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diff --git a/40254.txt b/40254.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7b7d8d9..0000000 --- a/40254.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5591 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Bert Wilson's Twin Cylinder Racer, by J. W. -Duffield - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Bert Wilson's Twin Cylinder Racer - - -Author: J. W. Duffield - - - -Release Date: July 16, 2012 [eBook #40254] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BERT WILSON'S TWIN CYLINDER -RACER*** - - -E-text prepared by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) - - - -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 preeminent 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 Fe, 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 preeminent 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 BERT WILSON'S TWIN CYLINDER RACER*** - - -******* This file should be named 40254.txt or 40254.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/0/2/5/40254 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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