my
+job."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+A MURDEROUS GRIP
+
+
+Bert was having his first glimpse of the sea since he started on his
+trip. He was weary of the land which he had traversed so swiftly and
+steadily for two weeks past. The impression stamped upon his brain was
+that of an endless ribbon of road, between whose edges his motorcycle
+had sped along, until he seemed like a living embodiment of perpetual
+motion. That ribbon had commenced to unwind at the eastern end of the
+continent, and there were still a good many miles to be reeled off
+before the race was ended. But now, as he sat on the veranda of the
+beach hotel facing the sea whose surf broke on the sands a hundred feet
+away, he could feel his weariness dropping away like a cast-off garment.
+The tang of the ocean was a tonic that filled him with new life, and his
+nostrils dilated as they drew in great draughts of the salt air.
+
+"Ponce de Leon was wrong when he looked for the elixir of life in a
+fountain," he thought to himself. "He should have sought for it in the
+sea."
+
+Before him stretched the mighty Pacific, its crested waves glittering in
+the sun. Fishing vessels and coasting craft flashed their white sails
+near the shore, while, far out on the horizon, he could see the trail
+of smoke that followed in the wake of a liner. Great billows burst into
+spray on the beach, and the diapason of the surf reverberated in his
+ears like rich organ music. He drank it all in thirstily, as though
+storing up inspiration for the completion of his task.
+
+A man sitting near by looked at him with a quizzical smile, frankly
+interested by Bert's absorption in the scene before him. With easy
+good-fellowship, he remarked:
+
+"You seem to be getting a lot of pleasure out of the view."
+
+"I am," replied Bert promptly; "I can't get enough of it."
+
+"There are plenty of people who have got enough of it," he observed
+drily, "your humble servant among the number."
+
+Bert scented a story, but repressed any sign of curiosity.
+
+"It's the infinite variety that appeals to me," he said. "The sea is
+full of wonders."
+
+"And tragedies," supplemented the other.
+
+He settled back in his chair and lighted a fresh cigar. As he struck
+the match, Bert noticed that his right hand was horribly scarred and
+disfigured. It looked as though it had been drawn through a harrow whose
+teeth had bitten deep. Great livid weals crossed each other on the back,
+and two of the fingers were gone. And Bert noted that, although his
+face and frame indicated that he was not more than thirty years old, his
+hair was snowy white.
+
+"Of course, that's true," said Bert, reverting to the stranger's last
+remark; "storms and shipwrecks and typhoons and tidal waves are things
+that have to be reckoned with."
+
+"Yes," was the reply, "but I wasn't thinking especially of these.
+They're common enough and terrible enough. What I had in mind was the
+individual tragedies that are happening all the time, and of which not
+one in a hundred ever hears."
+
+"Do you see this hair of mine?" he asked, removing his hat. "One day at
+noon it was as dark as yours. At three o'clock on that same day it was
+like this."
+
+He paused a moment, as though battling with some fearful recollection.
+
+"I don't know how familiar you may be with the Pacific," he resumed,
+"but on this coast there is every variety of monster that you can find
+in any other ocean, and usually of a fiercer and larger type. Nowhere do
+you find such man-eating sharks or such malignant devil-fish. The sharks
+don't come near enough to the shore to bother us much. But it's safe to
+say that within half a mile from here, there are gigantic squids, with
+tentacles from twelve to twenty feet long. More than one luckless
+swimmer, venturing out too far, has been dragged down by them, and there
+are instances where they have picked a man out of a fishing boat. If
+those tentacles ever get you in their murderous grip, it's all over with
+you.
+
+"Then, too, we have what is called the 'smotherer,' something like a
+monstrous ray, that spreads itself out over its prey and forces it down
+in the mud at the bottom, until it is smothered to death. It's a terror
+to divers, and they fear it more than they do the shark.
+
+"But these perils are well known and can be guarded against. If I'd got
+into any trouble with them, it would probably have been largely my own
+fault. But it is the 'unexpected that happens,' and the thing that
+marked me for life was something not much bigger than my fist.
+
+"Have you ever seen an abalone? No? Well, it's a kind of shellfish
+that's common on this coast. It has one shell and that a very beautiful
+one, so that it is in considerable demand. The inside of it is like
+mother of pearl and there are little swellings on it called 'blisters,'
+that gleam with all the colors of the rainbow. It's a favorite sport
+here to get up 'abalone parties,' just as you fellows in the East go
+crabbing. Only, instead of getting after them with a net, we use a
+crowbar. Queer kind of fishing, isn't it?"
+
+"I should say it was," smiled Bert.
+
+"Well, you see, it's this way. The body of the abalone is a mass of
+muscle that has tremendous strength. It is so powerful, that the natives
+of the South Sea Islands use the abalones to catch sharks with. Fact.
+They fasten a chain to the abalone, and it swims out and attaches itself
+to the under side of a shark. Then they pull it in, and no matter how
+hard the shark struggles and threshes about, it has to come. The abalone
+would be torn to pieces before it would let go. It's the bulldog of the
+shellfish tribe, and a harpoon wouldn't hold the shark more securely.
+
+"On the coast, here, they fasten themselves to the rocks, and as these
+are usually covered at high tide, you have to hunt them when the tide is
+low. You wade out among the rocks until you catch sight of an abalone.
+Then you insert the crowbar between the shell and the rock. Only the
+enormous leverage this gives enables you to pry it off. The strongest
+man on earth couldn't pull it away with his bare hands.
+
+"Usually, we went in parties, and there was a good deal of rivalry as to
+who would get the largest and finest shells. I forgot to say that,
+besides the shells themselves, once in a while you can find a pearl of
+considerable value and great beauty. This occurs so seldom, however,
+that it is always a red-letter day when you have such a bit of luck.
+
+"One day, a friend had arranged to go abalone hunting with me, but just
+as we were getting ready to start out, a telegram called him away from
+town, on important business. It would have been the luckiest thing that
+ever happened to me if I had got a telegram too. We were both much
+disappointed, as on that day we were going to try a new place, where we
+had a 'hunch' that we would make a good haul.
+
+"The weather was so fine and I had my mind so set upon the trip, that I
+determined to go it alone. The tide that day would be at low water mark
+at about twelve o'clock. I threw a lunch together, got out my bag and
+crowbar and started.
+
+"A tramp of a couple of miles down the beach brought me to the place we
+had in mind. It was a desolate stretch of shore, with no houses in sight
+except an occasional fisherman's shack, and the crowds that frequented
+the other beaches had left this severely alone. It was this, added to
+the fact that an unusual number of rocks was visible at low tide, that
+had made us fix on it as a promising location.
+
+"The day was bright and clear and the sea had never appeared so
+beautiful. Looked to me, I imagine, a good deal as it did to you just
+now. It has never seemed beautiful to me since.
+
+"The tide was on the ebb, but had not yet run out fully, and I had to
+wait perhaps half an hour before the rocks were uncovered enough to
+permit me to see the abalones in their hiding places. I spent the time
+lying lazily on the sand with half shut eyelids, and basking in the
+inexpressible charm of sea and sky. I never dreamed of the horror the
+scene would inspire in me a little later on. There was a long swell but
+little surf that day, and there was nothing cruel in the way the waves
+danced in the sunlight and came gliding up, with an air that was almost
+caressing, to where I lay stretched out at perfect peace with myself and
+the world.
+
+"Soon the ebb had reached its limit and there was that momentary
+hesitation before the tide, as though it had forgotten something and
+were coming back for it, began to flow in. Now was the time, if I wanted
+to fill the sack that I had brought along with me to hold my spoil. I
+remember chuckling to myself, as I looked around and saw that there was
+not a soul in sight. If this should prove the rich hunting ground I
+believed it to be, I would have first choice of the finest specimens.
+
+"I slung the bag over my shoulder and holding the crowbar in my left
+hand, began to make my way out to the rocks. I had stripped off my outer
+clothing, and was in the swimming suit that I wore underneath. The water
+was deliciously refreshing, after the sun bath I had been enjoying, and
+I went leisurely along until I came to where the rocks were thickest.
+The slope was very gradual, and, by the time I got among them, I was
+some distance from the shore. Then I became alert and alive, and
+buckled down to my work.
+
+"My friend and I had made no mistake. The rocks were full of abalones
+and my bag was soon filling rapidly. I exulted in the thought of the
+virgin field that we too would exploit together.
+
+"But, although the shells were numerous and unusually fine in their
+markings, I could not find any that contained a pearl. That was the one
+thing necessary to make my day a perfect success. I began to hustle now,
+as the tide was beginning to come in strongly, and before long the
+rising waters would cover the rocks.
+
+"Suddenly, I saw under the green surface a large abalone with its shell
+gaping widely. And my heart gave a jubilant leap as I saw a large pearl
+just within the edge of the shell. How I came to do such a fool thing I
+don't know, but, with a shout, I reached out my hand to grasp it. I
+slipped as I did so, and, in trying to steady myself, the crowbar flew
+out of my left hand and fell several feet away. And just then the shell
+began to tighten. I tried to withdraw my hand, but it was too late. That
+closing shell held it against the rock as though in an iron clamp.
+
+"A sweat broke out all over me and icy chills chased themselves up and
+down my spine. I pulled with all my might, but the shell, as though in
+mockery, closed tighter. The feeling of that clammy mass of gristle and
+muscle against the flesh filled me with a sick loathing that, for the
+moment, overbore the pain of my crushed hand. So, I imagine, a man might
+feel in the slimy folds of a boa constrictor.
+
+"Instinctively, I raised my other hand, as if to insert the crowbar.
+Then I realized that it had fallen from my hand. I could see where it
+lay between two rocks, not six feet away. Six feet! It might as well
+have been six miles.
+
+"I was trapped. The full horror of my situation burst upon me. I was
+alone, held fast by that powerful shell that recognized me as an enemy
+and would never relax of its own accord. _And the tide was coming in._
+
+"In a fury of rage and terror, I struck at the abalone with my left hand
+while with all my strength I tried to tear away my right. But I could
+have as soon succeeded in pulling it from beneath a triphammer. There
+were gaping rents in the flesh opened by my struggles and I could see my
+blood mingling with the green water.
+
+"You have heard of bears and lynxes caught in traps who have chewed at
+their imprisoned leg until they left it behind them and hobbled away,
+maimed and bleeding, but free. I swear to you that I would have done the
+same with that hand of mine, if I had been able.
+
+"I thought of a woodsman whom I knew, who had been caught by a falling
+tree that had crushed his foot. He knew that if he stayed there that
+night, the wolves would get him. His axe was within reach and he
+deliberately chopped off his foot. I didn't have even that chance. I was
+in my bathing suit and my knife was in the clothes left on the shore.
+
+"And all this time the cruel, treacherous sea was coming in and the tide
+was mounting higher and higher. It purled about me softly, gently, like
+a cat playing with a mouse. I beat at it angrily with my left hand and
+it seemed to laugh. It felt sure of me and could afford to be indulgent.
+It was already above my waist and my knowledge of the coast told me that
+when it reached the flood it would be ten feet deep at the place where I
+stood.
+
+"I looked wildly around, in the hope of seeing some one on the shore.
+But it was absolutely deserted. A little while before, I had been
+gloating over the fact that I was alone and could have a monopoly of the
+hunting. Now I would have given all I had in the world for the sight of
+a human face. I shouted until I was hoarse, but no one came. Far out at
+sea, I could glimpse dimly the sails of a vessel. I waved my free hand
+desperately, but I knew at the time that it was futile. I was a mere
+speck to any one on board, and even if they trained strong glasses on me
+they would have thought it nothing but the frolicsome antics of a
+bather.
+
+"Now the water was up to my armpits. The thought came to me that if I
+should keep perfectly quiet, the abalone might think his danger gone and
+loosen his grip. But, though I nearly went crazy with the terrible
+strain of keeping still, when every impulse was to leap and yell, the
+cunning creature never relaxed that murderous clutch.
+
+"Then I lost all control of myself. It wasn't the thought of death
+itself. I could, I think, have steeled myself to that. But it was the
+horrible mode of death. To be young and strong and twenty, and to die
+there, slowly and inexorably, while six feet away was a certain means of
+rescue!
+
+"The water had reached my neck. My overstrung nerves gave way. I tugged
+wildly at my bleeding hand. I raved and wept. I think I must have grown
+delirious. I dimly remember babbling to the iron bar that I could see
+lying there so serenely in the transparent water. I coaxed it, wheedled
+it, cajoled it, begged it to come to me, and, when it refused, I cursed
+it. The waves were breaking over me and I was choking. The spray was in
+my eyes and ears. I thought I heard a shouting, the sound of oars. Then
+a great blackness settled down upon me and I knew nothing more.
+
+"When next I came to consciousness, I was in a hospital, where I had
+been for two months with brain fever. They had had to take off two
+fingers, and barely saved the rest of the hand. They wouldn't let me see
+a mirror until they had prepared me for the change in my appearance.
+
+"I learned then the story of my rescue. A party had come around a bend
+of the shore when I was at my last gasp. They caught sight of my hand
+just above the water. They made for me at once and tried to pull me into
+the boat. Then they saw my plight, and, with a marlinspike, pried the
+abalone loose. They tell me that my bleeding fingers had stiffened
+around the pearl, and they could scarcely get it away from me. They
+asked me afterward if I cared to see it, but I hated it so bitterly that
+I refused to look at it. It had been bought at too high a price.
+
+"And now," he concluded, "do you wonder that I dread that sleek and
+crawling monster that I call the sea?"
+
+Bert drew a long breath.
+
+"No," he said, and there was a world of sympathy and understanding in
+his tone, "I don't."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+DESPERATE CHANCES
+
+
+Bert's stay at the pleasant seaside hotel was limited to a few hours
+only, but he gained incalculable refreshment from the short rest. It was
+with regret that he could not spend more time there that he took leave
+of the proprietor, and repaired to the motorcycle store where he had
+left the "Blue Streak" to have some very necessary work done on it. The
+engine had not been overhauled since starting from New York, and the
+cylinders were badly incrusted with carbon. He had left directions for
+this to be scraped out, and when he reached the shop expected to find
+his machine waiting for him in first-class condition. What was his
+chagrin therefore, when, on entering the place, the first thing he saw
+was the "Blue Streak" in a dismantled condition, parts of it strewn all
+over the floor.
+
+He hunted up the proprietor, and indignantly asked him why the machine
+was not ready according to promise.
+
+"I'm very sorry," the man told him, "but as one of the mechanics was
+scraping the front cylinder it dropped on the floor, and when he picked
+it up he found it was split. So we can't do anything with the machine
+until we get a new cylinder."
+
+"But haven't you got a machine in the place you could take a cylinder
+from, and put it on my machine?" asked Bert. "I can't afford to be held
+up here for a day while you send away for a new part."
+
+"There isn't a machine in the place that would have a cylinder to fit
+yours," said the proprietor; "if it had been a rear cylinder, it would
+have been easy enough to give you another, because we could take one off
+a one-cylinder machine that would fit. But, as it happens, I haven't a
+twin cylinder machine in the place."
+
+"But how long will it take to get the new one here?" asked Bert.
+
+"About half a day, I should say," replied the other.
+
+"Half a day!" echoed Bert, and his heart sank. "Why, if I lose that much
+time here it probably means that I'll lose the race. Do you realize
+that?"
+
+"I don't see what we can do about it," replied the proprietor, shrugging
+his shoulders. "I'll get the cylinder for you the first minute I can,
+but that's the best I can do."
+
+Bert saw that there was no use arguing the matter. He walked out of
+the place without another word, but with a great bitterness in his
+heart. All his days of heartbreaking riding--the hardships he had
+undergone--the obstacles he had faced and overcome--all these things
+were in a fair way of being set at nought because of the carelessness
+of a stupid mechanician. The thought almost drove him frantic, and he
+hurried along the pavement, scarcely noticing where he was going. At
+last he collected his thoughts somewhat and pulled himself together.
+Looking about him, he saw that he was not far from the postoffice, and
+it occurred to him that there might be a letter for him from Tom or
+Dick.
+
+With this thought in mind he entered the postoffice, in one corner of
+which there was also a telegraph station.
+
+Walking up to the window, he inquired if there was any mail for Bert
+Wilson.
+
+"No," said the functionary behind the grating, "but there's a telegram
+just come in for a party of that name. Bill!" he called, to the
+telegraph operator, "here's Mr. Wilson now, him that you just got the
+telegram for."
+
+"Oh, all right," replied the operator, "here you are, sir. I was just
+going to send it up to your hotel."
+
+"Much obliged," said Bert, and tore open the yellow envelope.
+
+"Ride fast," it read, "have just heard Hayward is within three hundred
+miles of San Francisco. Hurry."
+
+The slip of yellow paper dropped from Bert's nerveless fingers. Three
+hundred miles away. Why, Bert was as far from San Francisco as that
+himself, with mountainous roads still before him, and his machine out of
+commission!
+
+If he could only do something, anything, that would be a relief. But he
+was absolutely helpless in the grasp of an unforeseen calamity, and all
+he could do was to pray desperately for the speedy arrival of the new
+cylinder.
+
+He hastened back to the repair shop, and found that in his absence
+everything, with, of course, the exception of the front cylinder, had
+been put together. "We've done all we can," the proprietor assured him.
+"A few minutes ago I called up the agents in Clyde and they said that
+their man was on the way with it. So it ought to get here early this
+afternoon."
+
+"Well," declared Bert grimly, "I'm not going to stir out of this place
+till it does come, let me tell you."
+
+He waited with what patience he could muster, and at last, a little
+before two o'clock, the long-awaited cylinder arrived. With feverish
+haste Bert fastened it to the motor base himself, too impatient to let
+anybody else do it. Besides, he was resolved to take no chances of
+having _this_ cylinder damaged. Ten minutes later the last nut had been
+tightened, and the "Blue Streak" was wheeled out into the street. Now
+that the heartbreaking waiting was over, Bert felt capable of anything.
+As he vaulted into the saddle, he made a compact with himself. "If my
+machine holds out," he resolved, "I will not sleep again until I reach
+San Francisco;" and when Bert made a resolution, he kept it.
+
+He scorched through the streets of the town regardless, for the time
+being, of local speed ordinances. In a few minutes he was out on
+the open road, and then,--well, the "Blue Streak" justified all the
+encomiums he had ever heaped upon it. Up hill and down he sped, riding
+low over the handlebars, man and machine one flying, space-devouring
+unit. The day drew into dusk, dusk changed to darkness, and Bert
+dismounted long enough to light his lamp and was off again, streaking
+over the smooth road like a flying comet. At times he slowed down as he
+approached curves, but was off again like the wind when he had rounded
+them. Sometimes steep hills confronted him, but the speeding motorcycle
+took them by storm, and topped their summits almost before gravity could
+act to slacken his headlong speed. Then the descent on the other side
+would be a wild, dizzy rush, when at time the speedometer needle reached
+the ninety mark.
+
+But the country became more mountainous after a while, and Bert
+encountered hills that even the "Blue Streak" was forced to negotiate on
+low speed. This ate up gasoline, and about midnight Bert, on stopping a
+moment to examine his fuel supply, found that it was almost exhausted.
+Fortunately, however, about a mile further on he reached a wayside
+garage. He knocked repeatedly, but received no answer.
+
+"Just the same, I've got to have gasoline," thought Bert, and acted
+accordingly. With a screwdriver he pried open a window, and, filling a
+can from a barrel, returned to his machine and filled the tank. Then he
+replaced the can, and left the price of the gasoline in a prominent
+place.
+
+"Needs must when the devil drives," he thought, "and I simply had to
+have that juice."
+
+And now he was once more flying through the night, the brilliant rays
+from his lamp dancing and flickering on the road ahead, and at times
+striking prismatic colors from rocky walls as the road passed through
+some cut. Mile after mile passed back under the flying rider and
+machine, but still they kept on with no sign of slackening. Gradually
+dawn broke, misty and gray at first, but then brightening and expanding
+until the glorious light of full day bathed the hills in splendor. And
+then, as Bert looked up and around, slowing down so that he could the
+better drink in the glorious scene, he beheld, at a great distance, the
+roofs and towers of a great city, and knew that it was San Francisco,
+the golden city of the West. Sixteen days since he left New York and
+the goal toward which he had struggled so bravely was at hand!
+
+But even now there was no time to be lost. At this moment, Hayward might
+also be approaching the city, and Bert was too wise to risk failure now
+with the prize so nearly within his grasp. He started on again, his mind
+in a whirl, and all thought of fatigue and exhaustion banished. The road
+was bordered by signs indicating the right direction, and in less than
+an hour Bert was riding through the suburbs of San Francisco.
+
+Bert's entrance into the city was signalized by a display of the wildest
+enthusiasm on the part of a big crowd that had turned out to meet the
+winner. The details of the thrilling transcontinental race in which he
+had been engaged had received their due share of space in the big
+dailies, and his adventures and those of the other contestants had been
+closely followed by every one possessing a drop of red blood in his
+veins.
+
+Bert was totally unprepared for such a reception, however, and it took
+him by surprise. He had been through many adventures and had encountered
+many obstacles, but had pulled through by dint of indomitable will and
+pluck. But, as he afterward confessed to Tom and Dick, he now felt for
+the first time like running away. But he soon abandoned this idea, and
+chugged slowly along until at last he was forced by the press of people
+about him to stop.
+
+When he dismounted he was deluged by a flood of congratulations and good
+wishes, and was besieged by a small army of newspaper men, each anxious
+to get Bert's own account of the race. It was some time before he could
+proceed, but at last he started on, surrounded by a contingent of
+motorcycles, ridden by members of local clubs. They went slowly along,
+until in due time they reached the city hall. Bert was ushered into the
+presence of the mayor, who received him with great cordiality, and after
+a few words read the letters Bert handed him.
+
+"Well, Mr. Wilson," he said, when he had mastered their contents, "I am
+certainly glad to know you, and I only wish you were a native of this
+State. We need a few more young men of your sort."
+
+"I'm much obliged for your good opinion, your Honor, I'm sure," replied
+Bert, and after answering many questions regarding his trip, took his
+departure.
+
+Returning to the street, he mounted his machine, and, still accompanied
+by the friendly motorcyclists, proceeded to the hotel at which he had
+arranged to stop during his stay in San Francisco. Of course, Tom and
+Dick were there to meet him, and hearty were the greetings the three
+comrades exchanged.
+
+"It hardly seems possible that I've won at last," said Bert. "I wasn't
+sure that Hayward hadn't beaten me in, until I heard the crowds
+cheering."
+
+"Oh, you won, all right," Dick assured him, "but you didn't have much
+time to spare. I just heard somebody say that Hayward got in not five
+minutes ago. I'll bet he nearly went crazy when he heard that you'd
+beaten him in spite of his crooked work."
+
+"Well, when I learned what kind of a fellow he was, I just _had_ to beat
+him," said Bert, with a smile.
+
+Dick and Tom took charge of his machine, and stored it safely in the
+local agency, where it was immediately hoisted into the show window and
+excited much attention.
+
+By the time they returned to the hotel, Bert had answered the questions
+of a number of newspaper men, taken a much-needed bath, and dressed.
+
+In his well-fitting clothes, that set off his manly figure, he looked a
+very different person from the dusty, travel-stained young fellow he had
+been but a short time before, and he was delighted to feel that for a
+little while he was "out of uniform."
+
+But Tom and Dick immediately collared him, and, as he professed himself
+"fresh as a daisy," took him out to see some of the town. They had not
+gone far before they were recognized by one of the riders who had formed
+Bert's "Bodyguard" during his ride to the mayor's office. He introduced
+himself as John Meyers. Nothing less than their immediately paying a
+visit to his club would satisfy him, they found, so at last they gave in
+and told him to "lead on."
+
+The other laughingly complied. "It isn't far from here," he assured
+them, "and if you like our looks we'll be glad to have you stay to
+dinner. After that, if you're not too fagged, a few of us will be glad
+to take you around and show you the sights. We're all proud of it, and
+we want visitors to see it."
+
+"That programme listens good," replied Bert, "and we're 'on,' as far as
+the dinner goes. After that, though, I think I'll be about ready to turn
+in. I was riding all last night, and I feel like sleeping without
+interruption for the next week."
+
+"Well, that's just as you say," agreed Meyers, "but here we are now.
+Pretty nifty building, don't you think?"
+
+It was indeed a handsome house into which he presently ushered them, and
+they soon saw that its interior did not belie its outward appearance.
+The rooms were large, and furnished comfortably and in good taste.
+
+In the front room several fine looking young fellows were engaged in a
+laughing conversation. They broke off when they caught sight of Meyers
+and the three strangers with him. Introductions were soon made, and the
+three comrades found themselves made thoroughly at home.
+
+Of course, the chief topic of conversation was Bert's journey, and he
+answered questions until he was tired.
+
+"Here, fellows," said Meyers, perceiving this, "I think we've
+cross-examined Wilson enough for the present. Anyway, dinner's ready,
+and we'll see if you can eat as well as you can ride."
+
+"Lead me to it," exclaimed Bert, "I'm as hungry as a wolf."
+
+They were soon seated around a table on which was set forth a substantial
+meal, and it is almost needless to say that they all did it ample
+justice.
+
+During the meal the chief topic of discussion, next to Bert's
+record-breaking feat, was the forthcoming race at the big saucer track,
+in which riders from all over the world were to compete.
+
+Bert listened with great attention, for it was of the most vital
+importance to him to know as much as possible of the track on which he
+was scheduled to pit his skill and courage against the best and most
+experienced motorcyclists of the globe. Of course, he would be given
+ample time to practice and learn the tricks of the big saucer for
+himself, but his experience of life so far had taught him not to
+neglect even the slightest bit of knowledge that might make for success.
+
+In due course of time the meal was despatched, and they returned to the
+lounging room. A couple of pleasant hours were spent in conversation and
+joking, and swapping tales of eventful rides under every conceivable
+condition of sunshine and storm.
+
+At last Bert rose, and said, "Well, boys, I've certainly enjoyed my
+visit, but I'm afraid I'll have to make a break"--consulting his watch.
+"I've had a mighty hard time of it lately, and I'm about all in."
+
+He shook hands all around, and with many expressions of friendship from
+the club members and amid hearty invitations to call again, Bert and his
+companions took their departure.
+
+"I suppose you'll begin practicing at the track pretty soon now, won't
+you, Bert?" asked Tom, as they turned their steps toward the hotel.
+
+"You suppose right, old timer," said Bert, slapping him affectionately
+on the shoulder, "to-morrow, or maybe the day after, I'll get down to
+business. I want to know that track as well as I know the back yard at
+home before the day of the race."
+
+"You can't know too much about it, that's certain," said Dick, soberly.
+"You haven't had much practice in that sort of racing, Bert, and I'm
+almost afraid to have you try it."
+
+"Nonsense," laughed Bert, "why, I'll be safer there than I would be
+dodging autos on Broadway, back in little old New York. Don't worry
+about me. I'll put the jody sign on all of them, provided, of course,
+that my machine doesn't take it into its head,--or into its gasoline
+tank--to blow up, or something else along the same line."
+
+"Heaven forbid," ejaculated Dick, piously, "but I guess we'd better
+change the subject. It isn't a very cheerful one at best."
+
+"You're right, it isn't," agreed Bert, "but those club fellows gave me
+some good tips regarding the track. They seem to know what they're
+talking about."
+
+"They're a great crowd," said Tom, enthusiastically, "and they know how
+to do things up right, too. They certainly gave us a fine dinner."
+
+"No doubt about it," concurred Bert, "but it's made me feel mighty
+sleepy. I haven't slept in so long that I'm afraid I've forgotten how."
+
+"Well, here we are at the hotel, anyway," laughed Dick, "so you'll soon
+have the chance to find out."
+
+After a little more conversation they parted and went to their rooms.
+
+The last thing Bert heard as he dropped off to sleep was the strident
+cry of a newsboy. "Wuxtra! Wuxtra! All about Wilson winning the
+transcontinental race. Wuxtra! Wuxtra!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE WONDERFUL CITY
+
+
+"And now for the Exposition," cried Bert, as after a solid sleep and an
+equally solid breakfast they reached their rooms and looked out over the
+city glittering in the morning sun.
+
+"For your Exposition," corrected Tom. "Yes," he went on, as he noted
+Bert's look of surprise, "that's exactly what I mean. For if it hadn't
+been for you, when you discovered the plot to blow up the Panama Canal,
+there would have been no Exposition at all, or, at any rate, a very
+different one from this. The bands would have been playing the 'Dead
+March in Saul,' instead of 'Hail Columbia' and the 'Star-Spangled
+Banner.'"
+
+Nor was Tom far from the truth. Before the minds of the boys came up
+that night in Panama, when Bert, crouching low beneath the window of the
+Japanese conspirators, had overheard the plot to destroy the great
+Canal. They saw again the struggle in the library; the fight for life in
+the sinking boat in the Caribbean Sea; the rescue by the submarine and
+the cutting of the wires that led to the mined gate of the Gatun Locks.
+Had it not been for Bert's quick wit and audacity, the carefully-planned
+plot of the Japanese Government to keep the larger part of the American
+fleet on the Atlantic side, while they themselves made a dash for the
+Pacific slope, might easily have succeeded, and, at the very moment the
+boys were speaking, the whole country west of the Rocky Mountains might
+have been fast in the grip of the Japanese armies. But the discovery
+of the plot had been its undoing. The matter had been hushed up for
+official reasons, and only a very few knew how nearly the two nations
+had been locked in a life and death struggle for the control of the
+Western ocean.
+
+And now the peril was over. Never again would the United States be
+caught napping. War indeed might come--it probably would, some time--but
+America's control of the coast was assured. At Colon on the Atlantic
+side and Panama at the Pacific end, impregnable forts and artillery bade
+defiance to all the fleets of East or West. Great navies on either side
+would be kept in easy reach in case of attack, and the combined land and
+sea forces would be invincible against any combination likely to be
+brought against them.
+
+And it was this great achievement of American enterprise--the opening of
+the Canal--that the Exposition, now in full swing, was intended to
+celebrate. Its official designation was the "Panama-Pacific International
+Exposition." And it was fitting that it should be held at San Francisco,
+the Queen City of the West, because it was of preëminent importance to
+the Pacific slope.
+
+For this silver strip of water, fifty miles long, that stretched between
+the Atlantic and Pacific, brought the West nine thousand miles nearer to
+Europe by water than it had been before. The long journey round the
+Horn, fraught with danger and taking months of time, would henceforth
+be unnecessary. It gave an all-water route that saved enormously in
+freights, and enabled shipments to be made without breaking bulk. It
+diverted a vast amount of traffic that had hitherto gone through the
+Suez Canal. It gave a tremendous impetus to the American merchant marine
+and challenged the right of Great Britain longer to "rule the waves."
+And, by enabling the entire naval strength of the country to be
+assembled quickly in case of need, it assured the West against the
+"yellow peril" that loomed up on the other side of the sea.
+
+But, above and apart from the local interests involved, was the
+patriotic rejoicing in which all the nation shared. The American Eagle
+felt that it had a right to scream over the great achievement. For great
+it certainly was--one of the most marvelous in the history of the world.
+The dream of four hundred years had become a realized fact. Others had
+tried and failed. France with her scientific genius and unlimited
+resources had thrown up her hands in despair. Then America had taken
+it up and carried it through to a glorious conclusion. Four hundred
+millions of dollars had been expended on the colossal work. But this
+was not the most important item. What the country was proud of was
+the pluck, the ingenuity, the determination, that in the face of all
+kinds of dangers--dangers of flood, of pestilence, of earthquakes, of
+avalanche--had met them all in a way to win the plaudits of mankind.
+
+In the case of the boys, this pride was, of course, intensified by the
+fact that they had visited the country and seen its wonders at first
+hand. From Colon to Panama, from the Gatun Dam to the Miraflores Locks,
+they had gone over every foot of ground and water. Its gates, its cuts,
+its spillways, its tractions--all of these had grown familiar by actual
+inspection. Add to this the exulting consciousness that they had been
+concerned in its salvation, when threatened by their country's foes, and
+it can readily be imagined how eager they were to see all the wonders of
+the Exposition that was to celebrate its completion.
+
+"It's got to be a pretty big thing to satisfy my expectations," said
+Dick, as they neared the grounds.
+
+"Well," remarked Bert, "I've never seen a world's fair, but, from what
+I've heard, this goes ahead of all of them. Even the Chicago Fair, they
+say, can't hold a candle to it. A fellow was telling me----"
+
+But just then, as they turned a curve, they came in full view of the
+grounds, and stopped short with a gasp of admiration.
+
+It was a magnificent picture--a splendid gem, with the California land
+and sky as its setting.
+
+A glorious city had sprung up as though by the waving of an enchanter's
+wand. On every side rose towers, spires, minarets and golden domes. The
+prosaic, every-day world had vanished, and, in its place had come a
+dream city such as might have been inspired by the pages of the "Arabian
+Nights." It almost seemed as though a caravan laden with silks and
+spices of the East might be expected at any moment to thread the courts
+and colonnades, or a regiment of Janissaries, with folded fez and waving
+scimitars, spur their horses along the road. The very names of the
+buildings were redolent of romance. There was the "Court of the Four
+Seasons," the "Court of the Sun and Stars," the "Tower of Jewels" and
+the "Hall of Abundance." And the illusion was heightened by the glorious
+sunshine and balmy air that makes San Francisco the Paradise of the
+Western Continent.
+
+The Exposition grounds, covering a vast extent of space, had been chosen
+with marvelous taste and judgment and a keen eye for the picturesque.
+The finest talent to be found anywhere had been expended on the
+location, the approaches and the grouping of the buildings, so as to
+form a harmonious combination of grace and fitness and beauty. It was a
+triumph of architecture and landscape gardening. Nature and art had been
+wedded and the result was bewildering and overpowering. It had never
+been approached by any Exposition in the world's history.
+
+The site was a level space surrounded on east, west and south by sloping
+hills. Standing on these heights, one looked down as upon a vast
+amphitheater. On the north it faced the waters of San Francisco Bay, the
+waves gleaming in the sun and the sea lions playing about the rocks of
+the Golden Gate. Across the Bay could be seen towering mountains, their
+summits alternately shrouded in a tenuous haze and glistening in golden
+glory.
+
+On the harbor side was an esplanade, eighteen hundred feet long and
+three hundred feet wide, adorned with marble statues and gorgeous
+foliage and plashing fountains. Opening directly from this was the main
+group of palaces--fitly so called--devoted to the more important objects
+of the Fair. These were clustered about the great Court of the Sun and
+Stars. Around the Court stood over one hundred pillars, each surmounted
+by a colossal figure representing some particular star. Upon a huge
+column stood a globe, symbol of the Sun, and about the column itself was
+a spiral ascent, typifying the climbing hopes and aspirations of the
+human race. Nearby rose the splendid Tower of Jewels, four hundred and
+fifty feet in height, its blazing dome reflecting back the rays of
+the sun, while jewels set in the walls--agate, beryl, garnet and
+chrysolite--bathed the interior in luminous splendor.
+
+The Court of the Four Seasons was designed to show the conquest of man
+over the forces of nature. The Hall of Abundance overflowed with the
+rich products brought from the four corners of the earth. The East and
+West were typified by two groups, one showing the customs of the Orient
+and the other exhibiting the progress made by Western civilization.
+Between them stood a prairie schooner, emblem of the resistless tide of
+immigration toward the setting sun.
+
+    "Westward the course of empire takes its way,
+      The first four acts already past;
+    A fifth shall close the drama and the day,
+      Time's noblest offspring is its last,"
+
+murmured Dick, yielding to his chronic habit of quotation.
+
+Besides the central group of palaces devoted to machinery, invention,
+transportation and the fine arts, there were two other sections. One held
+the buildings of the various States and the official headquarters of
+foreign nations. The other was given over to the amusement concessions,
+consisting of hundreds of pavilions that catered to the pleasures of the
+visitors. Then, too, there was a great arena for open air sports and
+competitions. Scattered everywhere were sunken lakes and rippling
+cascades and verdant terraces, so arranged that at every turn the eye was
+charmed by some new delight.
+
+But the transcendent beauty of the Fair when viewed by day yielded the
+palm to the glory of the night. As the dusk fell, thousands upon
+thousands of lights, like so many twinkling jewels, sprang into being.
+The splendor flashed on tree and building, spire and minaret, arch and
+dome, until the whole vast Exposition became a crystal dream. Great
+searchlights from the bay played on jets of steam rising high in the
+sky, in a perfect riot of changing color. The lagoons and fountains and
+cascades sent back the shimmering reflections multiplied a thousand
+fold. And beneath the witchery of those changing lights, one might well
+imagine himself transported to some realm of mystery and romance a
+thousand leagues from the Western Hemisphere and the twentieth century.
+
+But, although the boys felt and yielded to the potent spell that the
+Exposition cast on those that came within its gates, they none the less
+devoted themselves to the wonders shown in the great buildings set apart
+for machinery and inventions. All of them were planning their life work
+on scientific and engineering lines, and they were keen for the new
+discoveries and appliances that were seen on every hand in almost
+endless profusion. Wireless telegraphy, aeroplanes, submarine and motor
+engines--these were the magnets that drew them irresistibly. Although
+they had prided themselves on keeping pretty well up to date along these
+lines, they were astonished to see how many things came to them now with
+the force of a revelation.
+
+Before the models of the submarines they stood for a long time, as they
+took in every detail of the plan and construction. And with Bert's
+admiration was mingled a sense of gratitude. One of these it was that
+had picked him up when he was battling with the waves and hope had
+almost vanished. Even now, he could see the saucy little vessel as it
+poked its nose into the entrance of the Canal and darted here and there
+like a ferret, sniffing the danger that it came just in time to prevent.
+He remembered the fascination of that memorable trip, as he stood at the
+porthole and saw the wonders of the sea, illumined by its powerful
+searchlight. But that had simply whetted his appetite, and he was hungry
+for further experiences. Somewhere among his ancestors there must have
+been Viking blood, and the haunting mystery of the sea had always called
+to him.
+
+"Some day, perhaps"--he thought to himself, and then as he saw the
+amused expression on his companions' faces, he realized that he had
+spoken out loud.
+
+"What's the matter, Alexander?" chaffed Tom. "Weeping for more worlds to
+conquer?"
+
+"He isn't satisfied with the victories won on the earth," mocked Dick.
+"He wants the sea, too. You're a glutton for adventure, Bert."
+
+"Yes," laughed Tom, "he won't be happy till he gets it."
+
+"Oh, cut it out," retorted Bert, a little sheepishly. "Since when did
+you fellows set up to be mind readers?"
+
+But they _were_ mind readers and prophets, too, though none of them knew
+it at the time.
+
+"There's still one other field to be explored," went on Dick, teasingly,
+"and that's the air."
+
+"Well," remarked Tom, "if Bert's going to try that, too, he'd better
+get busy pretty soon. They're going ahead so fast there, that before
+long there won't be anything new left to do. When fellows can turn
+somersaults in the air and fly along on their backs, like that
+Frenchman, Peguod, they're certainly getting a strangle hold on old
+mother Nature. The way things are moving now, a man will soon be as safe
+in an airship as a baby in his cradle. Look at this Bleriot monoplane;"
+and they were soon plunged deep in the study of the various types of
+flying craft.
+
+In another department, one thing gave Bert unlimited satisfaction.
+Among all the motorcycles, native and foreign, before which he lingered
+longer than anywhere else, he saw nothing that excelled his own. His
+heart swelled with pride and confidence, as he realized that none of his
+competitors in the coming struggle would have a better machine beneath
+him than the "Blue Streak." He could drop any worry on that score. If he
+failed to come in first, he himself must shoulder the blame.
+
+And when at last, tired but happy, they turned their backs on the
+dazzling scene and were on their way back to the hotel, their talk
+naturally fell on the topic that was uppermost in their minds.
+
+"How are you feeling, Bert?" asked Tom. "Are you fit?"
+
+"I feel like a two-year-old," was the answer. "I'm hard as nails and
+right at the top of my form. I'll have no excuses to offer."
+
+"You won't need any," said Dick confidently. "Leave those to the
+losers."
+
+"One never can tell," mused Bert. "There are some crack riders in that
+bunch. But I'm going to do my level best, not only for my own sake, but
+so that the foreigners can't crow over us. I'd hate to see America
+lose."
+
+"She can't," asserted Tom. "Not on the Fourth of July!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A WINNING FIGHT
+
+
+The big motordome was gayly decorated with flags and bunting, in honor
+of the Fourth, and there was just enough breeze stirring to give them
+motion. A big military band played patriotic and popular airs, and, as
+the spectators filed into their seats in a never-ending procession, they
+felt already the first stirrings of an excitement that was to make of
+this a night to be remembered throughout a lifetime.
+
+An hour before the time scheduled for the race to begin every seat in
+grandstand and bleachers was taken, and people were fighting for a place
+in the grassy infield. Very soon, even that was packed with as many
+spectators as the managers felt could be disposed of with safety. They
+were kept within bounds by a stout rope fence stretched between posts.
+At last every available foot of space was occupied, and the gates were
+closed. Thousands were turned away even then, although there were over
+sixty thousand souls within the stadium.
+
+The motordome had been constructed to hold an immense crowd, but its
+designers had never anticipated anything like this. So great was the
+interest in the event, that most of those who could not gain admittance
+camped down near the gates to get bulletins of the progress of the race,
+as soon as possible.
+
+It was an ideal night for such an event. The air was soft and charged
+with a thousand balmy odors. The band crashed out its stirring music,
+and made the blood of the most sluggish leap and glow. Suddenly the arc
+lights suspended at short intervals over the track blazed out, making
+the whole place as light as day.
+
+Then, as every detail of the track was plainly revealed, thousands
+drew a deep breath and shuddered. The track was banked at an angle of
+approximately thirty-eight degrees, with three laps to the mile. It
+seemed impossible to many that anything on wheels could cling to the
+precipitous slope, that appeared to offer insecure footing even for a
+fly.
+
+Near the bottom, a white band was painted around the entire
+circumference, marking the actual one-third of a mile. At the bottom of
+the track there was a level stretch, perhaps four feet wide, and beyond
+that the smooth turf, bordered at a little distance by a dense mass of
+spectators confined within the rope fence. Above the track tier after
+tier of seats arose.
+
+Opposite the finish line, the starter's and judge's pavilion was built.
+Here all the riders and machines that were to take part were assembled,
+and it presented a scene of the utmost bustle and activity. Tom and Dick
+were there, anxiously waiting for Bert to emerge from his dressing room,
+and meanwhile inspecting every nut and bolt on the "Blue Streak."
+Despite the recent changes made in it, the faithful motorcycle was still
+the same staunch, dependable machine it had always been, but with even
+greater speed capabilities than it had possessed before.
+
+Of course, there were many who claimed that Bert could never have a
+chance of winning without a specially built racer, and he had been urged
+a score of times to use such a mount. But he had refused without the
+slightest hesitation.
+
+"Why," he always said, "I know what the old 'Blue Streak' will do, just
+as well as I know what I am capable of. I know every whim and humor of
+it, and just how to get the last ounce of power out of it. I've tested
+it a thousand times. I know it will stand up to any work I put it to,
+and I'd no more think of changing machines now than I would of trying a
+new system of training two days before I was to enter a running race.
+No, thanks, I guess I'll stick to the old 'Blue Streak.'"
+
+Dick and Tom were still busy with oil can and wrench when Bert emerged
+from his dressing-room. He was dressed in a blue jersey, with an
+American flag embroidered on breast and back. His head was encased in a
+thick leather helmet, and a pair of heavy-glassed goggles were pushed up
+on his forehead.
+
+He strode quickly over to where his chums were working on his mount, and
+they shook hands heartily. "Well!" he exclaimed gaily, "how is the old
+'bus' to-night? Everything O.K., I hope?"
+
+"It sure is," replied Dick. "Tom and I have gone over every inch of it,
+and it seems in apple-pie order. We filled your oil tank up with oil
+that we tested ourselves, and we know that it's all right. We're not
+taking any chances."
+
+"That's fine," exclaimed Bert, "there's nothing more important than good
+oil. We don't want any frozen bearings to-night, of all nights."
+
+"Not much!" agreed Tom, "but it must be pretty nearly time for the
+start. It's after eight now."
+
+Even as he spoke, a gong tapped, and a deep silence descended on the
+stadium. Excitement, tense and breathless, gripped every heart.
+
+A burly figure carrying a megaphone mounted a small platform erected
+in the center of the field, and in stentorian tones announced the
+conditions of the race.
+
+Seven riders, representing America, France, England, Italy, and Belgium,
+were to compete for a distance of one hundred miles. The race was to
+begin from a flying start, which was to be announced by the report of a
+pistol. The time of each race was to be shown by an illuminated clock
+near the judge's stand.
+
+The man with the megaphone had hardly ceased speaking when the roar of
+several motorcycle exhausts broke forth from the starting platform and
+the band crashed into a stirring march.
+
+Then a motorcycle appeared, towing a racer. Slowly it gathered headway,
+and at last the rider of the racing machine threw in the spark. The
+motor coughed once or twice, and then took hold. With a mighty roar his
+machine shot ahead, gathering speed with every revolution, and passing
+the towing motorcycle as though it were standing still.
+
+In quick succession now, machine after machine appeared. It was Bert's
+turn to start, and, pulling his goggles down over his eyes, he leaped
+astride the waiting "Blue Streak."
+
+"Go it, old man!" shouted Dick and Tom, each giving him a resounding
+buffet on the shoulder, "show 'em what you're made of."
+
+"Leave it to me," yelled Bert, for already the towing motorcycle was
+towing him and the "Blue Streak" out onto the track. They went at a
+snail's pace at first, but quickly gathered momentum.
+
+As he came into view of the gathered multitude, a shout went up that
+made the concrete structure tremble. This was repeated twice and then
+the spectators settled back, waiting for the start.
+
+When he felt he was going fast enough, Bert, by a twist of the right
+grip, lowered the exhaust valves, and the next second he felt the old
+"Blue Streak" surge forward as though discharged from a cannon. It
+required a speed of fifty miles an hour even to mount the embankment,
+but before he had gone two hundred yards he had attained it. He turned
+the front wheel to the slope, and his machine mounted it like a bird.
+
+Never had he sensed such gigantic power under him, and he felt exalted
+to the skies. He forgot everything in the mad delirium of speed;
+tremendous, maddening speed. Every time he opened the throttle a trifle
+more he could feel it increase. Eagerly, resistlessly, his mount tore
+and raged forward, whistling through the air with the speed of an arrow.
+In a few seconds he was abreast of the riders who had started first, and
+who were jockeying for a good position. There was little time for
+manoeuvring, however, for now the riders were fairly well bunched, and
+the starter's pistol cracked. The race had started!
+
+And now Bert found himself competing with the crack racers of the world.
+Each was mounted on the best machine the genius of his countrymen could
+produce, and each was grimly resolved to win. The "Blue Streak" and its
+rider were indeed in fast company, and were destined to be put to a
+test such as seldom occurs in even such strenuous racing as this.
+
+Bert was riding high on the track at the start, and he resolved to make
+use of this position to gain the lead. He opened the throttle wide, and
+the "Blue Streak" responded nobly. So great was the force of the forward
+spurt that his hands were almost wrenched from the handlebars. He held
+on, however, and at the end of the second lap was even with the leader,
+a Frenchman.
+
+Bert turned his front wheel down the slope, and swooped toward the
+bottom of the track with a sickening lurch. A vast sigh of horror went
+up from the closely packed stands. But at the last second, when within a
+foot of the bottom of the incline, Bert started up again, and with a
+speed increased by the downward rush shot up to the white band.
+
+He hugged this closely, and reeled off mile after mile at a speed of
+close to a hundred miles an hour. Leaning down until his body touched
+the top frame bar, he coaxed ever a little more speed from the
+fire-spitting mechanism beneath him.
+
+But the Frenchman hung on doggedly, not ten feet behind, and a few feet
+further back the English entrant tore along. In this order they passed
+the fifty-mile mark, and the spectators were standing now, yelling and
+shouting. The rest of the field had been unable to hold the terrific
+pace, and had dropped behind. The Belgian entrant had been forced to
+drop out altogether, on account of engine trouble.
+
+The leaders swept on and gradually drew up on the three lagging riders.
+A quarter of a lap--half a lap--three-quarters of a lap--and amid a
+deafening roar of shouting from the spectators Bert swept past them. He
+had gained a lap on them!
+
+The English and French entries were still close up, however, both
+hanging on within three yards of Bert's rear wheel. They reeled off mile
+after mile, hardly changing their positions by a foot. Suddenly there
+was a loud report that sounded even above the roar of the exhausts, and
+a second later Bert fell to the rear. His front tire had punctured, and
+it was only by the exercise of all his skill and strength that he had
+averted a horrible accident.
+
+"It's all over. It's all over," groaned Tom. "He's out of the race now.
+He hasn't got a chance."
+
+Dick said nothing, but his face was the color of chalk. He dashed for
+the supply tent, and emerged carrying a front wheel with an inflated
+tire already on it, just as Bert pulled up in front of them and leaped
+from his mount. His eyes were sunken, with dark rings under them, but
+his mouth was set and stern as death.
+
+"On with it, Dick, on with it," he said, in a low, suppressed voice.
+"Let's have that wrench, Tom. Hold up the front fork, will you?"
+
+He worked frantically, and in less than forty seconds had substituted
+the new wheel carrying the inflated tire in place of the old.
+
+Flinging down the wrench, he sprang into the saddle, and with willing
+strength Dick and Tom rushed him and his machine out onto the track,
+pushing with all the might of their sinewy young bodies. At the first
+possible moment Bert shot on the power, and the engine, still hot,
+started instantly. In a second he was off in wild pursuit of the flying
+leaders.
+
+As he mounted the track, he was seen to lean down and fumble with the
+air shutter on the carburetor. Apparently this had little effect, but
+to Bert it made all the difference in the world. The motor had had
+tremendous strength before, but now it seemed almost doubled. The whole
+machine quivered and shook under the mighty impact of the pistons, and
+the hum of the flywheels rose to a high whine. Violet flames shot from
+the exhaust in an endless stream.
+
+The track streamed back from the whirling wheels like a rushing river.
+It seemed to be leaping eagerly to meet him. The lights and shadows
+flickered away from him, and the grotesque shadow cast by his machine
+weaved rapidly back and forth as he passed under the sizzling arc
+lights.
+
+The spectators were a yelling mob of temporary maniacs by this time. The
+Frenchman and Englishman had passed the eighty-mile mark, and Bert was
+still a lap and a half behind. He was riding like a fiend, coaxing,
+nursing his machine, manipulating the controls so as to wring the last
+ounce of energy from the tortured mass of metal he bestrode.
+
+Slowly, but with deadly persistence, he closed the gap between him and
+the leaders. Amidst a veritable pandemonium from the crazed spectators
+he passed them, but still had one lap to make up in fifteen miles.
+Shortly after passing them, he was close on the three remaining
+competitors, who were hanging on in the desperate hope of winning should
+some accident befall the leaders.
+
+Suddenly, without any warning, something--nobody ever learned what--went
+wrong. They became a confused, tangled mass of blazing machine and
+crumpled humanity. Bert was not twenty feet behind them, and men turned
+white and sick and women fainted. It seemed inevitable that he would
+plow into them traveling at that terrific pace, and add one more life to
+the toll of the disaster.
+
+Bert's mind acted like a flash. He was far down on the track, and could
+not possibly gain a position above the wreckage, and so skirt it in
+that way. Nor did he have time to pass beneath it, for men and machines
+were sliding diagonally down the steep embankment.
+
+With a muttered prayer, he accepted the last chance fate had seen fit to
+leave him. He shot off the track completely, and whirled his machine
+onto the turf skirting it.
+
+The grass was smooth, but, at Bert's tremendous speed, small obstacles
+seemed like mountains. The "Blue Streak" quivered and bounded, at times
+leaping clear off the ground, as it struck some uneven place. For what
+seemed an age, but was in reality only a few seconds, Bert kept on this,
+and then steered for the track again. If his machine mounted the little
+ridge formed by the beginning of the track proper, all might yet be
+well, if not--well, he refused to even think of that.
+
+The front wheel hit the obstruction, and, a fraction of a second later,
+the rear wheel struck. The machine leaped clear into the air, sideways.
+Bert stiffened the muscles of his wrists until they were as hard as
+steel, to withstand the shock of landing. The handlebars were almost
+wrenched from his control, but not quite, and once more he was tearing
+around with scarcely diminished speed.
+
+By great good fortune, the riders involved in the accident had not been
+hurt seriously, although their machines were total wrecks, and they
+hobbled painfully toward the hospital tent, assisted by spectators who
+had rushed to their aid.
+
+Bert was now less than half a lap behind the flying leaders, but he had
+only four miles in which to make it up. At intervals now he leaned down
+and pumped extra oil into the engine. This added a trifle of extra
+power, and as he rushed madly along the "Blue Streak" lived up to its
+name nobly. At the beginning of the last mile he was only about three
+lengths behind. The vast crowd was on its feet now, shouting, yelling,
+tossing hats, gesticulating. They were worked up to a pitch of frenzy
+absolutely indescribable.
+
+As Bert crept grimly up, nearer and nearer, the place became a veritable
+Bedlam. Now the racers had entered the last lap; only a third of a mile
+to go, and Bert was still a length behind. The exhaust of the racing
+motorcycles united in one hoarse, bellowing roar, that seemed to shake
+the very earth.
+
+Then--Bert reached down, and with the finish line but a short hundred
+yards ahead, opened wide the air shutter on the carburetor. His machine
+seemed to almost leave the track, and then, tearing forward, passed the
+Frenchman, who was leading. As he crossed the finish line, Bert was
+ahead by the length of a wheel!
+
+The uproar that burst forth then defied all description. As Bert, after
+making a circuit of the track, finally brought the "Blue Streak" to a
+standstill, a seething mob rushed toward him, waving hats and flags, and
+shouting frantically and joyfully.
+
+Bert had no mind to get in their well-meaning clutches, however, so he
+and his two friends made a rush for his dressing room, and reached it
+safely. The crowd, being unable to locate its hero, and too excited to
+make a methodical search for him, worked off its exuberance by much
+shouting and shaking of hands between perfect strangers, and gradually
+dispersed.
+
+Meanwhile Tom and Dick, with strong emotion that they made no effort to
+conceal, wrung his hand again and again.
+
+"You rode the greatest motorcycle race this old world ever saw, old
+friend," said Dick at last, "but Tom and I are never going to let you go
+in another. The world would be too empty for us without you."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In the sheaf of telegrams of congratulations handed to Bert next morning
+was one from Reddy. It was characteristic:
+
+"Shamrock. Glory be. I knew you'd put it over. Keep in good shape for
+football."
+
+"He talks as if I were already on the team," commented Bert; "I may not
+make it, after all."
+
+"Swell chance of your missing it," scoffed Tom.
+
+"Everybody knows you're slated for full-back."
+
+To another message, Drake's name was signed:
+
+"Hurrah for the blue. Be back for football in the Fall."
+
+"A decided football flavor in your telegrams to-day," grinned Dick.
+
+"Well," said Bert, "win or lose, I'll be there with both feet."
+
+"You'd better have both of them with you, for a fact," drawled Tom. "You
+couldn't do much without them."
+
+And when a few months later, the football season opened, Bert's promise
+was fulfilled. How swift those feet of his proved to be in getting down
+the field, how mighty in kicking a goal, how powerful in every stirring
+feature of the glorious game, will be told in
+
+"BERT WILSON ON THE GRIDIRON."
+
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's note:
+
+--Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).
+
+--Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were corrected without
+  comment.
+
+--Variations of Blue Streak were made consistent ('Blue Streak'
+  within quoted speech and "Blue Streak" in all other cases).
+
+--Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.
+
+--Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40254 ***