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diff --git a/old/50941.txt b/old/50941.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d64b793..0000000 --- a/old/50941.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4904 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Motor Matt's Enemies, No. 22, July 24, 1909, by -Stanley R. Matthews - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Motor Matt's Enemies, No. 22, July 24, 1909 - or, A Struggle For The Right - -Author: Stanley R. Matthews - -Release Date: January 16, 2016 [EBook #50941] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOTOR MATT'S ENEMIES *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Demian Katz and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (Images -courtesy of the Digital Library@Villanova University -(http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) - - - - - - - - - - MOTOR STORIES - - THRILLING - ADVENTURE - - MOTOR - FICTION - - NO. 22 - JULY 24, 1909 - - FIVE - CENTS - - - MOTOR MATT'S - ENEMIES - - OR A STRUGGLE - FOR THE RIGHT - - _BY THE AUTHOR - OF "MOTOR MATT"_ - - [Illustration: _A hoarse laugh echoed in - Motor Matt's ears as the - burning launch leaped - away through the thick - shadows._] - - _STREET & SMITH - PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK_ - - - - -MOTOR STORIES - -THRILLING ADVENTURE MOTOR FICTION - -_Issued Weekly. By subscription $2.50 per year. Entered according to -Act of Congress in the year 1909, in the Office of the Librarian of -Congress, Washington, D. C., by_ STREET & SMITH, _79-89 Seventh Avenue, -New York, N. Y._ - - No. 22. NEW YORK, July 24, 1909. Price Five Cents. - -MOTOR MATT'S ENEMIES; - -OR, - -A STRUGGLE FOR THE RIGHT. - -By the author of "MOTOR MATT." - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I. ON THE ROAD TO WAUNAKEE. - CHAPTER II. INTO A NOOSE--AND OUT OF IT AGAIN. - CHAPTER III. GEORGE'S SISTER. - CHAPTER IV. THE "JUMP SPARK." - CHAPTER V. BY EXPRESS, CHARGES COLLECT. - CHAPTER VI. "PICKEREL PETE." - CHAPTER VII. GEORGE AND M'GLORY MISSING. - CHAPTER VIII. SETTING A SNARE. - CHAPTER IX. ENEMIES TO BE FEARED. - CHAPTER X. BETWEEN FIRE AND WATER. - CHAPTER XI. CHUMS TO THE RESCUE. - CHAPTER XII. HOW FATE THREW THE DICE. - CHAPTER XIII. UNDER THE OVERTURNED BOAT. - CHAPTER XIV. A DASH FOR THE OPEN. - CHAPTER XV. THE POWER BOAT--MINUS THE POWER. - CHAPTER XVI. A RECONCILIATION. - THE GUARDIAN OF THE PASS. - WATCH THE SKY. - - - - -CHARACTERS THAT APPEAR IN THIS STORY. - - - =Matt King=, otherwise Motor Matt. - - =Joe McGlory=, a young cowboy who proves himself a lad of worth and - character, and whose eccentricities are all on the humorous side. A - good chum to tie to--a point Motor Matt is quick to perceive. - - =George Lorry=, a lad who has begun steering a wrong course, and in - whom Matt recognizes a victim of circumstances rather than a youth - who is innately conceited, domineering and unscrupulous. - - =Lorry, Sr.=, George's father; a rich man whose attitude toward - Motor Matt, in part of the story, is as incomprehensible as it is - uncalled-for. - - =Big John=, an unscrupulous person who takes his dishonest toll - wherever he can find it; but, in crossing Motor Matt's course, he - meets with rather more than he has bargained for. - - =Kinky=, a pal of Big John. - - =Ross=, another pal of Big John; a desperate man with a grievance - against Motor Matt. - - =Ollie Merton=, a rich man's son with many failings, but rather - deeper than he appears. - - =Pickerel Pete=, a superstitious little moke who collects two dollars - from Motor Matt for a day's work and abruptly resigns. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -ON THE ROAD TO WAUNAKEE. - - -"Do you know what you're doing, John?" - -"If I didn't, Ollie, I wouldn't be doing it. I'm not one of these -fellows who take a jump in the dark and trust to luck." - -"Then it's about time you put me wise. I've been taking jumps in the -dark ever since you showed up in Madison yesterday." - -The man with the closely cropped red hair, the smooth face, and the -mole on his cheek laughed softly. - -"Back the car off the road and into the bushes," said he, "then we'll -sit where we can look around the bend toward Waunakee and I'll tell you -all you want to know." - -The young fellow with black hair and a sinister face threw in the -reverse and backed the big automobile off the road and into the -undergrowth. When he stopped the car it was all but screened from -sight. Jumping down, he walked out to where the man was standing in the -highway thoughtfully smoking a big, black cigar. - -Pulling a silver cigarette case from his pocket, Ollie helped himself -to a highly ornamental brand of Turkish poison, each little cylinder -cork-tipped and marked in gilt with his monogram. - -Big John looked at him with frank disapproval as he took a silver -matchbox from his vest and fired the imported "paper pipe." - -"You're the silver-plated boy, all right," muttered Big John. - -"Sterling, you big duffer," grinned Ollie. "Nothing plated about me." - -"The dope they roll up in that rice paper and hand you with your cute -little monogram is plate, all right--coffin plate----" - -"Oh, splash!" sneered Ollie. "You're a nice one to lecture a fellow, I -must say. Cut it out, John, and tell me what we're here for." - -Big John shook his red head forebodingly and moved off toward the bend -of the wooded road. Here he sat down just within a fringe of brush, in -such a position that he had a good view of the straightaway stretch -toward Waunakee, and Ollie pushed in beside him. - -"You know George Lorry, all right, eh, Ollie?" Big John observed. - -A flush crossed Ollie's sinister face. - -"You bet I know him!" said he. "The fellows used to call him 'Sis,' -because he was so nice and ladylike. But I've known for a long time -there was good stuff in George, and that he'd be a first-rate chap if -some one would only cut him adrift from his mother's apron strings. I -got him started right," and a very complacent look drifted over Ollie's -dark features. "He can smoke cigareets as well as the next one, now, -and play as good a game of cards as any fellow in our set. He's got -_me_ to thank for that." - -Big John stared at Ollie, and once more shook his head. - -"What fools you kids can make of yourselves!" he grunted. "You're the -one that started young Lorry, eh?" - -"He was a sissy," asserted Ollie, "and I was making a man of him. -George's folks never treated him right. Old Lorry has got as much money -as my governor, but he's a tightwad, all right, and put the screws -on George's allowance in a way that was scandalous. George bought a -five-thousand-dollar motor launch, and had it sent on here from Bay -City, C. O. D., and his skinflint father wouldn't foot the bill and the -launch had to go back." Ollie fired up to a white heat. "What sort of a -way was that for a man to treat his only son?" he demanded. - -"Awful!" commented Big John sarcastically. - -"George told me how he was treated," went on Ollie, failing to observe -the sarcasm in Big John's voice, "and I advised him to break away and -show the old folks that he wasn't going to let 'em tramp on him. He -joined our club and got to be one of the best card players we have." - -"Beautiful!" expanded Big John. "I suppose his folks were all cut up -about that, eh?" - -"I guess they were, only old Lorry took the wrong way of showing it. -What do you think he did?" flared Ollie. - -"I'm by. What did he do?" - -"Why, he made arrangements to send George to one of these military -academies, that's nothing more or less than a reform school. George -came to me and told me about it, and asked what he ought to do." - -"And what did you tell him?" - -"I told him to skip, and to take with him all the money of his father's -that he could get his hands on. Old Lorry is a brute, and I didn't make -any bones of telling George what I thought." - -"And George skipped, taking ten thousand dollars from his father's -safe," said Big John. "He went to Chicago first, then bought a ticket -to 'Frisco. When he got there he had made friends with three men, -and one of those men was me. I'm a villain, Ollie, and ought to be a -horrible example to every young fellow who's got sense enough to know -right from wrong, and the minute I learned Lorry had ten thousand -dollars I planned with my two pals, Kinky and Ross, to get it. We'd -have got away with it, too, on a boat to the Sandwich Islands, where I -could have bought a pineapple plantation and, mebby, have lived honest -for the rest of my life, but something happened." - -Big John looked through the bushes, out along the road, and scowled -blackly. - -"What happened?" demanded Ollie. - -"A chap named Joe McGlory----" - -"I've heard of _him_," interrupted Ollie. "He's a cousin of George's, -and lives in Arizona. A cowboy and a rowdy--nothing refined or genteel -in his make up. Go on." - -"Well, McGlory got a message from young Lorry's father asking him to go -to 'Frisco and hunt for George. McGlory went, but he'd never have found -George in a thousand years if it hadn't been for some one else who -butted into the game." - -Big John scowled again, this time more fiercely than he had done before. - -"Who was it?" queried Ollie. - -"Hold your horses a minute," proceeded Big John. "McGlory and this -other fellow took after Kinky, Ross, and me, and dropped on us like -a thousand of brick. My, oh, my! Say, that other lad was the clear -quill, all right. I've seen a good many likely younkers, but never one -to match him. I guess you'd call him a 'sissy,' seeing as how he don't -smoke, or drink, or gamble, but just trains his muscle to keep in form -and cultivates his brain along the line of motors, gasoline motors. And -muscle! Son, that fellow's got a 'right' any man would be proud to own, -and what he don't know about chug-engines nobody knows." - -Ollie's upper lip curled. - -"I don't believe in paragons," said he. "But what has all this got to -do with our being here?" - -"I'm getting to that. With this young fellow's help, McGlory got the -ten thousand away from us; not only that, but we had to get out of -'Frisco on the jump to keep the law from layin' hold of us. But Big -John wasn't throwing his hands in the air, not as anybody knows of. I -knew what would happen. Young Lorry would have to be brought back to -Madison, and this motor boy would have to help McGlory bring him back. -Also, the ten thousand dollars would be brought back--and I was still -yearnin' for that money and the pineapple plantation. I had Ross dodge -back to 'Frisco and watch. When McGlory and the other chap took the -cars with Lorry, Ross was on the same train, but he had changed himself -so no one would have known him. Ross is good at that sort of thing, and -that's the reason I made him do the shadowin'. Kinky and me hurried -right on to Madison, where I called on you and reminded you of the way -I'd once given you a tip on a hoss race in New York and helped you win -a thousand. You remembered old times"--Big John grinned widely--"and -you wasn't leery of me." - -"I always liked you, Big John," averred the misguided youth, "because -you're so free and easy." - -"Thanks," was the dry response. "Well, to proceed," he went on, "Ross -dropped in on Kinky and me, last night, and said that young Lorry -and t'other two hadn't come to Madison, but had got off the train at -Waunakee and had gone to a little cabin on the bank of a creek that -empties into the Catfish. Ross hung around the cabin, listenin', until -he found out that one of the outfit was to walk into Madison, this -morning, to have a talk with Mr. Lorry. I don't know what the talk's to -be about, but this motor boy must have something up his sleeve." Big -John gave an ill-omened grin. "As near as I can find out from Ross," -he continued, "this chug-engine chap thinks he can make a man out o' -Lorry--but he's going about it a little different from what you did, -Ollie. Now, I don't care a whoop about anything but that money, and -I rather believe I've fixed things so the motor boy won't have easy -sailin' with Mr. Lorry. But that's neither here nor there. I got you -to bring me out here in your benzine buggy, this mornin', so I could -lay for the chap that goes into town and take the ten thousand. After I -get it, you're to take me to Dane, or Lodi, or Barraboo, and leave me -there. That'll settle the debt you owe me on account of the tip I gave -you on that hoss race, see? Are you willin'?" - -The sinister face of the youth glowed with a fierce light. - -"I'm willing to help you get away, Big John," he answered, "and I'm -even willing to help you get the money. This motor boy you speak about -is trying to undermine my influence with George, and, by Jupiter, I -won't have it. I know what's the best thing for George." - -"We won't talk about that part of it," said Big John, who was a strange -mixture of right principles and evil actions, "because I might say -something you wouldn't like. As I was saying, I've got my heart set on -an honest life and a pineapple plantation, and ten thousand ain't any -more to Lorry, the millionaire, than ten cents is to me. I'm going to -get that money--and here's where I turn the trick. You can go farther -back into the bushes and watch, for I don't need your help." - -Unbuttoning his coat, Big John began unwrapping coil after coil -of light rope from around his waist. When he was through he had a -thirty-foot riata in his left hand and was holding the noose in his -right. - -Ollie, who had never been the confederate of a man before in such a -rascally piece of work, stared with wide eyes at Big John; then, before -pushing farther back into the brush, he turned his eyes down the wooded -road. - -A young fellow, lithely built, and with the grace and freedom of -movement that marks the perfect athlete, was swinging toward the bend -from the direction of Waunakee. - -"Is that McGlory?" asked Ollie in a whisper. - -"Nary it ain't McGlory," replied Big John, with a snap of the jaws. -"It's Matt King, otherwise Motor Matt, and here's where he gets what's -comin' for meddlin' in affairs that's none of his business. Get back, I -tell you, and give me a free hand." - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -INTO A NOOSE--AND OUT OF IT AGAIN. - - -Motor Matt, swinging along the road toward Madison, that morning, was -particularly light-hearted. He and his new chum, Joe McGlory, had -accomplished something worth while; and whenever a young fellow does -that he is pretty sure to be on good terms with himself. - -The long railroad journey from San Francisco to a point within a few -miles of Madison had been safely accomplished. Young Lorry had not been -a willing traveler, at first, but Matt had gradually won him over by -suggesting a plan which carried an appeal to Lorry's heart. This plan -had to do with the three boys leaving the train at Waunakee, taking to -the little cabin in the woods, and then Lorry and McGlory staying there -while Matt went on to the city for a talk with the elder Lorry and to -deliver the ten thousand dollars. - -Motor Matt and McGlory had had some exciting experiences with Big John -and his two pals, Kinky and Ross, but those experiences had been passed -through safely, and the end of the journey, if not of Matt's work, was -in sight. - -Matt had faith to believe that there was "good stuff" in George Lorry. -The boy had fled from Madison, and had committed a dishonest act before -doing so. Having far and away too much pride for his own good, the -thought of being brought back, virtually under guard and in disgrace, -was more than he could bear. Matt had tried to think of a plan for -giving Lorry's return a different look--hence the reason for McGlory -and Lorry remaining in the cabin while Matt went on to the city. - -The morning was fresh, the sun was bright, and the clear weather seemed -a good augury for what lay before. Matt always made it a point to look -on the bright side of things, anyway. - -Ahead of him lay a bend in the road. When he rounded the bend he felt -sure that he would be able to catch a glimpse of the white dome of the -capitol, and from that point onward he would not be long in covering -the ground. - -He halted abruptly just before he got to the bend. The peculiar -corrugated marks of automobile tires lay under his eyes in the dust -of the road. It wasn't so much the marks themselves that claimed his -attention as the strange way they curved from the roadside and entered -the brush. Why should an automobile be taking to the woods in that -unaccountable fashion? - -From ahead of him, around the bend, he heard a car. The car was on the -move, plainly enough, but the motor was in distress, pounding badly; -not only that, but there was a smell of fried engine in the air, as -though some reckless driver were burning up his transmission. - -Was the car Matt heard the one that had left its tracks there by the -roadside? He presumed that this must be the case; so, instead of -investigating the bushes, he started to run around the bend. If he -could help the injured car, then perhaps the driver might give him a -lift the rest of the way into town. - -As he started on, after a moment's pause, a sinuous, snakelike thing -leaped noiselessly from the bushes behind him, unwound itself in the -air, and a loop fell over his head and dropped on his shoulders. - -Motor Matt jumped as though he had been touched with a live wire. He -half turned and lifted his hands to remove the coil, but it tightened -before he could free himself, and a rough jerk from behind landed him -on his back in the dust. - -Matt had not been expecting such lawlessness on that peaceable country -road. Who was back of it, and what was the purpose? - -To escape, half-strangled as he was and with enemies bearing down on -him, was out of the question--at that moment. The lad's resourcefulness -suggested a trick, whereby he hoped to gain time and discover a chance -for escape. - -Although the fall backward had not injured him in the least, yet he -gave a groan, tried to lift himself, and then fell back and lay still -and silent. - -In his ears the pounding of the motor around the bend continued to -echo, but, from the noise, he could not discover that the car was -coming in his direction. A quick tramp of feet and a rustle of bushes -were heard, and two figures bounded to his side. One of the figures -was that of a man, and the other of a well-dressed, dissipated-looking -youth. - -Matt, peering from half-closed eyes, could scarcely restrain an -exclamation at sight of the man. When he had seen the man last, in San -Francisco Bay, he had worn a red beard. Although the beard was gone, -Matt recognized the scoundrel instantly--and the mole served to make -his identification complete. - -"Confound it, John!" grumbled the youth, "_now_ what have you done? If -he's badly hurt----" - -Big John laughed. - -"Hurt! Motor Matt badly hurt by a little drop like that! Why, he's -tougher'n whalebone and you couldn't damage him with a sledge hammer. -He's just stunned and strangled, that's all. A good thing for me, too, -because he'll never know who roped him and we can get away before he -comes to himself. Pull out that noose so he can breathe, Ollie. I'll -get what I want out of the younker's pocket and----" - -"There's another machine!" Ollie muttered, staring toward the bend as -he was about to stoop over Matt and release the noose. - -"Just heard it?" answered Big John. "Well, don't let it worry you. I've -heard it for some time, and it's coming into this road from a branch -and is bound for town. Look sharp, now, for we've got to hustle." - -While Ollie, with trembling fingers, pulled out the loop and drew it -over Matt's head, Big John went down on one knee to search his pockets. - -Matt knew, then, what Big John was after. The rascal was foolish enough -to think Matt was carrying Lorry's money in cash. This was not the -case, for Matt and McGlory had bought a draft in San Francisco. Matt, -however, did not intend to lose even the draft. - -Suddenly, and most unexpectedly, he became very much alive. With a -quick move he hoisted himself upward, catching Ollie by the shoulders -and hurling him, with terrific force, against Big John. - -Both the youth and the man were caught at a disadvantage. Ollie gave -a startled cry as he carromed against Big John, and the latter, as he -staggered back, said something more forcible than polite. - -As for Matt, if he had any comments to make, he preferred to send them -by mail. Without hesitating an instant, he took to his heels and tore -around the bend. - -He could see the dome of the capitol, far off and embowered by trees, -but he was thinking more, at that moment, of the other car than he was -of the capitol. - -A hundred yards ahead was another road, coming from the timber into the -one he was following. The moment Matt raced around the bend a swagger -little runabout was jumping from one road into the other. - -The car was not _headed_ toward Madison, although it was proceeding in -that direction. It was on the reverse gear, and a young woman in the -driver's seat was craning her head around in order to see the way and -do the guiding. - -There was only the young woman in the car, and Matt, in spite of his -dangerous situation, felt a distinct sense of disappointment. He had -been hoping to meet a man, in that emergency, and now to meet a young -woman---- - -But he had no time to waste in vain regrets. A look over his shoulder -showed him Big John hurrying after him at top speed. - -Matt knew that Big John was one of those lawless persons who carry -weapons in their hip pockets, and, although Matt's legs could -outdistance Big John's, the young motorist would hardly be able to -keep ahead of a bullet. - -But Big John held his hand and determined to trust to his sprinting -ability. To use a revolver would, perhaps, have carried the matter -farther than he wanted to see it go. - -Besides, Ollie was cranking up the big car and making ready to bring it -along in pursuit. - -The smell of sizzling engine became stronger as Matt drew closer to the -runabout. The girl, with a very white face, had turned in her seat and -was staring toward Matt with startled eyes. At the same moment she had -brought the car to a stop. - -Big John, on seeing Matt draw abreast of the runabout, halted and -looked around for Ollie and the touring car. - -"Will you give me a ride into Madison?" Matt asked of the girl, as -respectfully as he could in the circumstances. - -"What's--what's the matter?" asked the girl. - -"That fellow, back there, tried to rob me. I don't think he will follow -me far, on a public highway in broad daylight--if you will let me ride -in the runabout." - -"But the bearings are chewed up!" cried the girl; "I'm going home on -the reverse." - -"Take the other seat, please," said Matt. "I know something about -motors, and perhaps I can handle the car so as to get more speed out of -it with less rack on the engine." - -Without a word the girl changed to the other seat and Matt leaped into -the car beside her. - -The next moment he had advanced the spark, thrown in the high-speed -clutch, and they were shooting down a long slope. - -Matt's eyes were behind, and the girl's in front of her. - -"Oh, hurry, hurry!" she cried, in a frightened voice. "They've got -a big touring car, and I don't think anything can keep them from -overtaking us!" - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -GEORGE'S SISTER. - - -Matt threw a look over his shoulder. Big John was just making a flying -leap to the running board of a large car. He fell aboard in a huddle, -colliding with the dash and striking violently against his young -companion, who was at the steering wheel. - -Matt was not able to look longer. By doing wonders with the spark and -the steering wheel, and by ignoring the bubbling in the radiator and -the pounding of the engine, he nursed the runabout along at a good rate -of speed. A low hill was before them, and it came near killing the car, -but when they had reached the crest and were ready for the descent on -the other side, an exclamation from the girl drew his attention. - -"What is it?" he asked. "Is that other car close upon us?" - -"Something has gone wrong with the other automobile," was the answer. -"When that man jumped aboard he must have injured something." - -Matt looked around again. Big John and his companion were on the -ground, looking over their car and trying to locate the trouble. - -Matt laughed. - -"It's a good thing for those fellows that the car went wrong," said he. -"In their excitement they might have done something that would have -got them both into trouble. We'll go on for a little way and then I'll -have a look at the runabout and see if I can't fix it up so we can run -headfirst, like every respectable automobile ought to run." - -They coasted down the hill, and the tired and much abused motor must -have appreciated the rest. - -"Is this your car?" asked Matt. - -"Yes," was the reply. "I don't think you can fix it, for I've stripped -the gear." - -"I'll look at it, anyway, if you don't mind, just as soon as we get to -the bottom of this slope. I've had a lot of experience with motors." - -"You say that man tried to rob you?" queried the girl. - -"That's the way it looked to me, but it seemed like an audacious thing -to attempt so near a big city like Madison. You see, I was walking into -town, and back there at the bend in the road some one threw a rope and -I got tangled in the noose and thrown off my feet. I managed to get -away, though, and the man took after me. If it hadn't been for you, -that other car might have overhauled me. I'm much obliged to you, miss." - -"I'm glad I was able to help you," was the quiet reply. "As you say, it -is strange any one should try to commit a robbery, in broad daylight, -so close to the city. And on a public highway, too!" - -By then they were at the foot of the slope and Matt brought the car to -a halt. Here he got out and turned to the girl. - -"If you'll jump down for a minute," said he, "I'll give that -transmission a sizing and see if I can do anything with it." - -"But won't the other car come?" she demurred. - -"Those fellows will think better of it. If they hadn't been excited -they wouldn't have tried to chase me. They've had time to cool off, -now, and to think better of what they're doing." - -Matt helped the girl down, and, for the first time, saw that she was -very young and very pretty. There was a familiar cast to her features, -somehow, which aroused his wonder. Was it possible that he had ever met -her before? - -Without trying very hard to answer this mental question, he stripped -off the transmission cover and thrust a hand inside. - -The metal band encircling the low-gear drum had sustained a fracture. -It was made of bronze, and had been slotted for convenience in -lubricating, and the break was through two of the slots. - -"The low gear is chewed up," he remarked to the girl, "and that part -of the machine is permanently retired. I guess we'll have to go into -Madison on the reverse, and it will be well to go slow so as not to -overheat the engine. We can take care of that, all right, if we stop -occasionally to cool off. How far are we from town, by the way?" - -"Not more than two miles from Sherman Avenue and Lake Mendota." - -"We'll get over that quick enough. You don't mind my riding with you?" - -"I'm glad to have you," was the smiling reply. "You'll save me from -twisting my head off and doing all the work." - -Matt, with his gray, earnest eyes and fine face, was a well-favored -lad, and it is not to be wondered at if the girl was impressed. - -"Are you a stranger in this part of the country?" the girl inquired, -when they were once more in their seats and backing away in the -direction of town. - -"Yes," he replied. "Never been in these parts before." - -"You were walking into town, you say?" - -The girl eyed his neat, trim figure with a certain amount of surprise. - -"I was," he answered, with a laugh, "but please don't think I'm a -tramp. I've a draft for ten thousand dollars in my pocket--and tramps -are not usually as well fixed as that. The fellow who roped me must -have known about that ten thousand, and perhaps he was foolish enough -to think that I had it in cash." - -"Ten thousand dollars!" murmured the girl. "That's a lot of money." - -Evidently it was not such a vast sum--to her. That swagger little car, -as Matt figured it, was given to her for her very own, and she was -wearing the latest thing in automobile coats, hats, and gauntlets. The -dust coat had become parted at the throat and revealed a fraternity pin -set with a big diamond. - -"After I take your car to the garage," said Matt, "perhaps you could -tell me where I can find Mr. Daniel Lorry?" - -The girl started. - -"Why," she exclaimed, "if we get to the garage about noon you will find -dad in the house in the same yard. He's my father. I'm Ethel Lorry." - -"Great spark-plugs!" exclaimed Matt. "I guess this is my lucky day, -after all. You're George's sister, are you?" - -A cry escaped the girl, and she reached out to drop a convulsive hand -on Matt's arm. - -"You know George?" she asked breathlessly. - -"I should say so!" returned Matt. - -"Where is he?" The girl was tremendously excited. "Is he well? Has he -come back from San Francisco?" - -"Yes, Miss Lorry, he is back from San Francisco, and he's feeling -tiptop. But he didn't want to come to Madison just yet. I left him not -more than an hour ago. His cousin, Joe McGlory, is with him." - -"But why didn't he want to come home?" cried the girl, with vague alarm -in her voice. - -"I'm to see your father and tell him about that. That's what I was -coming to town for." - -The girl suddenly whitened, a frightened look arose in her eyes, and -she drew as far away from Matt as she could. - -"What's the matter, Miss Lorry?" Matt asked. - -"Are you--can it be that you are the young man called Motor Matt?" - -"That's what I'm called. My real name is King, you know, Matt King, -but I'm always doing something with motors and that's why they call me -Motor Matt." - -The girl was silent for a space. Her face continued white, and she -seemed to be thinking deeply. - -"I think, Motor Matt," she said finally, in a strained voice, "that -you'd better get out of the car and let me run it back to Madison -alone." - -Matt was "stumped." For a moment, so great was his astonishment, he -could not do a thing but stare. - -"Why," he exclaimed, "I want to see your father; that's why I'm going -into town this morning." - -"I think it will be better for you if you don't see him." - -Matt's bewilderment continued to increase. - -"I've got ten thousand dollars for him, and also a message from -George," he managed to articulate. - -"You can give me the money and the message, Mr. Motor Matt," was the -terse reply, "and I will see that they are delivered." - -Matt halted the car--it was time to cool off the engine a little, -anyway--and straightened in his seat. - -"I am a friend of your brother's," he observed, "and Joe McGlory will -tell you what I have tried to do for him. Your father sent a telegram -to San Francisco asking McGlory to have me come with him and George, if -possible. Now, at a good deal of inconvenience and expense to myself, I -have come--and why shouldn't I see your father?" - -"Because," answered Miss Lorry steadily, "he has recently heard -something about you that--that is not to your credit. If you insist on -seeing him, he might--he might have you arrested." - -If Matt was "stumped" before, he was staggered now. Arrested! George -Lorry's father might have him arrested! And for what? For helping -George recover the ten thousand dollars, and for helping to bring -George back to Madison? - -"There's a big mistake, somewhere," muttered Matt. - -"You'll not go on?" queried Miss Lorry. - -"I _will_ go on," Matt returned firmly. "But I'll get out of the car -and walk, if you want it that way, Miss Lorry. I can't give the money -to you, or the message, either. As I say, there's a mistake, and I -must see your father and explain away the bad impression he has of me. -Certainly he didn't get that from Joe McGlory." - -"I don't know who told him what he knows," went on the girl, "and I -don't know _what_ he knows, but he's very much incensed against you, -Motor Matt." - -"I'll know why, before I'm many hours older," and Matt got up to leave -the car. - -Once more the girl caught his arm. - -"I'm glad you show that sort of spirit," said she. "If you are really -determined to see dad, and have a talk with him, then that proves on -the face of it that there must be some mistake. Please stay and take -the car into town for me!" - -Without a word, but with his mind working hard to evolve some clue to -this puzzling situation, Matt dropped back in the driver's seat. He -threw in the switch, and the gas in the cylinders took the spark. But -it was a silent ride that he and Miss Lorry had during the rest of the -time they were backing into town. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE "JUMP SPARK." - - -Into the grounds of one of the finest homes on "Fourth Lake Ridge," -otherwise known as "Aristocracy Hill," Matt backed the little runabout. -A brick-paved roadway, overarched with trees, led from the front of the -premises to the neat garage in the rear. - -A middle-aged gentleman, stout of build and with a florid face, was -sitting on the veranda of the house. The runabout, worrying backward -up the street and into the yard, was an astonishing sight. The -middle-aged gentleman leaned against the rail and stared; then, waving -a newspaper which he held in his hand, he shouted something and hurried -down the steps and toward the driveway. - -"Dad!" murmured Miss Lorry, with an apprehensive glance at Matt. - -A man--probably the Lorry chauffeur--appeared in the open door of the -garage and stared at the runabout in open-mouthed amazement. - -Matt brought the car to a stop, and Mr. Lorry came puffing up alongside. - -"What in the world's the matter, Ethel?" he demanded, his eyes swerving -from his daughter to Matt. - -"I smashed the low gear, dad, and had to come in on the reverse," Miss -Lorry answered. "I was just coming into the Waunakee road, two or three -miles the other side of Maple Bluff, when the gear went wrong." - -Mr. Lorry's eyes continued to rest on Matt, and they were becoming -uncomfortably inquisitive. He was wondering, no doubt, who Matt was, -how he came to be in the car, and why his daughter did not introduce -him. - -"Call Gus," went on Miss Lorry, jumping lightly out of the car, "and -have him run _Dandy_ into the garage. Gus will know what to send for in -order to make the runabout as good as new again." - -Without waiting to speak further, the girl whirled about and ran into -the house. Mr. Lorry stared after her, and then turned to give Matt -another look. - -"Are you a chauffeur?" he asked. - -"I have been--a racing chauffeur," Matt answered, springing to the -ground, "but I haven't been driving a car for some time." - -"You helped my daughter--that much is plain, even though I _have_ been -left in the dark on several other points." - -"I was coming into town along the Waunakee road," Matt went on, "to see -you." - -"To see me?" Mr. Lorry's interest visibly increased. - -"Yes, sir, on very important business. I happened to meet Miss Lorry -and she kindly gave me a ride into town. The least I could do was to -run her machine for her." - -"Did you know Miss Lorry?" - -"Not until she told me who she was." - -"Quite a coincidence that you should meet her, when you were coming -into town to see her father. But come up on the veranda--we'll be more -comfortable there." Mr. Lorry turned toward the garage. "The runabout's -in trouble, Gus," he called. "Take it into the garage, see what it -needs, then order whatever's necessary. This way, sir," he added to -Matt. - -While Gus removed the runabout to the garage, Matt followed Mr. Lorry -up the steps to the veranda and seated himself in a chair. - -"I don't remember ever seeing you before," remarked Mr. Lorry as he -sat down close to Matt, picked up a fan, and began stirring the air in -front of his perspiring face. "But I'm obliged to you for giving Ethel -a helping hand. I'm worried to death every time she's out with _Dandy_. -It wasn't more than a week ago that she came near going over a bluff at -McBride's Point." - -Matt lost no time in plunging into his business. Drawing the draft from -his pocket, he handed it to Mr. Lorry. - -"Part of my work," said he, "is to give you that." - -Mr. Lorry stared at the draft and opened his eyes wide. - -"Ten thousand dollars!" he exclaimed, "and it's made payable to Joseph -McGlory." - -"On the back, sir, you will see that Joe had indorsed it over to you." - -Mr. Lorry turned over the oblong slip of paper; then, suddenly, an idea -darted through his mind and he stiffened in his chair. - -"Is this--is this----" - -"It is the money George took when he left Madison," said Matt, dropping -his voice. - -Mr. Lorry's face hardened. - -"Then," said he raspingly, "inasmuch as you're not McGlory, I suppose -you're that young rascal, Matt King, better known as Motor Matt." - -"My name is Matt King, sir," answered Matt, "and you have no right to -refer to me as a rascal." - -"I have, by gad," exploded Mr. Lorry, "and a very good right! I've -heard about you, sir. You're the lad who was hand-and-glove with the -three villains who made George so much trouble on account of this -money. I wonder that you have the face to show yourself to me. Do you -know what I could do with you?" - -A hostile red had leaped into Mr. Lorry's face. As Matt sat back and -looked at him, he likened his anger to a "jump spark." - -The "make and break" system of ignition, while electrically simple, is -complicated mechanically. The "jump spark" system, on the other hand, -while complicated electrically is mechanically very simple. - -A simple error of some sort lay back of Mr. Lorry's anger, but it found -vent in mighty puzzling expressions. - -"Who is your authority for the statement that I was hand-and-glove with -the three men who robbed George?" asked Matt calmly. - -"I decline to quote anybody." - -"You can ask McGlory, or George, about me," proceeded Matt, "and I -think they will tell you that if it hadn't been for me that money would -never have been recovered." - -"You have pulled the wool over McGlory's eyes, and over George's, too. -But where's my son? Why didn't he bring this money to me himself? Why -was it necessary for him to send it at the hands of a stranger?" - -"Your son is a few miles out of town. He did not leave San Francisco -willingly, and it was only by promising him that we would not take him -directly into Madison that we got his consent to come with us." - -"A fine lay-out!" muttered Mr. Lorry. "The boy's got to come here, -sooner or later, and what is he to gain by delaying the matter? Can't -he realize how worried all of us are?" - -"He feels the disgrace of his position very keenly, Mr. Lorry." - -"Bosh! Not much of what he's done is known to outsiders, and those who -know, or think they know, anything about it, will forget the whole -business within a week after George gets back." - -"Are you going to send George to military school, Mr. Lorry?" - -At that the "jump spark" seemed about to set off an explosion. Mr. -Lorry twisted angrily in his chair. - -"What business is it of yours, young man?" he snapped. "That boy has -got to realize that he isn't of age yet, and I'm not going to let him -run wild and bring disgrace on himself, and on me." - -"Mr. Lorry," said Matt earnestly, "I have tried to be a good friend to -your son, and it was your request, contained in the telegram you sent -to San Francisco, that I come with him and McGlory, that brought me -here. I won't tell you what I have done--I will leave that to George -and his cousin--but I will tell you, as plainly as I can, that George -is just now in a place where he must be treated with consideration. One -false move would prove his ruin, and----" - -"By gad," interrupted Mr. Lorry, "do you mean to sit there and lecture -_me_? Why, I'm old enough to be your father! Such impudence as that -is----" - -"Sir," protested Matt, "I'm not impudent. I know George pretty well, -and I want to do what I can for him. He's got lots of pride, and he had -his heart set on getting a power-boat that would make a good showing in -the coming race of the Winnequa Yacht Club. He had talked about what he -was going to do to members of the club, and when he ordered that boat -and you refused to pay for it and let it be sent back to the builders, -the blow to his pride started him off on the wrong course." - -"A five-thousand-dollar boat, by gad!" growled Mr. Lorry. "His whims -were getting too confoundedly expensive. If his pride is going to -suffer every time I put my foot down on such a piece of folly, then -he'll have to pocket his pride. I'm his father, and I guess he'll have -to toe the mark for me for a while yet." - -"There's a way to make George the happiest fellow in Madison, Mr. -Lorry," Matt went on, "and it won't cost you more than two hundred and -fifty or three hundred dollars. I know a good deal about motors, and -I'll help George fix up a boat that will win a prize in that yacht club -race----" - -"Not a cent more will he get from me!" stormed Mr. Lorry. "He'll come -back here, and he'll go to that military school, and if what you call -his 'pride' keeps him from being a dutiful son, then his pride will be -broken. Where is he? Where did you leave him?" - -"If you go out to where he is now, without first giving him a chance -to----" - -Mr. Lorry leaned forward and shook a finger in Matt's face. - -"If you want to keep yourself out of trouble, my lad, you'll tell me -where that boy is, and no more ifs nor ands about it." - -Matt got up slowly. He was white, but none the less determined. - -"I am George's friend, Mr. Lorry," said he, "and I had to promise him -that I would help him do certain things here in Madison in order to get -him safely back from the West. If I tell you where he is, while you -feel as you do toward him, I would be breaking my promise. He is well, -and he will be here in a few days. As for the rest, if you want to make -trouble for me, why, go ahead." - -Intensely disappointed with the result of his interview, Matt passed -down the steps and toward the street. Mr. Lorry gasped wrathfully and -watched as he left the yard, but he made no attempt to interfere with -him. - -Matt was hardly out of sight, however, before he ran into the house and -began using the telephone. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -BY EXPRESS, CHARGES COLLECT. - - -Motor Matt was surprised enough, as he left the Lorry mansion, and his -indignation equaled his surprise. - -Who could possibly have furnished Lorry with the information on which -he had based his remarkable conclusions? Certainly his attitude had -changed most decidedly since he had sent his telegram to 'Frisco -requesting that Matt accompany McGlory in bringing George home to -Madison. - -Matt, as he descended the ridge and proceeded toward the capitol and -the main part of the town, could think of only one possible cause for -Mr. Lorry's actions. Big John must be in some way mixed up in it. - -The knowledge that Big John was in that part of the country had come -like a thunderbolt to Matt. The last the king of the motor boys had -heard of Big John, he and his two pals, Kinky and Ross, were getting -out of California by way of Sausalito. A bolt from the blue could not -have been more astounding than the discovery of Big John attempting a -robbery there on the Waunakee road. - -Why had Big John come to Madison? And how had he known that Matt was -going to pass that particular point on the Waunakee road that morning? - -No doubt Big John's eastern trip had been inspired by the ten thousand -dollars of Lorry's. The rascal had been lured to Wisconsin by the hope -of recovering the money. This seemed clear enough--much clearer than -the method by which Big John had learned that Matt was to go over the -Waunakee road that morning, on foot. - -Yes, Big John must have been back of that misinformation which Mr. -Lorry had accepted as a true statement of facts. But it was odd how the -scoundrel had been able to influence Mr. Lorry as he had. - -Motor Matt felt that he was embarked on a struggle for the right, and -that he must go on with the battle in spite of his enemies. George -Lorry's whole future might hang on the result of that fight. - -Had Matt told Mr. Lorry where McGlory and George were waiting, the -millionaire would certainly have proceeded to the place and attempted -to bring George in to Madison. This would have led George to believe -that Matt had broken faith with him, and the lad would have bolted for -parts unknown. - -George had been allowed to have his way for so long that, when his -father took another tack and resolved to be severe with him, the lad -had thought himself abused and imposed upon. George was a spoiled -youth, but Matt believed that he had the right material in him and -would prove a credit to his people if given the proper kind of a -chance. Just as surely, too, he would go down to ruin and disgrace if -the wrong move was made at that critical time. - -Lorry, senior's, obstinate determination to send George to the military -school would be a step in the wrong direction. By paying out a little -money for a motor launch, Mr. Lorry would have gone far toward healing -the breach between him and his son, and would have paved the way for a -perfect understanding. This affair of the launch looked like a trifling -matter, but no one but Matt and McGlory knew how much it meant to -George. - -When Matt reached the main part of the city his study of the situation -had convinced him that he was doing exactly right. What his next step -was to be he hardly knew. He hated to go back and tell George of his -father's uncompromising attitude, and yet he felt the need of a talk -with McGlory in order to lay future plans. - -It was about one o'clock, and Matt went into a restaurant and ate his -dinner. From there he went to the post office to see if any mail had -followed him from San Francisco. - -No mail had reached him from the West, but there was a postal card, -posted that morning in Madison, which informed Matt that a certain -express company had received, and was holding at his risk, a crated -power boat on which there was a charge, for _transportation alone_, of -$262.50. - -When Matt read the postal card he was positive there was some mistake, -and that it had been given to the wrong person. The card was addressed, -plainly enough, to "Matt King, otherwise Motor Matt," but the king of -the motor boys was not expecting a launch, had not ordered one, and was -not intending to turn over $262.50 to the express company on what was -manifestly an error. - -He was on the point of handing the card back to the man at the -post-office window, with the information that the card could not be for -him, when he suddenly changed his mind and decided to go to the express -company's office and rectify the mistake at headquarters. - -A little inquiry put him on the right road, and within five minutes he -was leaning over a counter at the express office, showing the clerk the -card and telling him the boat must be for some other Matt King. - -"There's no other Matt King in Madison," protested the clerk, "and it's -a cinch there's no other Motor Matt. You're the fellow the boat is for." - -"But that charge!" exclaimed Matt. "It can't be for transportation -alone. It must be a C. O. D. collection for part of the price of the -boat. I haven't bought any boat, and am not expecting any one to send -me a boat. I'm a stranger here, and only reached Madison to-day." - -"Can't help that. If you're Motor Matt the boat's for you. If you -refuse it we'll have to notify the shipper, and if we can't get any -satisfaction from the shipper, the boat will have to be sold for the -charges." - -"Great spark-plugs!" muttered Matt. "Where's the boat from?" - -"San Francisco." - -The king of the motor boys stared blankly at the clerk. - -"From San Francisco, eh?" he repeated. - -"Yes, and it's all complete--an eighteen-footer, with engine installed." - -"Can--can I see it?" - -"Come this way." - -The clerk opened a gate at the end of the counter and Matt walked -through and into the storeroom. There he saw the boat, securely crated. -Between the bars of the crate he read the name _Sprite_, lettered on -the bow. - -By that time the king of the motor boys was too far gone for words. -Leaning against the wall of the room, he bent his head and drummed a -tattoo on his brow with his fingers. - -"Who's the shipper?" he finally managed to ask. - -"I don't know whether the way bill has it right or not, but the name of -the consignor is down as Ping Pong. It reads like a joke. Eh?" - -Matt left the room and retired to the other side of the counter in the -office. - -There was no joke about it. "Ping Pong" might look to the express agent -like a fake name, but it was _bona fide_ for all that. - -Ping Pong was the name of a Chinese lad whom Matt had befriended in -San Francisco. The Celestial had won the _Sprite_ in a raffle, and -had turned the boat over to Matt on condition that Matt would allow -Ping Pong to work for him. Ping and the _Sprite_ had disappeared -mysteriously before the young motorist left 'Frisco, and that was the -last seen of either the Chinaman or the boat until now. And here the -boat had turned up in that Madison office of the express company with -transportation charges of $262.50 to be collected! - -The idea of sending a power boat, engine and all, by express, in a -heavy crate, was a piece of folly of which even a ten-year-old American -boy would not have been guilty. But Ping was a Chinaman, and probably -he thought Matt was a millionaire. - -"Goin' to take it or leave it?" inquired the agent as Matt walked back -and forth across the office turning this new development over in his -mind. "The charges ain't any more than what they always are--three -times the merchandise rate." - -"I guess the charges are all right," said Matt humorously, "for it's a -long haul. And then, too, the crate, and the engine, and the boat weigh -up to beat the band." - -"Going to take it?" - -Matt's mind had been rapidly going over the points of the case. -Madison was surrounded by lakes, and motor-boating was a hobby with a -large number of the people. By sending the _Sprite_ to Matt, Ping had -undoubtedly determined that he should have the boat. The _Sprite_ was -speedy--Matt had tried her out in San Francisco Bay and knew that--and -with some changes in the reversing gear Matt believed she could show -her heels to anything from First Lake to Fourth. On such a showing, the -boat could undoubtedly be sold at a good price, and while $262.50 was a -big sum to pay out, just for express charges, still---- - -Then Matt had another thought, and it was a "startler." George wanted -a motor boat for the race. The _Sprite_ wasn't a five-thousand-dollar -"speeder," but she could run like a streak with the right kind of a -fellow at the engine. Mr. Lorry had refused to help George to a boat, -and this unexpected arrival of the _Sprite_ seemed almost providential. - -"I'm going to take the boat," said Matt, pushing a hand into his pocket -and stepping up to the counter. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -"PICKEREL PETE." - - -By bringing the submarine boat _Grampus_ safely around South America -the king of the motor boys had made a good deal of money. Most of this -he had invested on the Pacific Slope, but he had more than enough of -the "ready" with him to settle the express charges and to keep him -afloat until George Lorry's affairs had been put in proper shape. - -Having paid over the money and signed the express receipt, the question -as to what should be done with the _Sprite_ presented itself. - -"You can uncrate the boat in the storeroom, if you want to," said the -obliging clerk, "and then we'll have her hauled down to the water for -you." - -"Much obliged," answered Matt. "I believe I'll take off the crate and -see how the boat has stood her long overland journey." - -The clerk furnished him with a hatchet, and Matt threw off his coat and -got busy. In an hour, the clean-cut hull of the _Sprite_ had emerged -from a litter of boards and old gunny sacks. An examination showed that -both hull and machinery were in as good condition as ever. - -While Matt was working he had noticed a map of Madison hanging from -the storeroom wall. The map gave a very clear idea of Lakes Monona and -Mendota, between which lay the long and narrow city. - -One of the express company's drivers had come into the storeroom and -was looking over the _Sprite_ with an air of deep interest. - -"I wish you would tell me something about this map, neighbor," said -Matt. - -"Ask me anything you want to," was the cheerful response. "I was born -and raised here and I know the place pretty well." - -"What's this?" Matt inquired, laying a finger on a certain part of the -diagram. - -"That's the Yahara River, sometimes called the 'Catfish.' It's been -straightened into a canal, and connects Third and Fourth Lakes. Monona -is Third, and Mendota is Fourth. There's locks at the Mendota end." - -"And what's the other river coming into Mendota Lake on the side across -from the city?" - -"The Yahara again." - -"Then, if this boat was launched in Lake Monona, it could enter the -Canal over by Winnequa, cross into Mendota Lake, and proceed up the -Yahara?" - -"She could, sure. Lots of boats do that." - -"Here's a creek entering the Yahara. Is that navigable for a boat -drawing two or three feet of water?" - -"Maybe. I guess a small boat could get up the creek a ways." - -As Matt figured it, the cabin where he had left McGlory and George was -on the creek. Why couldn't he get the _Sprite_ afloat and proceed by -water to the cabin? - -"I don't know anything about these lakes," went on Matt, "but I'd like -to get some one who knows them and make a little cruise." - -"Fourth Lake is mighty treacherous. Whenever there's a west wind she -kicks up a big sea, and a lot of boats have come to grief on the rocks -of Maple Bluff. That's here--that piece of land running out into the -water, over where they've made a park. It used to be called McBride's -Point. A mile across from the bluff is Governor's Island. The insane -asylum is near the island. If you want to put your boat in Fourth Lake, -why don't you launch it there instead of taking it to Third Lake?" - -"Well, I want to try her out with a little longer cruise than just -across Fourth Lake. Do you know of any one I could get to pilot me -around?" - -"H'm!" murmured the driver thoughtfully. Presently his face brightened. -"Any objection to color?" he asked. - -"How do you mean?" - -"Well, how'd a colored boy do? I know of one that's right to home on -the lakes, and he's a character, you bet. His name's Pickerel Pete; -that's all he's got, just Pickerel Pete." - -"He'll do," said Matt. "How can I get hold of Pickerel Pete?" - -"Tell you what I'll do; I'll get hold of him for you. When you going to -put that boat in the water?" - -"Right away." - -"'Course we got to deliver it for you. I'll have some of the boys help -me get it on the dray, and on the way down to the lake I'll pick up -Pete. You don't need to wait here. In half an hour you go down King -Street to Wilson. There's a lot of landings and boathouses t'other side -the railroad depot. If we ain't there when you reach the place, you -wait, and we'll show up pretty soon afterward." - -"That's mighty good of you," said Matt. "You'll be careful of the boat, -will you?" - -"Sure, you bet. No harm'll happen to her. We got a special dray for -movin' boats like that." - -Matt went to the capitol grounds and sat down on a bench. For half or -three-quarters of an hour he was there, thinking of George and the -unsatisfactory state his affairs had drifted into. - -The king of the motor boys did not want to appear to be helping George -to dodge his father's authority, but he knew that the elder Lorry would -not have taken the stand he did if he had not acquired a whole lot of -misinformation. The thing for Matt to do was to get back to George and -McGlory, tell them exactly what had taken place, and then ask them for -suggestions as to the next move. - -On the way down King Street, Matt stopped at a store and bought a -supply of gasoline, oil, and cotton waste. Not having a hydrometer, he -tested the gasoline as well as he could by other means, and convinced -himself that it was, as the dealer assured him, the "right stuff." - -Matt rode down to the lake with the expressman who took his supplies, -and when he got there he found the _Sprite_ in the water, moored to a -small pier. The express driver, and those who had helped him with the -boat, were gone. The only person in the vicinity of the launch was a -barefooted little darky. He sat on the pier, absorbed in throwing a -couple of dice. - -"Come seben, 'leben, come seben, 'leben," he was saying, as the small -cubes rattled on the boards. - -"Pickerel Pete!" called Matt. - -The little negro jumped as though a bomb had exploded under him. - -"Yassuh, yassuh, dat's me," he answered, grabbing up the dice and -shoving them into a pocket of his ragged trousers. - -"Come over here, Pete, and give us a hand with this gasoline and stuff." - -"On de hop." - -The gasoline was emptied into the tanks and the oil cups filled. After -that Matt went over the machinery, carefully examining the ignition and -all connections. - -Pickerel Pete helped him intelligently. - -"Yo's de fellah whut's a-wantin' tuh hiah me?" he inquired. - -"Yes," replied Matt, highly pleased with the way Pete divined whatever -he wanted and handed it over to him from the tool kit. "Do you know -anything about a motor boat, Pete?" - -"Ah's done steered heaps o' boats froo dese yer lakes, boss," grinned -the moke, "an' Ah reckons Ah knows de spa'k plug f'om de propellah." - -"You know the lakes, too?" - -"Hones' tuh goodness, boss, Ah could go froo all de lakes f'om First -tuh Fo'th, en cleah down de Rock Rivah, wif mah eyes shut. Ah'm er -phenomegon." - -"What's that?" - -"Phenomegon. Doan' you-all know whut a phenomegon is?" - -"You mean a phenomenon, I guess." - -"Ah reckons Ah knows whut Ah means," answered Pete, with sudden dignity. - -"You've mixed phenomenon and paragon, and----" - -"Ah ain't mixed nuffin. Ef you-all thinks Ah'm er ignorampus, den Ah -'lows Ah ain't de fellah you wants tuh hiah." - -"Yes, you are, Pete--you're just the fellow." - -"How much does Ah git?" - -"Two dollars a day. There's pay for your first day's work." - -Pete almost fell out of the boat. Fifty cents a day was the most he had -ever received. - -"Does yo' think yo' kin stand dat, boss?" he inquired. "Ah'd hate -mahse'f tuh def ef Ah thought Ah was er strainin' yo' financibility." - -"I guess it won't be much of a wrench to give you a couple of dollars a -day," laughed Matt. - -"Den yo's bought me. By golly, dis is de first time Ah's evah had two -whole dollahs knockin' togethah en mah clothes since Ah was knee-high -to a chickum. Where you-all wants tuh go, boss?" - -"I want to go into Fourth Lake through the canal, then across Fourth -and up the Catfish." - -"Dat's easy. De Catfish runs f'om one lake tuh de odder, intuh one en -out ergin, cleah f'om Fo'th Lake tuh First. Thutty miles you-all kin go -in er boat, den intuh Rock Rivah en clean erroun' de worl'. But dat 'ar -Fo'th Lake is right juberous when dar's er west win'. A boat Ah was in -once, on dat 'ar lake, turned ovah fo' times! Yassuh. I got spilled out -de las' time en swum fo'teen miles towin' de boat by de painter, which -Ah done happen tuh ketch when Ah drapped in de watah. Ah got er medal -fo' dat. De Gun Club give me de medal." - -"They ought to have given you two medals, Pete." - -"En it was er solid gol' medal, with er inscripshun sayin' dat Pickerel -Pete was gallywhoopus tuh dat extent. Golly, but dat was er fine medal! -It was as big erroun' as er fryin' pan." - -"Must have bothered you some to tote it." - -"Sold it fo' fo' dollahs en fo'ty cents, en dey kep' it in de cap'tol -fo' people tuh come in en look at. Yo's got er pow'ful fine moke -wo'kin' fo' yo', boss." - -"Well, cast off, Pete, and we'll start. I'll do the steering, and you -can sit up front and tell me which way to go." - -Matt started the gasoline, switched on the spark, and Pete gave the fly -wheel a turn. One turn of the wheel was enough to give them their first -explosion, and the _Sprite_ shook herself together and started out into -the lake. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -GEORGE AND M'GLORY MISSING. - - -The hum of the motor was soothing to Matt's troubled spirit, and even -the kick of the wheel sent a joyous thrill through his every nerve. -There were clouds in the west, and a promise of wind and rain in the -air, but if there was to be a storm it would not come before night, -and the _Sprite_ would have ample time to nose her way up the Catfish -and into the creek. - -It was surprising how quickly the kinks of fortune straightened -themselves out for Motor Matt whenever he found himself in control of -an explosive engine. - -The sun was sinking behind the capitol as the _Sprite_ headed toward -Winnequa on her way to the Canal. The yellow rays pierced the gathering -clouds, and Madison peered from its enveloping greenery like a phantom -city. - -A number of fishermen were rowing, sailing, and motoring home for -supper, and they stared at the dashing little _Sprite_, and some of -them yelled a cheerful greeting to the diminutive colored boy perched -on the launch's hood. - -"Dat's de Gobernor ob Wisconsin," Pete gravely explained, indicating -a grizzled fisherman in one of the boats. "Ah knows him as well as Ah -knows anybody. De fellah in dat rowboat wif de pipe is Honnerbull Tawm -Patterson, en he's done took me by de han' mo' times dan Ah kin count. -De lake is full ob notoribus pussuns tuhnight, seems lak." - -"Where's the Czar of Russia?" asked Matt soberly. - -"Ah reckons he was too busy tuh come out tuhday," answered Pete. "Ah -knows him, dough. Ah done took him tuh a good fishin' place ovah by -Picnic P'int las' week." - -They passed the canal and locks, swept into Fourth Lake, and Pete lined -out a westerly course that carried the _Sprite_ past the high bluffs of -McBride's Point with the buildings of the asylum in clear view. - -Pete's chatter enlivened the trip wonderfully. The little moke was a -"notoribus" personage, to take his word for it, and there were very few -famous people whom he had not shaken hands with or conducted around -the lakes. Matt was surprised to learn that he had dug bait for Julius -Caesar and had shown Napoleon Bonaparte a pickerel hole off Governor's -Island. - -The Catfish was comparatively easy for the _Sprite_, but Whisky -Creek--which, Pete said, was the particular creek Matt was looking -for--was too shoal. After they had grounded twice, and backed clear -with considerable difficulty, Matt decided to tie up to a tree on the -creek bank and go on to the cabin on foot. - -By then it was falling dark, and Matt wanted to cover the remainder of -his journey as quickly as possible. - -"Pete," said he, getting out on the creek bank, "I'm going to leave you -with the boat for a short time, while I go up the creek." - -Pete immediately had an attack of the "shakes." - -"Golly, boss," he chattered, "Ah doan' lak de da'k when Ah's erlone. -Hit's spookerous, en white things done trabbel erroun' lookin' fo' -brack folks. Where you-all gwine?" - -"Not far. I ought to be back in an hour. You're not afraid of spooks, -are you, Pete? I should think a chap who was the friend of so many -illustrious people would be above such foolishness." - -The gathering wind sobbed through the trees, and from somewhere a -screech-owl tuned up in a most hair-raising way. - -"Br-r-r!" muttered Pete, hugging himself and dropping into the bottom -of the boat. "Ah ain't afraid, no, sah," he declared plaintively. "Ah -ain't afraid ob anythin' dat walks. Hit's dem white ha'nts whut doan' -walk, er fly, but moves erlong in er glide, dat gits me a-goin'. Mebby -Ah better go along wif yo' en see dot yo' doan' git lost?" - -"I'll not get lost, Pete, and I don't want the _Sprite_ left alone." - -"Yo'll be back in er houah, hones'?" - -"Yes." - -"Den hurry. Ef Ah was lef' in dishyer place twell midnight Ah'd be -skeered plumb intuh de 'sylum, sho' as yo's bawn. Hurry up en git back, -dat's all." - -Pete cuddled up with his back against the stern thwart, and Matt -whirled away and vanished into the timber. - -As Matt figured it, he was not more than a mile from the cabin. He had -landed on the side of the creek where he knew the shack to be, and if -he followed the little water course he knew he would soon arrive at the -place where he had left George and McGlory. - -The timber was broken into by fields of corn, and by cleared pasture -land. Matt pushed through the corn and climbed pasture fences, and -within half an hour came to the end of his journey. - -The cabin, nestling in a clump of oaks, seemed dark and deserted. -George had known of the cabin as a rendezvous, in the fall, for duck -hunters. It was a quiet and obscure place, and answered admirably the -requirements of the boys while working out their plans in Lorry's -behalf. - -As Matt drew closer to the hut the silence oppressed him with a -foreboding that something had gone wrong. The door was open, and he -stepped inside. - -Still there was no sign of life about the place. - -"McGlory!" he called; "George!" - -His voice echoed weirdly through the one room of the cabin, but brought -no response. - -Striking a match, he peered about him. - -Empty! There was no one in the room. - -The match flickered and dropped from Matt's fingers. Groping his way to -a bench, he sat down, alarmed and bewildered. - -What had become of McGlory and George? This was the question he asked -himself, and his mind framed a dozen different answers, none of them -satisfactory. - -George was full of whims and unreasonable resolves. Had he suddenly -made up his mind that he could not trust Matt to make peace with his -father? Had he broken away from McGlory, and had McGlory gone in -pursuit of him? - -Or was the absence of the boys due to some move against them on the -part of Big John? - -Or had they gone to some farmhouse after milk and eggs, or to get a hot -supper? - -That George had not "bolted," Matt was almost sure. Matt's plan for -patching up a truce with the elder Lorry had appealed to George too -strongly for that. - -As for Big John making George and McGlory any trouble, that was -possible, although not very probable. Matt did not see how Big John -could have any information about the cabin. - -And as for the boys visiting a neighboring farmhouse to secure food, it -was not in line with their plan for either George or McGlory to show -himself until their schemes were further advanced. - -Rations had been secured in Waunakee--cold rations, but enough to last -all three of the boys for two or three days. - -Giving over his bootless reflections, Matt lighted another match, -hunted up a candle, and soon had a more dependable glow in the room. - -A brief search showed him that George's suit case, McGlory's carpetbag, -and his own satchel were missing. This was a staggering discovery. It -meant, if it meant anything, that the two boys had left and did not -intend to return. - -They would hardly go away, it seemed to Matt, without leaving some clue -as to their whereabouts, and the cause that had led them to make such a -decided change in the general plans. George and McGlory understood that -Matt was to return as soon as he had talked with Mr. Lorry. - -Matt had expected to get back to the cabin early in the afternoon. Had -his failure to return alarmed the two boys? - -Matt hunted high and low for some scrap of writing which would let in a -little light on the situation, but he could find none. - -The rations brought from Waunakee had vanished along with the -luggage--another fact that indicated a permanent departure on the part -of the two lads. - -"Here's a go!" muttered Matt, leaning perplexedly in the open door of -the cabin. "About all George and McGlory left behind them was that -piece of candle. They might, at least, have tipped me off regarding -their intentions, I should think. All sorts of things are liable to -happen to a fellow when he's trying to do the right thing by another -chap who's too proud and weak-kneed to put himself company-front with -his responsibilities. But then, George is an odd stick. He can't be -judged by any of the usual standards, and I'm pretty sure that if he's -handled right, he'll come out all right. One or the other of them will -certainly come back here. I'll return to the mouth of the creek, get -Pete, and we'll bunk down in the cabin. It's the only thing to be done." - -Perplexed as he was, Matt neglected to put out the candle before -starting on his return to the Catfish. On a corner shelf, the feeble -gleam sputtered and flickered in the draft that came through the open -door. - -Matt hastened his steps on the return journey to the _Sprite_. The -clouds were slowly mounting and blotting out the stars, intensifying -the darkness. - -As he came close to the bank where the launch was moored he experienced -a feeling of relief when he saw the boat riding to her painter just as -she had been left. - -The _Sprite_ resembled a black blot on the water. The bank was rather -high, at that point, and its shadow covered the boat. - -"Hello, Pete!" called Matt. - -There was no answer to the call, and Matt began to think that Pete had -vanished, as well as George and McGlory. - -"Pete!" Matt cried in a louder tone. - -"Yassuh, yassuh," came the answer from below, and Matt's apprehension -suddenly subsided. - -"Come up here, Pete," Matt went on. "We're going to spend the night up -the creek. I guess the _Sprite_ will be safe enough. There's a lantern -in the port locker, amidships. Bring it up with you." - -Matt could see only the blurred outline of a human form moving around -in the boat. He heard the lid of the locker as it was lifted. - -"Ah kain't find dat lantern," came from the boat. - -"I'll get it," said Matt. - -The next moment he had climbed into the launch. Hardly had his feet -found firm foothold when he was seized and flung roughly backward. Two -pairs of hands held him, and a hoarse, mocking laugh echoed in his ears. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -SETTING A SNARE. - - -Pickerel Pete did not feel overloaded with responsibility. Two dollars -a day was a princely wage, but there were things he would not do even -for that immense sum. He would try to stay with the boat for an hour, -in spite of the owls and the queer crooning of the wind in the trees, -but if he saw a "ha'nt," he'd resign his job, right then and there, and -leave the _Sprite_ to take care of herself. Anyhow, he had two dollars. -The fact that his services had been paid for until afternoon of the -following day did not enter seriously into his calculations. - -"Wisht de screech-owls would stop dat 'ar screechin'," muttered the -darky, "an' I wisht de win' would stop dat ar' groanin' in de trees. -Dishyer's jest de time fer spookerous doin's, an' I'd radder be home in -mah baid wif mah head kivered, so'st---- Golly, whut's dat?" - -Something fluttered among the tree branches overhanging the water, -farther along the creek. It may have been an owl, or some other bird, -changing its roosting place, but Pete's fears magnified the cause into -something connected with the "ha'nts." - -Crouching in the boat's bottom, he stared through the darkness and held -his breath. The fluttering had ceased and nothing else happened. As one -uneventful minute followed another, Pete gradually put the clamps on -his nerves. - -"Ah dunno 'bout dat," he whispered. "Mebby dat floppin' noise didun' -mean nuffin', en den, ag'in, mebby it _mout_. Hey, you, dar!" he added, -lifting his voice. - -The cry echoed across the creek, but the only answer was the echo. - -"If yo's one ob dem gliderin' spooks," called Pete, "den you-all doan' -want any truck wif _me_. Ah's on'y a po' li'l moke, en Ah ain't nevah -done no ha'm tuh nobody. Ah's fibilus, occasion'ly, en now an' den Ah's -tole a whopper, but dem yarns doan' amount tuh nuffin'." - -The silence continued, save for the soughing of the wind and the -"tu-whit, tu-whoo!" from the depths of the woods. - -"Ah done got tuh do somethin' tuh pass de time," thought Pete. "Ah'll -frow de iv'ries, dat's whut Ah'll do. Wonner where dar's a lantern?" - -Pete remembered having seen a lantern in one of the lockers while he -was helping Matt with the engine. After a little thought he located the -lantern, and secured it. Then he recalled having seen a box of matches -in the tool-chest, and he soon had the lantern going. - -It's surprising what a soothing effect a light will have on a -superstitious mind that dreads the dark. With the lantern on the stern -thwart, Pete knelt in the boat's bottom and cast his dice again and -again, becoming so careless of his "spookerous" surroundings that he -almost forgot his fears. - -The little white cubes dropped and rattled on the thwart, and Pete bent -low to read the faces. - -"Ah's got two dollahs," he muttered, surprised at the lucky -combinations turning up for him, "en Ah wisht dar was some odder moke -here tuh take er han' in dis game. Ah's havin' mo' luck, here, all by -mahse'f, dan I evah----" - -He straightened on his knees in sudden panic, then dropped his head -down on the thwart and covered his face with his hands. - -"Whut's dat?" he whimpered. "Whut's dat Ah hear? Hit sounded monsus lak -er chain rattlin'." - -But it wasn't a chain; it was a good, well-developed groan. It came -from the darkness at the top of the bank and echoed shiveringly across -the creek. - -"Dat wasn't no screech-owl," murmured Pete, in stifled tones. "Golly! -De ha'nts is comin' fo' me. Wisht Ah was out ob here! Oh, I wisht -Ah was some place else where dar's folks, en buildin's, en 'lectric -lights. Br-r-r!" - -The groan was repeated. It was a hollow kind of groan, long drawn out, -and given in the most approved ghostly style. Pete groaned on his own -account, and collapsed in the bottom of the boat, floundering forward -and trying to crawl into the motor and lose himself in the machinery. - -While the wretched little darky lay in a palpitating heap under the -steering wheel, a funereal voice was wafted toward him--a voice that -made him gasp, and close his eyes, and shiver until he shook the boat. - -"Who-o are you-u-u?" inquired the voice. - -"Oh, lawsy! Oh, mah goodness!" fluttered Pete in tremulous, incoherent -tones. "Ah's as good as daid! Ah's nevah gwine tuh git out ob dis -alive! Der ha'nts has cotched me! Oh, if I c'u'd only git away dis -once, Ah'll nevah brag no mo'! Ah'll nevah tell anodder whopper!" - -"Who-o are you-u-u?" insisted the sepulchral voice from the darkness at -the top of the bank. - -"Ah's er moke," whimpered Pete, "jes' a moke. You-all go 'long an' -nevah min' me. Ah ain't nevah done nuffin'--Pickerel Pete's a good l'il -coon. Please, Marse Gose, go off some odder place en do yo' gliderin'. -Oh, gee! Oh, golly!" - -"Go 'way, go 'way, go 'way!" ordered the "ghost." - -"Ah'll go, yassuh," chattered Pete, "on'y doan' yo' grab me as Ah run -by. Dat's all. Yo' ain't layin' fo' tuh grab me, is yuh?" - -"Go 'way, go 'way, go 'way!" insisted the spook, with hair-raising -emphasis. - -Pete got up slowly and cautiously in the boat. The lantern threw a -weird reflection over him, but the most noticeable thing about the -frightened little darky, just then, was the white of his eyes. He shook -like a person with the ague, and nearly dropped into the water while -stepping from the gunwale of the boat. - -Begging the spook not to grab him, he floundered up the bank and darted -into the timber as though the Old Nick was after him. His piteous wail -was lost in a crashing of bushes, and finally even that sound died out. - -A chuckling laugh echoed from the top of the bank, and a form -disentangled itself from the shadows. - -"Come on, Kinky," called a voice. "That little nigger was scared white. -He'll not stop running until he gets clear to Madison. What kind of a -spook do I make, eh?" - -"Pretty raw," answered another voice, as a second form pushed out -of the shadows and joined the first. "You can fool a superstitious, -half-grown darky, Ross, but I wouldn't make a business of this ghost -racket. What was the good of it, anyhow?" - -"Well, that darky never came here alone in that boat." - -"Well." - -"Some one must have come with him. Maybe the boat's other passengers -are the two kids we couldn't find in the cabin." - -"I don't know how it could be, Ross, but mebby you're right. That's not -a rowboat." - -"Just what I was thinkin', Kinky. Let's go down and look her over. The -darky was obliging enough to leave a lighted lantern for us." - -The two men descended to the boat, and Ross picked up the lantern and -swung it about him. - -"It's a motor-boat, blamed if it ain't!" Kinky exclaimed. - -"Right you are," chuckled Ross. "She must have come up from the town. -What's she doin' here at this time o' night? Suspicious, that's what -it is! I'll gamble heavy the boat has somethin' to do with the young -fellers in that cabin." - -"Well, like enough you're right," answered Kinky. "But what's that to -us? We came up the Catfish in a boat, too, an' we'd better take to our -oars an' go back to town huntin' for Big John. If he overhauled Motor -Matt and got that money, we don't want to give him a chance to get away -from us." - -"We'll see to _that_," grunted Ross decisively. - -"It looked as though Big John was tryin' to sidetrack us when he wanted -us to keep watch of that cabin to-night. What's the good of watchin' -the cabin if he gets the money? What's the use of keeping track of the -other two boys when King's the one we want?" - -"Right again, Kinky. That brain of yours seems to be doin' some -brilliant work to-night. Here, take a hack at this." - -Ross turned and held out a bottle. - -"If I take too many hacks at that, Ross," answered Kinky, "the -brilliant brain work is liable to stop." - -Nevertheless he seized the bottle and a prolonged gurgling followed. -When he had finished, Ross took the bottle back and gave some attention -to it himself. - -"All I want," growled Ross, as he screwed the top back on the flask, -"is to get a chance at this here Motor Matt." - -"Big John has already had a chance at him," suggested Kinky. - -"Will Big John do anythin' to even up with Motor Matt for the way we -was treated in 'Frisco Bay?" flung back Ross. "Don't you never think -it, Kinky. If Big John gets the money, he'll turn the cub loose to make -some more trouble for us. I'm built along different lines, myself. I -want revenge, with a big R. That's me." - -"Oh, slush!" grumbled Kinky. "You ought to have left more of that stuff -in the bottle. _Your_ brain work's anythin' but brilliant." - -"I mean what I say, anyhow," rapped out Ross. - -Picking up the lantern, he went forward, crawled over the hood, and -made a close examination of the forward part of the boat. - -"Thunder!" he exclaimed. - -"What've you found?" demanded Kinky. - -"What was the name of that chug-boat the Chink won in 'Frisco, and that -Motor Matt used in windin' us up?" - -"_Sprite._" - -"Well, wouldn't this knock you stiff? Say, Kinky, this here's the -_Sprite_." - -"Go on!" - -"There's the name, plain enough." - -"Then it's another _Sprite_. It's a common name, and the 'Frisco -_Sprite_ couldn't be here." - -"It's the same boat, you take it from me. It looks the same, and by -thunder it _is_ the same." - -"I don't see how it got here." - -"Nor I--but here she is, for all that. Let's burn her!" - -"What for?" - -"If it hadn't been for this boat we'd have been on the way to the -Sandwich Islands by now. I'll feel a heap better if we burn the blame -thing." - -"Aw, be sensible, can't you. If----" - -"Hist!" - -Ross interrupted Kinky with the warning syllable; then, quickly, the -lantern was extinguished, and Ross crept back into the rear of the -launch. - -"Listen!" he whispered; "some one's coming." - -"Then we'd better hike!" - -"Not on your life! Crowd up forward, there. I played the spook, a while -ago, and now let's see how well I can play the role of the darky." - -"But what----" - -"Sh-h-h!" - -Thus suddenly did Ross lay his snare. As Kinky crept forward, Ross -crouched in the stern; then followed the brief colloquy between Matt -and Ross, the latter imitating the voice of the negro. - -The instant Motor Matt dropped into the boat the snare suddenly -tightened. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -ENEMIES TO BE FEARED. - - -As Matt fell his head struck against the gunwale of the boat. His -senses did not leave him entirely, but he was stunned for a few moments -and rendered incapable of doing anything in his own defense. Before he -recovered sufficiently to struggle with his assailants the two men had -found a rope and had lashed his hands. - -"Now for his feet, Kinky," said Ross. "This is a haul I wasn't -expectin', although we might have figured it out, I guess, if we'd had -time to think things over." - -Matt kicked out with his feet in a desperate attempt to overturn Kinky, -and, perhaps, leap upright and jump ashore. - -"He's a fighter, all right," snarled Ross. "Here, I'll hold him while -you finish the job." - -With hands bound and two men to secure his ankles, resistance was worse -than useless. When the binding was done, and Matt was lying helpless, -he had a chance to study the faces of his captors while Kinky was -relighting the lantern. - -Ross' talk had already given Matt an inkling of the two men's identity. -The gleam from the lantern left no doubt about their being Big John's -pals. - -Matt was not surprised that the two rascals should be in that part of -the country. They and Big John were birds of a feather, and it was -quite natural that all three should flock together. What did surprise -Matt, however, was the fact that Kinky and Ross should be in that -particular place, and have laid their plans to capture him. - -"Surprise party, eh?" queried Ross. "You weren't expectin' to meet a -couple of old friends, eh, Motor Matt? Oh, you're not so much. You're -cracked up pretty high, but I reckon you're not any brighter than the -rest of us. Wonder if you've got ten thousand about you that we could -borrow for a while?" - -"You're after that money," said Matt, "and you're fooled. You won't get -it, and neither will Big John. It has been in Mr. Lorry's hands ever -since noon. You didn't think I'd bring ten thousand dollars back with -me in cash, did you? The money was in the form of a draft, payable to -Mr. Lorry, and it wouldn't have benefited you or Big John any if you -had stolen it." - -"That's luck for old Lorry, then," answered Ross, pushing his hand into -Matt's pockets. "Here's a roll," he added, drawing some bills out of -Matt's vest. "It's hardly big enough for the ten thousand, but I reckon -we'll have to be satisfied with what we can get." - -"If you take that," said Matt, "you'll be in trouble with the law -before you're many hours older. So far as San Francisco is concerned, -I'm willing to let bygones be bygones; but if you take my money I'll do -everything I can to have you caught." - -Kinky seemed nervous. Ross, however, was reckless and in an evil temper. - -"We'll _not_ get ourselves into trouble," he flared. "By the time we're -through with you, my hearty, there won't be anybody to make us trouble." - -Ross brought out his flask again and helped himself liberally to its -contents. - -"Here," he said, extending the flask toward Kinky. - -"I guess I've had enough," demurred Kinky. - -"Take it, you fool!" cried Ross; "you'll need it before we're done with -this night's work." - -Not until that moment did Motor Matt realize that here were two -enemies who were seriously to be feared. He had thought, when he -recognized his captors, that they had merely made a prisoner of him in -the hope of securing the ten thousand dollars, but now he realized that -there was something more villainous, perhaps more murderous, back of -their scheming. - -Liquor arouses the evil passions of men and makes them ripe for deeds -they would not think of committing when in their sober senses. Kinky -and Ross were partly intoxicated. Kinky was the less desperate of the -two villains, mainly because he was the more cowardly. - -Matt hardened himself to face whatever might be coming. - -"You'd better think well about this, Ross," said he. "All you've got to -do to keep clear of the law is to return my money, set me at liberty, -and take yourselves off. I'll forget what you've done, and what -happened in San Francisco Bay----" - -"That's more than we'll do, you young cub," scowled Ross. "You hadn't -any notion I followed you all the way from 'Frisco, on the same train, -had you? You didn't know I got off the train at Waunakee, when you got -off, and that I trailed you and your two friends to that cabin in the -woods, eh? And I don't believe, when you and your pards were talking in -that cabin, that you had any notion I was hanging around and listening. -But I was. I knew one of you was to go into town this morning with -the money for old Lorry, so it was me that put Big John wise and had -him waiting for you on the road. But do you think I rigged myself out -in different clothes and followed you clear from 'Frisco just in the -hope of getting that money? You're wrong if you do think that. I was -after something else--and that was to _play even_. It's a habit of mine -always to settle my accounts. Big John works differently--but I'm not -responsible for what he does, or doesn't do. When I lay out a course -and take the bit in my teeth, nothing can stop me." - -There was a short silence. - -"But, I say, Ross," began Kinky in faint protest, "you don't intend -to----" - -"Wait till I ask you to talk," cut in Ross. "You can bobble more in -your conversation than any man I ever knew." - -"Do you know where my two friends are?" queried Matt. "You know who I -mean--young Lorry and McGlory." - -"We don't know where they are. I don't object to telling you if that -will make you any easier in your mind." - -"Where's the colored boy that was here with the boat?" - -"I played spook and scared him out. He's on the way to Madison, and -is hitting only the high places. Is this the old _Sprite_ you used in -'Frisco Bay?" - -"Yes." - -"Glad to know it. She'll go up in smoke before we're done with her." - -Ross' veiled hints of what he was going to do did not bother Matt very -much. He had a hearty contempt for a boaster--even a desperate boaster -of Ross' stamp. - -The scoundrel was in a communicative mood, and many points which had -been dark to Matt were being cleared away. - -"What has Big John done," Matt asked, "to get Mr. Lorry down on me?" - -Ross laughed huskily. - -"How do I know?" he answered. "Big John is about as sly as they make -'em. I didn't know he'd done anything to get Lorry down on you--didn't -think he'd have the nerve to go near Lorry. You got away from that pal -of ours?" - -"Yes." - -"Then I wish John was here with us. He's probably as mad as a hornet -over losing that money, and would make a better stand-by than Kinky." - -"I never go back on a pal," expanded Kinky, "but I think a pal ought to -be sensible and not kick up too big a row for his own good." - -"You'll find the row plenty big enough if you go too far," warned Matt, -speaking for Kinky's especial benefit. - -Kinky stirred uneasily. - -"It's a case," declared Ross, "where we've got to go as far as we can. -That's what'll make it safe for us. Kinky and me have been loafing in -the woods all day. We were not to report to Big John until to-night. -It's safer for us, you understand, to get together at night than at any -other time." - -Matt had been working desperately at the cord that bound his hands. The -cord was drawn tight and firmly knotted, and his efforts had not met -with much success. - -Ross suddenly detected him in his work, and, with an oath, jerked him -over and looked at the rope. - -"That's enough of that," he said sternly. "Suppose you do get rid of -the rope, how'll it help you? You lay still and be quiet, that's your -cue." - -"What are we going to do, Ross?" inquired Kinky nervously. - -"You're going up on the bank and cast off the painter," returned Ross. -"I don't think you're any too steady on your feet, so be careful." - -"What do you want me to cast off the painter for? We've got a boat of -our own, and we don't need this." - -"I'm engineerin' this deal, Kinky," said Ross sharply. "Do as I say, or -else take to the woods and let me do it alone." - -Kinky got up and staggered ashore. Although he worked awkwardly, yet -he finally succeeded in releasing the painter and throwing the rope -aboard. Then he scrambled back into the boat himself. - -Ross, meanwhile, had been starting the engine. He proceeded in a way -that proved he had some knowledge of motors. - -Turning the _Sprite_, Ross sent her slowly toward the mouth of the -creek, peering sharply ahead as they moved through the water. - -"There she is," muttered Ross, shutting off the power. - -As the _Sprite_ came to a halt, Ross reached over the side and caught -the gunwale of another boat. - -"We'll tow our boat behind, Kinky," announced Ross. "Climb into her and -make sure the oars are safe inboard, then fasten her painter to the -stern of the _Sprite_." - -This rather difficult operation was safely accomplished, and then, -with the rowboat in tow, the launch glided out of the creek into the -Catfish, and down the Catfish toward Fourth Lake. - -How was that voyage to end for Motor Matt? - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -BETWEEN FIRE AND WATER. - - -Matt's position in the boat enabled him to watch one dark bank of the -river as they glided down toward the lake. He was listening and looking -for some sign of life on the bank. Had he seen any one, a shout would -quickly have apprised the person of the prisoner's predicament. - -But Matt saw no one. Steadily the _Sprite_ glided onward--steadily, but -covering so crooked a course that Matt wondered they did not drive into -the bank on one side or the other. - -The lake was reached. The storm promised by the late afternoon was -slow in coming. The wind was no higher than it had been, two or three -hours before, but the waves were beating sullenly on the rocks as if in -warning of what was to come. - -Far across the lake Matt could see the glare of city lights. Because of -his position in the boat, the other shore of the lake was not visible -to him. - -He was looking for other boats, but there were very few boats on the -lake at the time. He saw one moving light, however, and essayed a lusty -call for help. - -Ross swore savagely. - -"Clap a hand over that cub's mouth!" he snapped. - -At the same instant he jerked one hand from the wheel, caught up the -lantern, and dropped it overboard. - -Kinky, meanwhile, had forced his hands over Matt's lips. - -The light Matt had seen had shifted its position, and was gliding -toward the _Sprite_. - -"Hello, there!" called a voice from the dark. - -"Hello, yourself," flung back Ross. - -"Did you hail us?" - -"No." - -"I thought some one yelled. What became of your light?" - -"A lubber here with me knocked it overboard." - -"Well, you'd better get out another. If you take my advice, you won't -stay out long, either. There's nasty weather coming, and we're making -for our berth over at the asylum." - -Ross allowed this warning to go unanswered. The light of the other boat -dwindled away and vanished in the gloom. - -"This is far enough, I reckon," Ross remarked, halting the _Sprite_. -"You can leave him alone now, Kinky," he added. "He could yell till -he's black in the face and no one would hear him; but, if he knows -what's good for him, he won't whoop it up while we're close to him. -Pull the rowboat up alongside, Kinky." - -Ross lifted the hood and leaned down into the space reserved for the -motor and the gasoline tanks. - -"Confound it!" he exclaimed, lifting himself erect, "I wish I had that -lantern now." - -He continued to grumble and work around in the bow of the boat. At last -he finished his labor, whatever it was, and turned to Kinky. - -The latter was holding the rowboat alongside the launch. The task was -none too easy, as the swell was bumping the boats together and then -forcing them apart. - -"What am I to do, Ross?" asked Kinky. "I can't hang on here much -longer." - -"Get into the rowboat and take the oars," ordered Ross. - -"Ain't you going along with me?" - -"Sure, when I get through." - -"What's your game?" - -"Never you mind," was the angry retort. "It's my game, from now on, -and you'll watch and do as you're told. Get into the boat and hold her -close to the _Sprite_ with the oars. When I want you I'll let you know. -Mind your eye when you change or you'll find yourself at the bottom of -the lake." - -Kinky made three attempts to get from one boat into the other. At the -last attempt he came near swamping the rowboat, and when he drew back -and clung panting to the side of the _Sprite_ the rowboat had got away -from him. - -Ross shouted his maledictions. - -"What can you expect of a fellow workin' like this in the dark?" -grunted Kinky. "I ain't no sailor, anyway." - -"You got feet and hands, haven't you? Then why don't you use 'em?" - -With this retort, Ross started the motor and laid the _Sprite_ -alongside the rowboat once more. - -"Now," he ordered, "try it again, Kinky. If you get a spill you'll stay -in the lake for all of me." - -Kinky's next effort was more successful. He had a narrow escape, but he -finally plumped down into the bottom of the rowboat, righted himself -unsteadily, and got on the 'midships thwart. A moment more and he had -shipped the oars. - -"Now what?" he demanded. - -His own temper was beginning to rise at the rough, and perhaps -unnecessary, work he had been made to do. - -Ross had again switched off the power of the motor and the launch was -rolling in the waves. - -"Wait, and I'll tell you," answered Ross. - -He was lashing the steering wheel with a piece of rope. Kinky could not -see what he was doing, or he would probably have ventured some remarks. -Matt, however, was able to follow the scoundrel's movements, and a -vague alarm ran through him. - -"What are you up to, Ross?" asked Matt sternly. - -Ross snarled at him, but did not make any response that could be -understood. - -"I suppose you could get at this wheel, bound as you are," muttered -Ross, turning around, at last, and facing Matt. "But I'll fix that," he -added with a brutal laugh. - -Making his way to where Matt was lying, he caught him by the shoulders -and dragged him roughly forward. - -"What are you doing this for?" demanded Matt. - -Ross was strong, and, without deigning a reply, he heaved the helpless -youth up onto the hood. Bound as he was, Matt's position was precarious -in the extreme. - -"I never thought you were such a scoundrel, Ross," Matt said quietly. -"It can't be you're going to leave me like this." - -"You wait till I get through," was the fierce answer. - -By craning his head around, Matt could see Ross pick up a pile of -waste. From the pungent odor of gasoline which assailed Matt's nostrils -he knew that the waste had been soaked in the inflammable stuff. - -Ross carried the waste back into the stern of the boat. - -"You like motors, King," called Ross, "and I'm going to give you such a -ride on a motor-boat as you never had before. I hope you'll enjoy it." - -"For the last time, Ross," called Matt, horribly conscious of the trend -the scoundrel's work was taking, "I ask you to think of what you are -doing." - -"I've thought of it all I'm going to. It's a fine plan, and I'm going -to carry it right through to a finish." - -Ross turned to the rowboat, which Kinky was keeping close to the -_Sprite_. - -"Come alongside, Kinky," Ross called. "I'm about ready to be taken off." - -"What have you been doin', Ross?" demanded Kinky, pulling the other -boat closer. - -Matt felt, at that moment, as though Kinky was his only hope. - -"He's got me tied here on the hood, Kinky," Matt called, "and he's -going to fire the boat! If you let him keep on, you'll be equally -guilty with him, and the law will sooner or later take care of you -both." - -"Let him talk!" exclaimed Ross. "Much good it'll do him. A little more -to the left, Kinky." - -The man in the rowboat had turned to look. - -"Is that him on that forward deck, Ross?" asked Kinky. - -"That's where I put him." - -"Blazes! Why, he's liable to roll off into the water and be drowned. -What did you put him there for?" - -"I told you I was attendin' to this," retorted Ross. "Get that boat -alongside here, and be quick about it." - -"But I'm not goin' to stand for any----" - -"You're going to do as I tell you. Get alongside." - -Kinky, unfortunately for Matt, had the weaker will of the two. He was -plainly afraid of Ross, and the latter could bullyrag him into doing -anything. - -As the rowboat came up, Ross leaned over and grabbed the painter. -Securing the end of it to the driver's seat of the launch, he stepped -back into the stern, struck a match, and dropped it into the heap of -waste. - -A fire leaped upward instantly, and a yell of consternation broke from -Kinky. - -"Ross, you're mad! You want to make a swinging job of this for both of -us, I guess. Put out that blaze or I'll put it out myself." - -Ross did not reply. Hastening forward again, he started the motor, and -the _Sprite_ began driving ahead, hauling the rowboat with it. - -"This course, Motor Matt," said Ross, "will carry you direct to Maple -Bluff. I hope you'll have a comfortable landing. Good-by, and good luck -to you! Have I paid my debts? Think it over." - -Whirling swiftly, Ross clambered into the rowboat. - -"I'll not stand for this!" yelled Kinky. "This may be your idea of -paying your debts, but----" - -Ross pushed Kinky backward, sending him sprawling across the 'midships -thwart. - -"Get up and take the oars," he cried. "Pal of mine though you are, if -you try to make me any more trouble something will happen to you. I've -got the bit in my teeth, I tell you, and I'll settle for Motor Matt as -I think best." - -Ross leaned forward and slashed the blade of his pocketknife through -the painter, and a hoarse laugh echoed in Motor Matt's ears as the -burning launch leaped away through the thick shadows. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -CHUMS TO THE RESCUE. - - -Matt was several moments realizing the terrible predicament in which -Ross had placed him. The glowing fire in the stern of the _Sprite_ -lighted the darkness with a ghastly glare. - -The boat was on fire and speeding, with a lashed wheel, across the -troubled waters of the lake. - -What could Matt do to save himself? It was a time when he must think -quickly. He would also have to act with promptness and decision--an -impossibility in his helpless state. - -If he could roll back over the hood, he might contrive to get aft and, -in some manner, smother the fire. - -He made the attempt--and succeeded, although not until he had come -within an inch of sliding off the rounded hood and into the lake. - -As he fell into the bottom of the boat, he struck the lever that -controlled the sparking apparatus, throwing off the switch and causing -the _Sprite_ to slow to a halt. - -This was a little gained, for the speed of the boat would not now fan -the flames; but Matt was wedged in between the driver's seat and the -motor, and found it impossible to extricate himself. - -His heart sank. - -Was this to be the end? Was the _Sprite_ to burn and sink, there in the -open lake, and carry him to the bottom? - -At this moment, just as his hopes were at the lowest ebb, he heard a -shout from near at hand. - -"Matt! Where are you, pard?" - -McGlory! That was McGlory's voice! - -The wonder of McGlory's being there to help him was lost, for the -moment, in the wild joy that swelled in Matt's breast. - -"Here!" he shouted. - -A whoop of delight came from McGlory. - -"We've found him, George!" Matt heard him exclaim. - -Then there came a splash of oars and a jolt as another boat bumped -against the _Sprite_. - -"Hold her steady, pard," McGlory went on, "and I'll get Matt out of -this in a brace of shakes." - -The next moment the cowboy scrambled into the launch. - -"Where are you, Matt?" called McGlory. - -"Never mind me," Matt answered; "put out the fire. Beat it out--use -your coat." - -The fire looked worse than it was in reality. Not much of the woodwork -was afire, but the blazing waste had been scattered by the wind and was -sending up smoke and flame from the stern almost to the driver's seat. - -McGlory was thinking more about Matt than he was about the boat. -However, he had his orders and did not stop to do any arguing. Jerking -off his coat, he got to work at once. - -Lorry helped. Fastening the skiff which had brought him and McGlory off -from the shore, he likewise removed his coat, and the little _Sprite_ -rocked and pitched with the mad efforts of the two boys to get the best -of the blaze. - -Inside of five minutes they had the last flame smothered. While George -dipped up water with his cap and deluged the smoking woodwork, McGlory -pulled Matt out of his cramped quarters. - -"Well, speak to me about this!" gasped McGlory. "He's tied! Say, this -would make the hair stand on a buffalo robe. Lashed hand and foot and -turned adrift out in the middle of the lake! Sufferin' volcanoes! Who -did it, pard?" - -"Get the ropes off me," said Matt, "and then I can talk to better -advantage. My arms are numb clear to the shoulder." - -McGlory pulled a knife from his pocket and groped carefully while he -cut the cords. - -"It seems like a dream," muttered Matt. - -"Nightmare, you mean," returned McGlory. "If I'd been in such a fix I'd -'a' thrown a fit." - -"And then to have you fellows come!" went on Matt. "I don't know how -you managed it, but here you are, and here I am, and I guess the old -_Sprite_ is good for several trips yet. Shake!" - -McGlory caught Matt's outstretched hand and gave it a hearty pressure. -As soon as the cowboy was through, Matt leaned over and gave Lorry's -hand a cordial grip. - -"I'll never forget what you have done for me," declared Matt. - -"Shucks!" muttered McGlory. "That's what pards are for--to help one -another when they're in a tight pinch. And I'm an Injun if this -_wasn't_ a tight one. But see here, once, Matt. You called this boat -the _Sprite_." - -"That's her name, Joe." - -"Queer they'd have another motor boat, same size and rig of that -'Frisco launch and with the same name, here at Madison." - -"It's the same _Sprite_." - -"Not the same boat you fellows used in Frisco Bay!" exclaimed Lorry. - -"The same identical boat," returned Matt. - -"Wouldn't that rattle your spurs?" breathed McGlory. "But how did she -get here?" - -"By express." - -"Who sent her?" - -"Ping." - -"Ping! And did the yaller mug come with her?" - -"If he did I haven't seen him." - -"Why," went on Lorry, "the boat came through nearly as quick as we did!" - -"How did Ping know where to send her?" asked McGlory. - -"He could have found that out easy enough. They knew at police -headquarters that we were coming to Madison." - -"And she came by express!" - -"Yes, with charges of over two hundred and fifty dollars for -transportation." - -"Tell me about that!" McGlory nearly fell off his seat. "But that's -just like a heathen Chinee. Probably he thought the charges wouldn't -be more'n a dollar and a half. And they were over two-fifty! Sufferin' -millionaires!" - -"It's all well enough to talk," put in Lorry, "but there are lots more -comfortable places than a motor boat, with a dead engine, in the middle -of the lake." - -"That's right, too," agreed McGlory. "Every once in a while little -George, the child wonder, gets a bean on the right number. It will be -blowing great guns on this stretch of water before morning. I move we -hike." - -"Where'll we hike?" - -"Did you fix things up in Madison?" George inquired. - -"Not the way I wanted to, George," said Matt. "We'll have to talk about -that." - -"Then we won't go to Madison," declared George, "and that's settled. -We might as well haul off into the Catfish and spend the night in the -boat." - -"There used to be a 'tarp' for coverin' her in rough weather," put -in McGlory. "Was Ping thoughtful enough to send all the stuff that -belonged to her?" - -"He was," said Matt, "at thirty-seven dollars and fifty cents a hundred -pounds--three times the merchandise rate." - -"Oh, glory! What did you take the boat off the express company's hands -for, pard?" - -"For the reason, Joe, that I had use for her." - -"And this is the kind of use you've been putting her to!" muttered the -cowboy. "It wasn't worth the price, not by a whole row of 'dobies." - -The waves were rolling higher and higher, and the _Sprite_ was pitching -like an unruly broncho. - -"We'll have to get out of this," said Lorry, as the skiff alongside -smashed against the _Sprite's_ bulwarks and gave them all a rough -shaking. "The wind's carrying us toward Maple Bluff, and I don't want -any experience with the bluff on a night like this. Where's a lantern? -Is there one aboard?" - -"There was," answered Matt, "but Ross threw it into the lake." - -"Ross!" gulped McGlory. "You don't mean to say you've seen him?" - -"We'll go over all that later," said Matt. "We'll make for the Catfish -as fast as we can." - -"That's as good a place as any, I reckon, seeing as how George isn't -ready to go to Madison." - -Matt opened the hood and sniffed at the engine to ascertain if there -was any waste gasoline dripping from the tanks. He decided that the -tanks were all closed. - -The engine was started and Matt brought the boat's nose around into the -wind. The trailing skiff was allowed to fall behind to the end of its -mooring chain. - -There was thunder, off in the west, and an occasional sharp flash of -lightning. The flashes served to guide Matt over the course he had -recently covered, while a prisoner in the hands of Ross and Kinky. - -As he held the _Sprite_ steadily to her course, more and more the -wonder grew upon him as to the timely arrival of McGlory and George. -Although Matt, when bound and cast adrift, had left a fiery trail over -the lake, yet he was positive that the grewsome beacon alone had not -been responsible for the providential appearance of his two friends. - -But everything would soon be made clear, and Matt hurried the moment of -explanation by driving the launch at her best speed. - -The wind, of course, delayed the boat appreciably, but her sharp bows -cut the water like a knife, and the white spray went swirling upward on -both sides of the craft, high into the night. - -It was an exhilarating ride, and thoroughly enjoyed by Matt and George. -McGlory loved boats, but he had been built for a landsman, and the roll -and tumble of rough water gave him unpleasant feelings in the region of -the stomach. - -The cowboy drew a long breath of relief when the launch battled her way -into the quieter waters of the Catfish, and he sprang eagerly ashore to -make the boat fast to a tree, under the lee of a steep bank. - -"There's a boathouse near here," said George, when the skiff had also -been secured, "and the proper move for us is to make for it and break -in. The rain will be coming down in sheets before long. The boathouse -belongs to a friend of mine, and he won't make much of a fuss when he -knows who it was broke into the place." - -Before Matt left the launch he spread the tarpaulin over it carefully -and made the edges secure to the metal pins along the gunwale; then, -led by Lorry, the boys made their way to the boathouse. - -Forcing an entrance was not difficult, and just as the lads got inside -the rain began. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -HOW FATE THREW THE DICE. - - -There was a rough but comfortable sitting room in one end of the -boathouse. Lorry, who was familiar with the place, left Matt and -McGlory near the door which they had forced open, and groped his way to -the sitting room, where he lighted a tin lamp. - -There was a smell of stale cigarette smoke in the room, and the walls -were papered with pictures of prize fighters, sailboats, race horses, -and "footlight favorites," all cut from newspapers and magazines. This, -and the acrid odor of cigarettes, attested sufficiently the taste of -the owner of the boathouse. - -There were chairs enough to seat the three boys comfortably. - -"Somebody has been here, pards," declared McGlory, "and not so very -long ago, either." - -"He's a Sherlock Holmes, all right," grinned Lorry. "How do you suppose -he knew that, Motor Matt?" - -"Oh, go on!" growled the cowboy. "Your friend George is a cigarette -fiend. Why do you reckon the windows were draped like that?" - -There were two small windows in the sitting room, and each was covered -with a double thickness of canvas, battened down on all sides. - -"Give it up," said Lorry. "Ollie must have been having a game of cards -here with some of the boys, and probably he didn't want anybody looking -in." - -"Ollie?" murmured Matt, startled, suddenly remembering that, at the -time of the attempted robbery on the Waunakee road, Big John had -addressed his youthful companion as "Ollie." - -"Yes, Ollie Merton," answered Lorry; "he's the fellow who owns this -place." - -"What sort of looking fellow is he?" - -"Why, he's about my build, rather dark, and with a face that's not much -of a recommendation; but Ollie's been a good friend of mine, just the -same." - -Matt was convinced that the Ollie he had met on the Waunakee road, -under such evil conditions, was the same Ollie who had papered that -rude little sitting room--and had left behind him the reek of his -cigarettes. - -"What are you asking about Ollie for?" inquired Lorry curiously. - -"We'll get to that in a few minutes," said Matt. "Just now I want to -hear how you fellows came to leave the cabin on the creek, and what -sort of a coincidence it was that enabled you to come to my rescue, out -there on the lake." - -"I reckon we can explain that a heap easier than you can explain how -you came to be lashed hand and foot and jammed between the thwart and -the engine of a burning boat," returned McGlory. "You didn't get back -to the cabin, that was one of the things that bothered George and me, -and we couldn't savvy the why of it; then, all at once, we spotted our -old friends, Ross and Kinky, standing among the oaks and piping off -the cabin. _Was_ it a jolt? Say, speak to me about that. 'That means -trouble,' said George, and I allowed that he had rung the bell. - -"There we'd been congratulatin' ourselves that no one knew of the -hang-out, when along comes those 'Frisco gents, loafing in the scrub -and taking the sizing of our wickiup. Having made up our minds that the -appearance of Ross and Kinky spelled trouble with a big T, George and -me got to guessing that those two lads had somehow interfered with your -getting back to the cabin, Matt. - -"'We'll duck out of this, George,' says I, 'and you can bet your -moccasins on _that_. And when we duck,' I says further, 'we'll take the -luggage and the grub along with us.' - -"'But what about Matt?' says George. 'He's trying to do something for -me, in Madison, and it looks kind of rough to scatter when maybe he'll -whistle for this siding even if he is somewhat behind his running time. -Didn't you tell me that Motor Matt usually does what he says he'll do?' - -"You must admit, Matt, that this cousin of mine is improving a whole -lot or he'd never have thought of that. Up to now, he's been so busy -taking care of Number One that he hasn't had any consideration for the -rest of the human race. But I explains to him like this: - -"'Georgie, we're makin' a change of base. That's all. When we dodge -those tinhorns, and pile our traps in another part of the woods, we'll -sneak back here on the q. t. and watch for Matt. Like as not we can -head him off on the Waunakee road before he reaches the bridge over the -creek.' - -"George thought that would be all right, so we get our plunder -together, sneak out of the cabin, drop over the edge of the creek bank, -crawl a mile downstream, and sashay right into the woods. I don't know -whether you'll believe it or not--things like that happen mostly in -story books--but we find the neatest cave you ever crawled into right -on the banks of the Catfish. George says it's a second edition of Black -Hawk's cave. Well, say, after we get the bats out of that hole in the -rock, we are almost as snug as we are here, this minute. Sufferin' -Niagara, hear it pour!" - -"Never mind the rain, Joe," said Matt. "Your talk is mighty exciting. -Go on with it." - -"Of course," proceeded McGlory, "we couldn't enjoy our cave while you -were due to arrive at the cabin any minute and drop into the hands of -Ross and Kinky. I reckon it was about eight o'clock into dewfall when -George and me crawled out of that hole and started to make a short -cut for the Waunakee road. Then, right in the middle of the dark, we -heard somethin' coming our way just a-tearin'. George guessed bears -and I guessed Injuns; but, no, we were both fooled. It was a little -negro--George struck a match and got his color a minute after him and -me had collided and I had flopped him on his back and was holding him -down. Then----" - -"Pickerel Pete!" exclaimed Matt. - -"That's a guess for your life. Sure, pard, it was Pickerel Pete, and a -scared Pickerel he was, at that. He thought George and me was a pair of -'ha'nts,' whatever they are; but George knew him, and he braced up some -when he made sure that we were perfectly human. - -"Then--speak to me about what that little ebony chap told us! Motor -Matt had hired him for two plunks a day--you're getting reckless with -your money, pard--and he had piloted Motor Matt from Third Lake to -Fourth, and from Fourth up the Catfish to Whisky Creek. Motor Matt -had left the boat tied up there, with Blackberry on guard, and gone on -afoot up the creek. Then spooks arrived, ordered Pete to duck, and he -had started for home like a singed cat. He was on his way when he ran -into us. - -"Well, George and me was all crinkled up with a scare. Matt's gone on -to the cabin, we figure it out, and he's dropped into the hands of Ross -and Kinky. We make a run for the cabin. No one there, not even Ross and -Kinky. But there's a candle still burnin' on the corner shelf. - -"Was it Motor Matt who lit that candle, we asked ourselves, or Big -John's pals? Of course we couldn't tell that, but we allowed it was -probably Matt who had struck a light. Then it was us for the mouth of -the creek to see what was going on at the launch. - -"I forgot to tell you, pard, that George and I had found a skiff, while -we were fooling around the creek bank, waiting for you to get back. The -skiff pleased me--I never saw a boat yet that didn't--and I suggested -to George that we paddle down the creek in the skiff. That would save -climbing fences and blundering around in the dark. Well, we took the -skiff. It didn't draw much more'n a drink of water, and, although the -creek is lower than usual at this time of year, according to George, we -got down it all right. Just as we got within hailing distance of the -launch, we heard the chug of an engine, and some one calling from the -boat to some one else on the bank. We'd found Ross and Kinky--their -voices give 'em away; and from what they said later we also knew that -we'd found _you_. - -"George and I were up a tree for fair, then. Ross and Kinky were -'heeled'--we didn't have to guess any about that--while all I had was a -pocketknife, and all George had was a scarfpin. - -"'Well,' says George, 'I'm not going to leave those tinhorns to do what -they please with Matt.' Surprisin', eh, the way this cousin of mine is -beginnin' to act? He was as nervy as a Ute buck with an overload of -tizwin. I asks George what he thinks we can do against two men with a -pair of hardware hornets that sting six times apiece. George didn't -know, but allowed we'd better drop down the creek and get a closer view. - -"By the time we got down to where the launch was she had moved on and -stopped again. When she moved on once more, something was trailing -behind her. It was so dark we couldn't see what the thing was very -plain, but after some sort of a while we made out that it was a boat. -Well, how we ever did it I don't know, but George--it was George, -mind you--made our chain painter fast to the stern of the trailing -rowboat--and that's the sort of procession we made down the Catfish." -McGlory threw back his head and laughed till he shook. "First, the -launch," he went on; "then the rowboat, then George, and me, and the -skiff. Sufferin' side-wheelers! Why, I nearly gave the snap away -enjoying it." - -"Great spark plugs!" muttered Matt. "When we went down the Catfish, -I was watching the bank, hoping to see some one I could call to. And -there were you and George behind us all the time! I wish Ross and Kinky -knew about that." - -"It was too much fun to last, pard," continued McGlory, sobering a -little. "When we got out into the lake the heavier swell made the chain -break loose from the rowboat, and we had to follow with the oars, -which was slow work. We were a long ways off when you spoke that other -launch; and when you started like a streak of fire for the northwest -end of the lake, we were still so far off that we didn't think we could -reach you in time to do you any good. But we broke our backs at the -oars, and managed to make it. You know the rest." - -"Fine!" exclaimed Matt admiringly. "Say, you fellows are pards worth -having. What became of Pickerel Pete?" - -"Bother him!" put in George. "We didn't have any time to fool with the -little moke after we heard what he had to tell us about you." - -"He kept on toward town, burnin' the air," said McGlory. - -"I think," said Matt reflectively, "that this cave of yours would be a -safer place for us than this boathouse." - -"Safer," returned the cowboy, "but it hasn't got any chairs and nothing -to make a light with. Hear the rain, once! Gee, _compadres_, I wouldn't -move from here to the cave, through all that water, for a bushel of -double eagles." - -"Why is the cave safer?" asked Lorry. - -"Because this Ollie Merton isn't such a friend of yours as you think," -said Matt. - -George Lorry stiffened in the old, arrogant way. - -"I guess I know my friends," he answered frigidly. - -"Listen," went on Matt. "When I left the cabin and started along the -Waunakee road, some one in the bushes threw a riata at me. It was Big -John threw the rope, and along with Big John was this Ollie Merton. -They were after that ten thousand dollars, but I played a trick on them -and got away with the draft. It was your sister, George, that helped me -get away." - -"What!" exclaimed George; "not Ethel?" - -"Yes. She was on the Waunakee road with her motor car----" - -George scowled. - -"The governor would put twenty-five hundred in a runabout for sis," he -growled, "and wouldn't scrip up when I wanted a motor boat. Is that -right? Is----" - -Voices were heard outside, accompanying a slushy crunch of wet gravel. -Matt leaped for the light and blew it out. - -"Not a word!" he whispered. "That must be Ollie Merton, and we don't -want him to see us. There's an overturned catboat--get under it." - -Lorry tried to protest, but Matt caught him by the arm and hustled him -toward the overturned boat. The boat had been lying under the boys' -eyes during their talk. Barely had they secreted themselves when the -door opened and two persons walked in, followed by a whirling gust of -rain. - -"Whoosh!" called a familiar voice, "I'm glad to get out of that, Ollie." - -"Big John!" whispered Matt in Lorry's ear. "He's come here with Merton. -Keep quiet, now, and listen." - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -UNDER THE OVERTURNED BOAT. - - -When Matt, Lorry, and McGlory had made forcible entrance into the -boathouse, it had been through the door that fronted the river. Merton -and Big John had entered through a door at the other end of the house. -Thus, for a time, at least, the broken lock on the other door was not -discovered. - -"Light up," went on the voice of Big John. "And if you've got anything -in a bottle, Ollie, trot it out and mebby it'll drive the chill from -our bones. I'm not pinin' for an attack of rheumatism." - -"I've got that, too," answered Ollie, with a fatuous snicker. "Always -keep something for snake bites." - -"And it's a bad thing for a lad of your years. Hurry up with the light." - -"Give me time to get out of this mackintosh and then I'll hunt for -matches." - -There followed the slap of a wet garment on the floor. The next moment -a match was struck, and young Merton could be seen making for the lamp. -The moment he touched the chimney he jumped back with a cry and the -match dropped from his fingers. - -"What ails you?" demanded Big John. - -"Why, the chimney's _hot_!" exclaimed Merton. "Somebody's been here, -and they haven't been gone very long, either." - -"Thunder! It must have been Ross and Kinky. They were to meet us here, -you know, and Ross had a key to the boathouse." - -"If they were here a few minutes ago," went on Merton, "why aren't they -here now?" - -"I'll have to pass that. But if any one was here, it was those pals of -mine. Go on and light the lamp. Use your handkerchief for taking off -the chimney." - -Matt, under the overturned boat, drew a breath of relief. But it was -only a temporary relief. Already he was wondering what would happen -when Ross and Kinky arrived at the rendezvous. Ross had told Matt that -he and Kinky were to meet Big John that night, but had carried the -impression that the meeting was to take place in town. - -Merton's fears were apparently relieved, and he soon had the lamp -lighted. - -Big John divested himself of a raincoat and removed a dripping cap. -Coat and cap he hung very carefully from two nails in the wall. - -Merton, meanwhile, was unlocking a cupboard. A bottle and two glasses -came out of the cupboard. Merton poured some of the liquor into the -glasses. Big John reached over and emptied part of Merton's glass into -his own. - -"That leaves enough for you, son, and a heap more than you ought to -have," said he. "It ain't good for younkers--nor for old fellers, -either." - -"Oh, splash!" grunted Merton. "You ought to go around with a pocketful -of tracts," he grinned. "Whenever you rob a man, leave a tract with -him." - -"You're mighty cute," observed Big John, setting his empty glass on the -table and leaning back in his chair, "but the two of us wasn't cute -enough to get the best of Motor Matt. There's a boy! He's a bright and -shinin' example. He has backcapped me twice, and the more he does it -the more I admire him." - -Merton stared; then, developing his silver cigarette case and his -silver match box, he proceeded to smoke. - -"You're a queer fish, Big John," said he. "If you've got such high -standards, why don't you live up to 'em?" - -Big John shook his head gloomily. - -"I expect it ain't in me," he answered. - -"If you'd had Ross and Kinky with you, there at the bend in the -Waunakee road, this Motor Matt wouldn't have made a get-away." - -"Mebby not; but Ross is down on Motor Matt and wouldn't hesitate to -hand him his finish. That's the reason I wouldn't have Ross along; and -I let Kinky stay with Ross as a sort of safeguard, in case anythin' -went crossways and Ross happened to find Motor Matt. Only the hope of -me gettin' that money has caused Ross to hold back as long as he has. -Now that he knows there's no hope of gettin' the money, he'll be as mad -as a cannibal. Ross is worse'n an Apache Injun when he's worked up." - -"Then he'll be mad when he comes here and finds you didn't get the -money, won't he?" - -"He will; and I've laid my plans to make a quick jump for the West. -I'll land that precious Ross where he won't get us all into trouble." - -"You were telling me that you had set old man Lorry against Motor Matt." - -A slow grin worked its way over Big John's face. - -"Anonymous letter," said he. "I just wrote Lorry that I was a -detective, and didn't think it wise to put my information over my own -name, see? Then I went on to tell him to look out for Motor Matt, and -explained that he was in cahoots with the three desperate scoundrels -who had stolen the ten thousand in 'Frisco. That'll make Lorry think a -little. But see here, son. You haven't been private adviser for young -Lorry just to make a man of him in the gamblin' line, have you? What's -your graft? I'll bet it's somethin' more than getting him away from his -mother's apron strings, and out of the sissy class." - -Merton's sinister face took on a crafty look. - -"You're right," said he. "The Winnequa Club has a race in a few days. -For reasons of my own, I intend to win that race. See? Lorry also -wanted to have a boat in the race, and he's about the only one, apart -from me, whose dad has money enough to furnish him with a boat that -will make the rest of us climb. But old man Lorry isn't furnishing -George with the boat." Merton chuckled. "When George asked me what he -ought to do the time his father threatened to send him to military -school, I told George to skip, and to get as far away as he could. That -left me free to do as I wanted to in that motor-boat event." - -Merton winked. - -"H'm!" murmured Big John. "You're a foxy youngster. I'm not sayin' it's -creditable in you, mind, but it shows sharp thinking, all right." - -The three boys under the overturned boat were able to see and hear all -that went on. When the conversation between Merton and Big John had -proceeded that far, Matt heard a sharp breath escape Lorry's lips. - -A few words, and Merton's despicable planning had been laid bare. Out -of Merton's own mouth Lorry could judge him. This false friend, with -whom Lorry had associated, and whose advice he had taken, had headed -him toward irretrievable ruin. - -"Oh, I can be foxy if I want to," said Merton. "All I want now is to -make sure that Lorry doesn't get in that race." - -"I guess you can be easy on that point," returned Big John dryly. "The -old gent won't put up money for the boat on a bet. Motor Matt called on -Lorry. I talked with Gus, the Lorry chauffeur, and he said there was a -heap of coldness developed durin' the interview, and that when Motor -Matt had left, Lorry used the telephone and asked police headquarters -to have a plain-clothes man pick up his trail and follow him. The fly -cop followed Motor Matt from Third Lake into Fourth, but lost him -somewhere around the Mendota end of the Catfish. The last thing I did, -before leaving Madison to come here, was to drop another unsigned -letter in the mails for Lorry." - -"What was that for?" asked Merton. - -"I told Lorry that if he would cross Fourth Lake in the morning, and -proceed up the Catfish as far as Whisky Creek, then leave the boat and -walk up the creek for a mile, he would come to the place where Motor -Matt was having McGlory keep his son. I reckon _that_ will give Motor -Matt something to think about. I'll not be here to see the fun, and I -guess young King will get out of the scrape in his customary fashion, -but it'll be something by way of remembering Big John. King has made me -a lot o' trouble, and has beat me out of a pineapple plantation, and -that's all I can do to rough things up for him. You see----" - -Big John broke off suddenly. Some one else was approaching the -boathouse. Matt, McGlory, and Lorry could hear the footsteps plainly. - -Merton started to get up, but Big John lifted a restraining hand. - -"If they're the ones we expect," said he, "they've got a key and can -let themselves in. If they're not the ones we're looking for, then we -don't want them here." - -A key rattled in the lock just as Big John finished speaking. The next -moment the door opened and two men blew in. - -They were Ross and Kinky! - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -A DASH FOR THE OPEN. - - -That visit of Matt, McGlory, and Lorry to the boathouse was worth all -the danger it had brought, even if it had resulted in nothing more than -opening Lorry's eyes to the duplicity of his supposed friend. - -But other things had developed that were highly interesting, as well as -edifying. - -Matt was astounded to learn that an anonymous letter had made the -elder Lorry so bitterly hostile. If Lorry had put so much faith in one -unsigned letter, surely he would have equal confidence in the second, -and might be expected to cross the lake on the following morning and -make his way to the cabin on the creek. - -It was likewise refreshing to learn that Big John was intending to take -his two pals and return to the West. Matt was not forgetting that Ross -and Kinky had some three hundred dollars of his money, and before the -flight something must be done to recover the funds. - -But just then a common danger suggested that the boys must get away -from the boathouse. There were four enemies against them, and at least -three of the enemies were armed. - -"We've got to get out of here, Joe," whispered Matt. - -"Why not lay low till _they_ get out?" returned the cowboy. - -"It won't be possible. That hot lamp chimney is going to do the trick -for us. Big John will mention it and ask Ross and Kinky why they left -the boathouse and went out into the rain. Ross and Kinky will say they -didn't; then there'll be talk and a hunt for intruders. We've got to -make a dash for the open--and at once." - -"You've got it right, Motor Matt," murmured Lorry. "The quicker I can -get away from here, the better I'll like it. I've learned a lot," and -there was bitterness in Lorry's voice as he finished. - -"Let's heave over the boat and make a dash for the back door," -suggested McGlory. "We're rushin' straight into the dark, and, if we're -quick, we can get clear before there's any shooting." - -"That hits me," said Lorry. - -"It's now or never, then," assented Matt. "Separate, just outside the -boathouse, and then come together again at the launch. We'll go up to -that cave you fellows found. You understand the plan, do you?" - -"Yes," answered Lorry and McGlory. - -"Then lay hold of the edge of the boat," went on Matt. - -In their narrow quarters the three boys knelt, waiting for the word to -lift the boat's edge from the skids and throw the hulk entirely over. -It was not a large boat, and their strength was fully equal to the task -they had set for themselves. - -"_Now!_" hissed Matt. - -Over went the boat with a crash. Startled yells came from the sitting -room, followed by silence broken only by a rush of feet as Matt, Lorry, -and McGlory darted toward the rear door. - -"Stop 'em!" roared Big John. - -"Guns!" cried Ross; "use your guns!" - -McGlory halted and whirled. At the side of the boat he had found a -small can of white lead, which was probably to do its part in giving -the hull a coat of paint. When starting to run the cowboy had taken the -can of lead with him. - -He paused to hurl the can. Straight as a bullet it shot through the -air, crashed into the lamp, and plunged the interior of the boathouse -in darkness. Another moment and McGlory had hurled himself through the -door. - -Acting upon Matt's suggestion, the three friends separated as soon as -they reached the outside air. Ten minutes later they were all together -again at the place where the _Sprite_ was moored. - -There was a lull in the storm, and for a while, at least, the rain had -stopped. - -Matt began ripping off the boat's tarpaulin cover. - -"Cast off the painter, Joe," he called, as he worked. "You can help me -with this, George," he added. "Never mind the skiff--we can't bother -with that now." - -Clearing a working space aft of the hood, Matt leaped into the boat -and began getting the motor into action. George finished removing the -"tarp," and McGlory scrambled aboard with the end of the painter. - -From the direction of the boathouse sounds of pursuit could be heard. - -"Tumble in, George," called Matt. "You can finish that from inside the -boat." - -McGlory gave his cousin a hand and Matt started the propeller. - -Taking the launch up the river on such a night was hazardous in the -extreme. But Matt had the bearings of the stream in his head, and he -urged the _Sprite_ boldly onward. - -From behind them, somewhere, a revolver was fired. The leaden missile -caused no damage, and the launch rushed on into the gloom. - -Lorry, who knew the river well, pushed to Matt's side to be of what -help he could. - -"You never had a better chance to wreck a boat, Motor Matt," said -Lorry, "than you've got right now." - -"I'm hoping for the best," returned Matt. "Instinct, more than anything -else, is guiding me. I don't know, but I seem to _feel_ it when we're -going wrong." - -It was the same instinct, perhaps, which carries a horse over the right -road when the rider is lost, or that carries a bird miles and miles -through the air to the same nest in the same tree of the forest. - -This was not the first time Matt had profited by that vague intuition. -It was almost like a sixth sense. - -McGlory, time and again, held his breath, fearing that they were about -to run upon the rocks; but, just as surely, time and again, the king of -the motor boys turned the wheel and deep water remained under them. - -"It's up to you fellows to tell me where to stop," said Matt. - -"I'm watching for the place," replied Lorry, "but the shore line -looks like a solid blur of shadow. I can't distinguish one point from -another." - -"Figure it out by dead-reckoning," suggested Matt. "You must have some -idea, George, how far the cave is from the lake." - -"Two miles, I should say." - -"Then, at this speed, we've covered the two miles," and Matt shut off -the power and let the boat's momentum carry her toward the bank. - -The _Sprite_ came to a halt with a slight jar, which proved that she -had struck. - -"That's all right," announced Matt, "and we're close enough to tie up. -Never mind if we do get our feet wet; we're in luck to get out of that -boathouse as well as we did." - -"You can gamble the limit on that," answered McGlory, splashing ashore -with the painter. "I'm a Digger, too, if this place don't look familiar -to me, what little I can see of it." - -"It's familiar to me, too," exulted Lorry. "Why, fellows, we're within -a hundred feet of the cave! Talk about luck, will you? This lays over -anything that ever came my way." - -Matt replaced the tarpaulin, got over the side, and waded to the bank. -Lorry and McGlory led him upward for a dozen feet to a place where the -bank broke away in a sort of narrow shelf. Something like a hundred -feet along this shelf was the opening into the cavern. The entrance was -masked with hazels, but the boys crowded in, and soon found themselves -in dry quarters. - -"Speak to me about that boathouse, please!" guffawed the cowboy, -stretching himself out on the uneven stone floor. "Were Big John and -his pals surprised! I rather guess they were." - -"Tell us more about that attempt Big John and Merton made to rob you on -the Waunakee road," said Lorry. "It seems strange that Merton should -have a hand in anything like that, or that he should be mixed up with -this gang of scoundrels at all. Merton's folks are immensely wealthy. -They're traveling in Europe now, and Merton is in Madison attending the -university. Mert is a spender, all right, and all he has to do when he -wants money is to ask for it. Why should he help Big John try to get -that ten thousand from you, Matt?" - -"Possibly it wasn't the money end of the deal that attracted Merton," -answered Matt. "It may be that all he wanted, Lorry, was to make you as -much trouble as he could." - -Lorry muttered angrily under his breath. - -"I don't know how I ever let him pull the wool over my eyes," said he, -"but it's a fact that I considered Ollie Merton my best friend. It was -by his advice that I took that money and went to 'Frisco." - -"That, alone," remarked Matt earnestly, "proves that Merton was not a -friend." - -"I'm beginning to see it in that light myself," admitted Lorry. "It's -hard to have to say so, but it's the truth." - -"Hard!" scoffed McGlory. "Why, pard, the way you're showin' up is sure -hard to beat. But don't hang fire with that yarn of yours, Matt. You've -got ours, and all George and I need is a statement of facts from you in -order to get the whole business straight in our own minds. Heave ahead -now, and be quick about it. I'm about ready to doze off." - -Matt began with his start for Waunakee, related the attempted robbery, -and the manner in which he and Ethel Lorry had backed the runabout -along the Waunakee road and into Madison. - -The part Matt dreaded to tell had to do with his interview with -Lorry's father; but Lorry had shown such a surprising change in his -whole manner of thought and action that Matt detailed the conversation -between himself and Mr. Lorry exactly as it had occurred. - -A few days before, such a report would have sent George into a furious -tirade against his father, but he now listened quietly and without -comment. - -Matt, highly pleased, proceeded to tell how he had taken the launch -from the express office, had engaged Pickerel Pete, and had run the -_Sprite_ into Fourth Lake and up the Catfish; then followed his visit -to the cabin, his failure to find McGlory and Lorry, his return to the -launch, his capture by a ruse on the part of Ross, and, finally, the -murderous attempt which Ross had made and which had come so near being -successful. - -"That Ross must be bug-house!" growled McGlory angrily. - -"He had been drinking," said Matt. "A man will do things when he's -partly intoxicated that he wouldn't think of doing when sober." - -"You're out three hundred dollars, Matt," spoke up Lorry, "and I don't -think that money will ever come back to you. When we made that dash -from the boathouse, Big John and his pals knew we had been there long -enough to learn a whole lot about their plans. Ross and Kinky have -discovered that you were saved from the burning boat, even if they -didn't know it before, and all three of the rascals will not lose a -minute getting away from this part of the country. I doubt if it would -do any good for us to go to Madison and report to the police. Big John -and his pals are done with Madison, and with you. They'll make tracks -for where they came from, and they'll do it at once." - -"That sounds like pretty good reasoning to me," observed Matt, "but I -guess that what we've accomplished is worth all it cost us. What are -your plans, Lorry?" - -"I'm going home in the morning," declared Lorry. "If I'm to go to a -military school--well, there are worse places." - -"Listen to George!" cried McGlory. "Oh, tell me about George! Ain't he -a surprise party, though?" - -"Now," said Matt jubilantly, "I'm _sure_ that what we've accomplished -is worth the price. Good night, pards. I've found a soft stone, and -I've got material for pleasant dreams, so I'm going to sleep. In the -morning, we're for across the lake--and Aristocracy Hill!" - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE POWER BOAT--MINUS THE POWER. - - -The boys were astir early, it being their intention to reach Madison -and the Lorry home before Mr. Lorry could get away to cross the -lake--providing that proved to be his intention. - -The boys had a frugal breakfast off the cold food McGlory and Lorry had -brought from the cabin, and immediately after they emerged from the -cave upon the narrow shelf that ran in front of it. - -The rain seemed to be over, and the leaden clouds were being scattered -by a fierce wind from the west. - -"This is a bad morning to be on Fourth Lake," said George, casting an -anxious eye upward. "I had hoped the wind would blow itself out, but -it appears to be as strong as ever." - -"Why not leave the _Sprite_ here," suggested McGlory, "and hike for -Madison along the wagon road?" - -"It would take us too long," protested Matt. "I think a boat that -can stand the seas in 'Frisco Bay ought to be able to negotiate this -fresh-water lake. The _Sprite's_ reliable, I can say that for her; and, -so long as we have power, I guess we needn't fear the wind." - -"We'd better have a look at the boat by daylight," said McGlory. "For -all we know, pards, the end may have been burned off her." - -But an examination showed that the _Sprite_ had suffered little damage -from the fire. The luggage was thrown aboard and the boys climbed to -their places. One turn of the flywheel and the cylinders took the -spark; then, on the reverse, the boat was pulled from the shoal into -deep water, Matt changed to the forward drive, and they were off in a -wide circle that pointed them for Lake Mendota. - -"I don't care a whoop what happens now," gloried the cowboy, "we've got -George out of the woods, and that's the main thing." - -"Call it that if you want to, Joe," said Lorry, "but there's music for -me to face, over on Fourth Lake Ridge." - -"And you're goin' to face it like a little man, Georgie; and if Uncle -Dan don't back down on that military-school proposition he'll get a -cold blast from Joe McGlory. And that, pards," the cowboy added, "is a -shot that goes as it lays." - -"I'll take my medicine and not make much of a face, no matter how -bitter the dose is," went on George; "but there's one thing that's -bound to happen." - -"Meanin' which, George?" inquired McGlory. - -"Why, my father is going to be set right on the subject of Motor Matt." - -"Don't let me cause any friction between you, George," urged Matt. "The -breach between you and your father is in a fair way of being healed." - -"So far as I am concerned," said Lorry, a flush tinging his cheeks, -"I'm willing to admit that I acted like a fool. I'll go on record with -that, face to face with the governor; I'll even go further and say -that it was weakness that made me hang back from Madison, stop in that -cabin, and send Motor Matt on to make a dicker and save my pride. But -the governor has got to understand that Motor Matt's my friend, and -that, but for him and you, Joe, I'd not be here now. Right is right, -and Motor Matt is going to have justice, if nothing more." - -"I'm glad as blazes, George," caroled McGlory, "to hear you tune up in -that fashion. The more I listen to you, since last night, the better I -feel." - -"I was quite a while getting to sleep in that cave," pursued Lorry. -"I lay there, on the hard rocks, and reviewed everything I've done -since leaving Madison. It seems as though a fog had been cleared out -of my brain, and that I was able to stand off and get a clean-cut, -impersonal look at myself. The sight wasn't pleasing. I know why Motor -Matt suggested that stop at Waunakee, and a probation in the cabin on -the creek. He read me better than I could read myself. He knew that I -had pride which would not suffer humiliation and disgrace, and that -if I was not pampered and humored a little I would probably go off on -another rebellious splurge--and wind up my future prospects. By staying -at that cabin, I brought all these dangers upon Matt; and yet, if he -had not suggested some such move as the halt at Waunakee, I should very -likely have bolted from the train between 'Frisco and here. Oh, what an -unreasoning idiot I have been!" - -Lorry dropped down on a seat and bowed his head in his hands. - -"Speak to me about this, Matt!" whispered McGlory, placing himself -alongside the king of the motor boys. "Who'd ever have dreamed my -haughty, high-and-mighty cousin would ever have come to the scratch in -such a way? Sufferin' tyrants! I wonder if Uncle Dan is going to do the -right thing by George, or make as big a fool of himself as George did?" - -"I think Mr. Lorry, after he sees and talks with George, will do the -right thing," returned Matt. - -Just here the _Sprite_ shot out of the river into the rolling waters of -Fourth Lake. The west wind, marshaling its strength on the broad sweep -of the prairies, caught up the waves and flung them headlong toward -Maple Bluff. The launch leaped and staggered, shoved her bow into the -highest waves, and then shivered and flung off the spray in a double -cataract on each side. - -It was a nerve-tingling ride, and McGlory suddenly made up his mind -that his stomach would feel better if he sat down. - -George, his face flushed with excitement, looked around him and gave a -jubilant shout. - -"Great!" he cried. - -"I wish I felt like that," groaned McGlory. "For Heaven's sake, Matt, -see how quick you can get us to the other side." - -"We can tie up at the yacht club on the west shore," said Lorry. - -"All right," answered Matt. "Look at that boat over there, George," he -added, nodding his head in the direction of Governor's Island. "She's -the only other boat on the lake, so far as I can see, and she's acting -as though something is wrong with her." - -Lorry stood up, braced himself, and peered ahead. - -"She's a bigger boat than ours," he remarked, "and looked to me like -the _Stella_. The _Stella_ is a thirty-footer, and belongs to Barkley -Cameron, a neighbor of ours up on the Hill. By Jupiter," he added, a -few moments later, "it is the _Stella_, and she's in trouble, as sure -as you're a foot high." - -"The wind is driving her toward the Bluff," said Matt excitedly. "Her -engine's dead--she hasn't any power to fight the wind and waves." - -"And there are four men aboard her," went on Lorry. "Great Scott! If -they ever go on those rocks at the point, the boat will be smashed -to kindling and every one aboard of her drowned. Let's stand by the -_Stella_, Matt, and try and do something for her." - -"I'm rushing the _Sprite_ in the _Stella's_ direction," answered Matt, -"and have been for some time. But we may not be able to do anything. -She's half a mile nearer the rocks than we are, and she may go onto -them before we can overhaul her." - -Far off, just beyond the drifting and helpless launch, Matt and Lorry -could see the white waves flinging themselves against the jutting crags -of McBride's Point. The _Sprite_ was coming up with the _Stella_ hand -over fist, but the _Stella's_ drift was carrying her toward the cliffs -with tremendous speed. - -"I can see the people on board," cried George, "and two of them are -tinkering with the engine. If they can get the motor in shape they're -all right, but if they can't----" - -George broke off abruptly, and stood clinging to Matt and staring at -the other boat with frenzied eyes. Two of the _Stella's_ passengers, as -Matt could see, were looking toward the _Sprite_ and waving their hands -frantically. - -"Matt," called George huskily, "one of those men is my father!" - -"Great guns!" gasped Matt. "He started across the lake in the _Stella_. -We didn't leave the Catfish quick enough. But keep your nerve, George. -We're going to save them if we have to run into the breakers and pull -the _Stella_ off the cliff!" - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -A RECONCILIATION. - - -McGlory aroused himself for a moment, and learned what the excitement -was all about. Straightway he forgot his physical ills and became -absorbed in the wonderful race Motor Matt was running with death. By -every trick in his power the king of the motor boys was doing his -utmost to urge the _Sprite_ onward. The boat's speed became a terrific -dash, a headlong hustle, with wind and wave helping the propeller. - -"We'll never make it!" groaned George. - -"Buck up, George!" cried McGlory. "Motor Matt has done harder things -than this." - -"But the _Stella_ will be on the rocks before we can get to her! And -there's the governor, likely to meet his fate right under my eyes! Oh, -what a scoundrel I have been! Seeing the governor like this, perhaps -for the last time, makes me realize what I have done. He was crossing -the lake to find me, Joe." - -George's voice died to a whisper and ended in a dry sob. - -"Pull yourself together, I tell you!" roared McGlory. "Now's the time -to show yourself a _man_!" - -"Yell to them to stand ready to throw a rope," said Matt, between his -teeth. "We can't get alongside of them before they hit the rocks, but -we can come near enough so we can catch a rope if there's a strong -enough arm to pass it." - -Lorry cast aside his overpowering doubts and fears and flung himself -into the fight with demoniacal energy. - -"Stand ready with a rope!" he yelled, trumpeting through his hands and -doing his best to make his voice heard above the roar and crash of the -waves. - -Again and again he repeated it, and McGlory joined in, timing his voice -with his cousin's. - -One of the men who had been working at the engine suddenly left his -thankless labor and placed himself well forward on the _Stella_ at the -point nearest to the approaching _Sprite_. - -"Make ready to grab the rope, both of you!" shouted Matt. "If you're -lucky enough to grab it, take a half-hitch around the stern stanchion, -and lay back on the end of the rope with every ounce of power in your -bodies! There, stand by! They're going to throw!" - -Matt shifted the wheel and, for a minute, placed the _Sprite_ broadside -on to wind and waves. This gave the man with the rope a better mark. - -Out shot the coil of hemp, but the resistance of the wind caused it to -fall pitifully short. - -A cry of despair went up from Lorry. - -"Once more!" yelled McGlory, as Matt pointed the _Sprite_ straight for -the _Stella_ and flung her onward. - -The man rapidly coiled the rope in his hands. Another man stepped -forward and took the rope to make the next cast himself. He was a more -powerfully built man than the one who had attempted the first cast. - -"This will tell the story," cried George. "If this throw fails the -_Stella_ will be smashed to pieces on the bluff." - -Matt and McGlory knew that fully as well as Lorry; and those on the -_Stella_ must have realized it. - -The man with the rope was cool and deliberate. It was plain he was -not going to waste any valuable chances by undue haste; then, as he -was whirling the rope to let it fly, Matt again turned the _Sprite_ -broadside on. - -For an instant it looked as though the rope was again to fall short; -but Lorry, stretching far out from the side of the _Sprite_, snatched -the end of the rope out of the air with convulsive fingers, and fell -with it to the bottom of the boat. - -A faint cheer went up from those on the _Stella_. - -But the battle was not yet won. McGlory went to the assistance of -Lorry, and the slack of the cable was jerked out of the water. This -gave sufficient rope for a half-hitch around the stanchion and a firm -hand hold. The cowboy and his cousin lay back on the line, bracing -their feet against the thwarts and clinging with all their strength. - -Motor Matt, meanwhile, had been busy with his part of the work. The -instant the rope was made fast, he had shifted the bow of the _Sprite_, -switching off the power for a moment in order to lessen the shock when -the launch should begin to feel the pull. - -Yet even with this precaution the shock was tremendous. But nothing -gave way, and slowly but surely the _Sprite_ took up her burden. - -For a few moments the two boats seemed to stand stationary, the power -of the _Sprite_ just counterbalancing the push of wind and wave against -both boats; then, a little later, the _Sprite_ began to move, gathering -headway by slow degrees. - -Anything like speed was out of the question, but the _Sprite_, without -missing a shot, plowed her way like a tugboat through the churning -waters, and brought herself and her tow safely along the yacht club's -pier. - -Matt and McGlory, busy making the _Sprite_ fast, caught a glimpse of -George rushing across the pier to meet his father. - -"George!" shouted the elder man. - -"Dad!" cried George. - -And they came together, gripping each other's hands. With arms locked -they walked the length of the pier and vanished inside the yacht club's -headquarters. - -"Reconciliation?" queried McGlory. "If it isn't, I don't know the -brand. Oh, I reckon Uncle Dan will do the right thing by George. That -cold blast of mine will have to be permanently retired. Matt, give us -your paw! This is a grand day for the Lorry tribe!" - -"No doubt about that, Joe," answered Matt, with feeling, as he and -McGlory shook hands. - -Half an hour later Matt went into the yacht club to telephone police -headquarters about his stolen money. He had only a very faint hope of -ever seeing the money again, but he felt it his duty to do everything -possible to recover it. - -Over the 'phone he gave a description of Big John, Ross, and Kinky. - -The man at the other end of the line had just promised to do what he -could when Matt was caught by a strong hand and turned around. He was -once more face to face with Lorry, Sr. But there was a difference in -the Lorry of Matt's first and second meeting. - -"By gad!" cried Lorry, "I want to shake hands with a hero. Nobly done, -young man! But for you we'd have gone to smash against Maple Bluff, -every last one of us on the _Stella_. We had our little differences -when we met, that other time, Motor Matt, but I didn't understand -the matter then. George here has been telling me how much he owes to -you, how much I owe to you, how much I owe to him, and we all owe to -McGlory, and everybody owes to everybody else. Gad! my head is fair -splitting with it all. Never mind that three hundred that was taken -away from you; I guess"--and the rich man laughed--"that my bank -account is good for three hundred. I'll see that _you_ don't lose -anything. We'll have more talk about this later." - -Lorry, Sr., turned to where McGlory was standing, at Matt's side, his -black eyes gleaming humorously. - -"Ah, Joe, you rascal," went on Lorry, placing two hands on the cowboy's -shoulders, "you've done something to make us all proud of you--and I -guess you'll find it out before you're many days older." - -"What are you going to do for George, uncle?" queried McGlory. - -"You watch! Keep your eyes skinned and you'll see me do something for -you as well as for George." - -Lorry, Sr., pushed himself between Matt and McGlory and caught each of -them by an arm. - -"Come on, my lads!" said he, "you're both going up to the house with -George and me. This is a happy day, and the Lorrys are going to -celebrate. Naturally, the celebration won't be complete without Motor -Matt and Joe. Never mind your boat--I've asked the people here to look -after it. Gus is outside with the big car, and all we've got to do is -to get in and strike out for home. _Home!_ How does that sound to you, -my son?" - -"It has a truer ring, dad," answered George, "than it ever had before." - -"Maybe it's a different home, George," answered Mr. Lorry. "Anyhow, -we'll try to make it so." - - -THE END. - - - - -THE NEXT NUMBER (23) WILL CONTAIN - -MOTOR MATT'S PRIZE; - -OR, - -THE PLUCK THAT WINS. - - A Clash in Black and Yellow--Pickerel Pete's Revenge--A "Dark - Horse"--Plans--An Order to Quit--Facing the Music--Gathering - Clouds--The Plotters--Firebugs at Work--Saving the "Sprite"--Out of - a Blazing Furnace--What About the Race?--Mart Rawlins Weakens--The - Race--The Start--The Finish--Conclusion. - - - - -MOTOR STORIES - -THRILLING ADVENTURE MOTOR FICTION - -NEW YORK, July 24, 1909. - - -TERMS TO MOTOR STORIES MAIL SUBSCRIBERS. - -(_Postage Free._) - -Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each. - - 3 months 65c. - 4 months 85c. - 6 months $1.25 - One year 2.50 - 2 copies one year 4.00 - 1 copy two years 4.00 - -=How to Send Money=--By post-office or express money-order, registered -letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. At your own risk if sent by -currency, coin, or postage-stamps in ordinary letter. - -=Receipts=--Receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change -of number on your label. If not correct you have not been properly -credited, and should let us know at once. - - ORMOND G. SMITH, } - GEORGE C. SMITH, } _Proprietors_. - - STREET & SMITH, Publishers, - 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York City. - - - - -THE GUARDIAN OF THE PASS. - - -It was the sudden change in the color of the water that made Nick -Salveson realize something was wrong. - -All day thunder had been muttering far up in the mountains, but down in -the river valley the autumn sun had been shining warm; and, busy with -his fishing, Nick had paid no attention to the heavy clouds which hung -over the jagged peaks upstream. - -Suddenly the water lost its crystal clearness, and turned to a yellow, -muddy hue, and the canoe began to strain at her anchor rope. - -"Reckon it's about time to quit," muttered the young fellow; and, -hastily reeling in his line, he laid the rod down and set to work to -pull up the anchor. - -It was badly jammed between two rocks at the bottom. By the time he had -cleared it the river had risen at least two feet, and was roaring down -in a sheet of muddy foam. - -"Guess there's been a cloud burst up in the hills," said Nick to -himself as he turned the bow of the canoe upstream. - -He was not uneasy. He had spent the whole summer in Alaska, and could -handle a canoe as well as most boys of his age. - -He had been anchored close in under the far bank. To reach his camp he -had to cross the whole width of the river, and return nearly a mile -upstream. - -But he had not taken six strokes before he realized that two strong men -could not have paddled the canoe back against the flood that was now -coming down. The only thing to do was to get across, land anywhere he -could, pull the canoe up, and walk back. - -"Great ghost! but it's strong," he muttered, as, in spite of his -efforts, the bow of the canoe was swung sideways by the weight of the -water. - -He leaned forward, drove the paddle deep in the yellow flood, and, with -all his weight in the stroke, attempted to force her round. - -Crack! The paddle, worn thin with weeks of hard wear, snapped like a -pipestem. Nick was left with a mere foot or so of useless stump. The -blade was gone. - -Instantly the rising flood seized the canoe and sent her flying madly -downstream. Like a feather she danced and spun among the whirling -yellow eddies. - -Recovering from the sudden shock of the accident, Nick made a -desperate effort to steer inshore by using the stump of the paddle. It -was useless. The flood, rising every minute, mocked his best efforts. - -At last, streaming with perspiration, and with his heart beating like -a hammer, he gave it up, and sat grimly quiet and silent. There was -something of the stoicism of the Indian in this son of a San Francisco -millionaire. He had done his best. Now the only thing was to wait and -see what the river would do with him. - -Mile after mile the relentless current bore him flying westward. Soon -he was past all his landmarks, and speeding through country completely -unknown to him. Once or twice the river contracted dangerously between -walls of rock, and the canoe pitched and plunged among foam-tipped -waves. But for the most part the banks were hillsides covered with -primeval forest of fir and hemlock. There was nowhere any sign of man. - -"It'll take me all my time to get back even if I do manage to hit the -bank somewhere," said Nick to himself grimly, as he noted the tangled -thickness of the woods on either hand. - -He was in a tight place; he knew that. What he hoped was that some -freak of the current would drive the canoe near enough to the bank to -catch hold of a branch and so pull himself ashore. - -But this did not happen, and, after his mad flight had lasted for a -full hour, Nick became desperately anxious. In the distance, he could -see that the valley narrowed greatly, and he more than suspected that -he was approaching dangerous rapids. - -He swung round a curve. Yes, he was right. Barely half a mile away the -whole river plunged into a gorge so narrow it looked like a mere crack -in the cliff. The shriek of the tortured waters rang high above the -roar of the flood which bore the canoe onward to its doom. - -Nick was no fool. He knew that in all human possibility his fate was -sealed. No craft that man ever built could hope to pass in safety down -the raging flood that boiled through that rift in the mountain. - -"Rotten luck!" he muttered. "Well, there's one comfort--there's no one -to miss me except old Rube, and I don't remember I ever did any one a -dirty trick in my life." - -Every instant the scream of the rapids grew louder. Nick could see the -mouth of the rift and the yellow waves heaping themselves high against -the black precipices on either hand. - -On flashed the canoe. Every moment her speed increased. She was a bare -one hundred yards from the top of the rapids, when a yell from the -right-hand bank rose high above the thunder of the flood, and Nick, -turning his head, saw a small, slight figure dashing down through the -trees. - -Just above the gate of the rapids half a dozen great bowlders showed -their black heads above the yellow foam. Without a moment's hesitation -the stranger leaped from the bank to the nearest, and so from rock to -rock, till he stood far out near the centre of the raging river. - -Nick watched him with straining eyes. Was there still a bare chance? -No! At that moment an eddy swept the canoe away to the left. With -a groan Nick realized that she would pass far out of reach of his -would-be rescuer. - -The canoe shot like an arrow toward the lip of the fall. Nick waved the -broken stump of his paddle in farewell to the figure on the rocks. - -The latter's right arm whirled up, and, with a sharp hiss, a coil of -rope flashed out and dropped clean and true across the canoe. - -Nick snatched at it with the energy of despair. As it tightened, the -canoe was drawn away from under him, and he, dragged over the stern, -was struggling in the rushing water. - -A minute of gasping, stifling battle among the tumbling, roaring waves. -The strain on the rope was so tremendous that it seemed to Nick that -either it must break or the man who held it must be pulled off his -slippery perch. - -But neither happened, and inch by inch the boy was drawn in, until a -hand grasped him and pulled him, gasping and exhausted, onto the solid -summit of the bowlder. - -"Can you jump?" He heard an anxious voice. "The water's still rising. -It'll be over the rock soon." - -"You bet I can," replied Nick, struggling to his feet and shaking -himself like a dog. - -"Come on, then!" cried the other. And, sure-footed as a goat, he sprang -across six feet of raging torrent to the next rock. Nick set his teeth -and followed, and in another minute was safe ashore beside his rescuer. - -"Mean to say you live here all alone!" exclaimed Nick Salveson in blank -amazement, as he looked round the bare little log hut a little later. - -"Yes, for the last four months, ever since my father left." - -"Did he go down to the coast?" - -"I wish he had. No, he went inland, over the Big Snowies!" - -"Great Scott! What for?" asked Nick bluntly. - -"Gold," replied the other. "I'll tell you about it. My name's -Glenn--Roger Glenn. We came here a year ago prospecting. We heard -there was gold down here, but we didn't do much, and an Indian who was -snowbound here last winter told my father that there was rich placer -ground the other side of the mountains." - -"But no one's ever been across there," objected Nick. "There's no pass." - -"The Indian told us there was. He made a map. Here's a copy of it." - -"So your dad tried it?" said Nick, staring curiously at the rough map. - -"He went the first of June last, and I've not seen or heard of him -since. He said he'd be back in six or eight weeks." - -"Gee, but that's bad," replied Nick sympathetically. "What do you -reckon you are to do?" - -"What can I do?" cried young Glenn bitterly. "I'm mad to go after him, -but I haven't a red cent to grubstake myself or buy a pony or dogs or a -sledge." - -Nick stared in silence at the other for some seconds. Then he said -slowly: - -"Say, Mr. Glenn, that flood may have done us both a good turn. What -d'ye say to taking me along in your trip over the Snowies?" - -Roger stared violently. - -"B-but----" he began. - -"No 'buts' about it. I'm running this outfit. Look here, Roger--I guess -you don't mind my calling you by your first name--I'm pretty well -fixed. My people are dead; they were killed in the earthquake in San -Francisco. I'm my own boss, though I am only eighteen, and I came up to -Alaska this summer to get a holiday before I go to the university next -Christmas. There isn't a thing I'd like better than a trip over the -Snowies, and if we're smart we'll do it and be back before winter hits -us. Are you agreeable?" - -"I don't know how to thank you," said Roger brokenly. - -"Then don't worry to try, old man," replied Nick comfortably. "Just fix -up a mouthful of grub, and give me a bunk. We ought to start before -sun-up to-morrow morning." - - * * * * * - -"Seems to me, Rube, you were a bit out in your reckoning," said Nick as -early one morning, ten days later, he looked out of the tent and found -the landscape white with snow. - -Rube shook his grizzled head. - -"'Tain't that altogether, boss. I reckon we're a matter of four -thousand feet higher than your summer camp. Winter comes here a sight -sooner than down in them river valleys. Howsomever, it ain't deep, and -it'll melt when the sun gets good an' strong." - -All that day the little party of three struggled up a narrow valley -that wound ever upward into the heart of a maze of great snow peaks. -Over and over again tall cliffs loomed up in front, and it seemed as if -they could go no further. But always there appeared some fresh opening, -and bit by bit they won their way upward toward the summit of the range. - -"I reckoned as I knew this here country's well as any," said Rube, -staring thoughtfully up at a tremendous pyramid peak, the snow on which -was gold and crimson in the light of the setting sun. "But this beats -me. 'Tain't on any map as ever I seed." - -"The Indian said no white man had ever crossed it," said Roger. - -"Hed he bin across hisself?" inquired Rube. - -"No. He told dad that none of his tribe had ever been across. And when -dad asked him why, he only shook his head, and said something about its -being the country of two-tailed devils." - -"How did he know of this here pass then?" demanded Rube. - -"The map was given him by his father. It had come down goodness knows -how many generations. He tried awfully hard to persuade dad not to go." - -"They've got a mighty queer lot of legends about these mountains," put -in Nick. "You couldn't pay any Injun I ever saw to put foot on 'em." - -They camped that night in bitter cold and deep snow on the very summit -of the pass. Rube took Nick aside. - -"Say, boss, do you reckon we're ever going to find Roger's dad?" - -Nick shrugged his shoulders. - -"I don't know. Roger says that before he left his father told him he'd -blaze a trail, so as if anything went wrong his son could come along -after. Roger found his father's mark on a tree near the eastern end of -the pass." - -"Seems to me the chances are ez something hez happened to old Glenn," -said Rube thoughtfully. "Chewed by a b'ar, I reckon. Or maybe had a -fall. It's a fool job fer any man to come into country like this by -hisself." - -"I guess I'm going as far as Roger wants," said Nick, "Seeing what he's -done for me, it's about the least I can do for him." - -"You're right, boss," said Rube. "He's a real white, that boy is!" - -"If we don't find his father, I'm going to take him back to the -States," said Nick. "But that's a bit o' news you can keep to yourself -for the present." - -Next morning the sun shone brilliantly on the snow, and, looking down, -the party saw, thousands of feet below them, an unknown country covered -with a forest heavier than any of them had ever seen before. - -"Mighty curious-looking country this," observed Rube doubtfully, as -they slipped and slithered down the steep snow-covered rocks. "I don't -reckon I ever seed woods as thick as them before." - -"What's that queer-looking little plain halfway down?" asked Nick. -"Looks like a clearing of some kind." - -A smile crossed Rube's leathery face. - -"Thet's a pond, boss. It's fruz over, an' the snow's laying thick on -it." - -Further down they came to a place where the only possible track lay -along the bottom of a three-hundred-foot slope, steeper than the roof -of a house and thick in snow, which glared blinding white in the -morning sun. The opposite slope was covered with the amazingly thick -forest which they had seen from above. - -"Go keerful," said Rube. "'Twouldn't take a great deal to start a -snowslide down them rocks." - -"Seems as if something had been falling already," said Roger suddenly. -"Look at these pits in the snow." - -He pointed to a hole in the snow. It was circular and about two feet -deep. - -"Now that's strange," exclaimed Nick. "There's a whole row of 'em." - -Rube looked at the queer marks, grunted, and shook his head. He hadn't -a notion what they were, but did not like to betray his ignorance to -the boys. - -"Reckon best not talk," he growled. "Don't take much to start snow -a-sliding." - -For the next half mile no one spoke. Twice more Roger noticed a series -of the same queer marks in the snow. Also in two places there seemed to -be regular roads beaten back into the thick underbrush of the snowclad -forest on their right. He did not pay much attention. His eyes were -fixed on the tree trunks. - -Suddenly he gave a shout. - -"Dad's mark!" he cried, pointing to a blaze on a big trunk by the path. - -The words were hardly out of his mouth before there came a deep -crashing sound from somewhere behind. - -"Yew've done it now!" cried Rube. "That's the snow!" - -"Not a bit of it," retorted Nick. "It's coming from the wood." - -"Blamed if you ain't right!" exclaimed Rube. "Thet beats all. I never -heerd a snowslide come down through a wood afore." - -"It's not snow; it's something alive!" shouted Roger. "For heaven's -sake, look there!" - -Rooted to the ground with sheer amazement, the three saw the forest -wave as if it were grass, heard the crashing of great boughs and trunks -breaking like nettles under a boy's stick. - -There came a scream like the escape of steam from an express engine, -and then there burst out from the forest a beast so huge and hideous -that those who saw it stood gasping, unable to believe their eyes. - -As large as a four-roomed cottage, in shape it resembled an elephant. -It was covered all over with a thatch of coarse, reddish hair, and high -above its monstrous head it waved a trunk of incredible size. On each -side of this trunk curled vast tusks, and its small, bloodshot eyes -glowed with bestial fury. - -Again came that awful trumpeting. Instantly both the pack ponies were -off at a mad gallop. - -"Run!" shrieked Rube. - -The warning was needless. Nick and Roger were off as hard as their -shaking legs could carry them, and behind them came the monster at a -shambling gallop, which, in spite of the snow, covered the ground at -terrific speed. - -Again he trumpeted, and one of the pack ponies, mad with fright, tried -to wheel sideways into the wood. The poor brute slipped and fell, -rolling over and over. Before it could regain its feet the monster was -upon it, and, lifting pony, pack, and all, bodily in its trunk, flung -it against the cliffside with such frightful force as must have broken -every bone in its body. - -The momentary delay gave the others a few yards' start; but almost -instantly the gigantic brute was on their track again, and the solid -ground shook beneath its ponderous weight as it thundered down the -slope. - -It could not last. The monster was gaining at every stride. Already -Roger felt his breath failing. There was no cover; in fact, the pass -was opening out wider and wider as they went. - -"Try the trees!" shrieked Nick to Roger. - -"No," came a gasp from Rube. "The lake! That's our only chance!" - -They were close by the side of the little frozen lake, and the boys saw -Rube wheel and dash down the steep bank. - -It seemed madness, for on the open ice they were at the mad brute's -mercy. Roger was for going straight on, but Nick seized his arm and -swung him to the left and onto the lake. - -Another of those ear-piercing squeals. Roger, glancing back over his -shoulder, saw the gigantic bulk of their enemy come plunging down the -sharp descent toward the ice. It rushed straight toward him as though -certain of its prey. - -Then came a rending crack, and the whole surface of the ice rose and -fell beneath the feet of the fugitives. A crash like the explosion of -a shell, a terrific bellow, and a wave of icy water rushed across the -frozen snow. - -"That's done it!" came an exulting yell from Rube; and, swinging round, -the boys were just in time to see the domelike head of their terrible -enemy sink amid a lather of broken ice and foam. - -For another second or two that terrible trunk waved high in the air, as -the huge beast fought for its ancient life in the hole its ponderous -bulk had broken. Then this, too, vanished. The last of the mammoths had -sunk into the depths. - -While the three stood in awe-stricken silence, watching the black water -heave and bubble, there came a loud shout from the woods at the far end -of the lake. A burly man in furs stood waving a rifle. - -With a shriek of joy Roger tore away across the ice toward him. - -"Reckon that's his pa," observed Rube. - -"Guess so," agreed Nick. "We might as well go and see." - -"Dad!" cried Roger, as Rube and Nick came up. "If it hadn't been for -these good friends I could never have come to look for you." - -"Then," said the man in furs with a grave smile, "I'm afraid I should -have been hung up here for the term of my natural life." - -"What--did that old hairy elephant chase yer?" exclaimed Rube. - -"He did, and I got away by the skin of my teeth by climbing a cliff," -replied Mr. Glenn. "I've been living up in the hills ever since. Time -and again I've tried to find another way out, but there isn't one, and -for the life of me I didn't dare risk conclusions a second time with -the mammoth." - -"I reckon he won't trouble us no more," said Rube dryly. "Say, though, -I'd like to have had them tusks. They'd be worth a mint o' money in the -States." - -"They'd be awkward to carry," smiled Mr. Glenn. "They'd weigh about a -quarter of a ton apiece. What do you suppose they'd be worth?" - -"A thousand dollars, I reckon," said Rube. Such a sum represented -wealth untold to the old trapper. - -Mr. Glenn put a hand in his coat pocket, and pulled out a lump of dull -yellow metal as big as his fist. - -"This isn't worth quite that much," he said quietly, as he handed it to -Rube. "But I'd be glad if you'd take it as a sort of consolation prize." - -"Great gosh! It's a twenty-ounce nugget!" gasped Rube. - -"Yes, and plenty more where that came from," said the prospector. - -He turned to his son. - -"Roger, I've made the strike of a lifetime. Now to get back to Dawson -before the snow comes." - - - - -WATCH THE SKY. - - -The different colors of the sky are caused by certain rays of light -being more or less strongly reflected or absorbed, according to -the amount of moisture contained in the atmosphere. Such colors -do, therefore, portend to some extent the kind of weather that may -naturally be expected to follow. For instance, a red sunset indicates -a fine day to follow, because the air when dry refracts more red or -heat-making rays, and as dry air is not perfectly transparent, they are -again reflected in the horizon. A coppery or yellowish sunset generally -foretells rain. The following has been advocated as a fairly successful -way of prognosticating: Fix your eye on the smallest cloud you can -see: if it decreases and disappears, the weather will be good; if it -increases in size, rain may be looked for. - - - - -LATEST ISSUES - - -BRAVE AND BOLD WEEKLY - -All kinds of stories that boys like. The biggest and best nickel's -worth ever offered. =High art colored covers. Thirty-two big pages. -Price, 5 cents.= - - 331--Two Chums Afloat; or, The Cruise of the "Arrow." By Cornelius - Shea. - - 332--In the Path of Duty; or, The Fortunes of Officer Dan Deering. By - Harrie Irving Hancock. - - 333--A Bid for Fortune; or, True as Steel. By Fred Thorpe. - - 334--A Battle with Fate; or, The Baseball Mascot. By Weldon J. Cobb. - - 335--Three Brave Boys; or, Adventures in the Balloon World. By Frank - Sheridan. - - 336--Archie Atwood, Champion; or, An All-around Athlete's Career. By - Cornelius Shea. - - 337--Dick Stanhope Afloat; or, The Eventful Cruise of the _Elsinore_. - By Harrie Irving Hancock. - - 338--Working His Way Upward; or, From Footlights to Riches. By Fred - Thorpe. - - 339--The Fourteenth Boy; or, How Vin Lovell Won Out. By Weldon J. - Cobb. - - 340--Among the Nomads; or, Life in the Open. By the author of - "Through Air to Fame." - - 341--Bob, the Acrobat; or, Hustle and Win Out. By Harrie Irving - Hancock. - - 342--Through the Earth; or, Jack Nelson's Invention. By Fred Thorpe. - - 343--The Boy Chief; or, Comrades of Camp and Trail. By John De Morgan. - - -MOTOR STORIES - -The latest and best five-cent weekly. We won't say how interesting it -is. See for yourself. =High art colored covers. Thirty-two big pages. -Price, 5 cents.= - - 6--Motor Matt's Red Flier; or, On The High Gear. - - 7--Motor Matt's Clue; or, The Phantom Auto. - - 8--Motor Matt's Triumph; or, Three Speeds Forward. - - 9--Motor Matt's Air-Ship; or, The Rival Inventors. - - 10--Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon House Plot. - - 11--Motor Matt's Daring Rescue; or, The Strange Case of Helen Brady. - - 12--Motor Matt's Peril; or, Castaway in the Bahamas. - - 13--Motor Matt's Queer Find; or, The Secret of the Iron Chest. - - 14--Motor Matt's Promise; or, The Wreck of the _Hawk_. - - 15--Motor Matt's Submarine; or, The Strange Cruise of the _Grampus_. - - 16--Motor Matt's Quest; or, Three Chums in Strange Waters. - - 17--Motor Matt's Close Call; or, The Snare of Don Carlos. - - 18--Motor Matt in Brazil; or, Under the Amazon. - - 19--Motor Matt's Defiance; or, Around the Horn. - - 20--Motor Matt Makes Good; or, Another Victory for the Motor Boys. - - -TIP TOP WEEKLY - -The most popular publication for boys. The adventures of Frank and Dick -Merriwell can be had only in this weekly. =High art colored covers. -Thirty-two pages. Price, 5 cents.= - - 681--Frank Merriwell's Patience; or, The Making of a Pitcher. - - 682--Frank Merriwell's Pupil; or, The Boy with the Wizard Wing. - - 683--Frank Merriwell's Fighters; or, The Decisive Battle with - Blackstone. - - 684--Dick Merriwell at the "Meet"; or, Honors Worth Winning. - - 685--Dick Merriwell's Protest; or, The Man Who Would Not Play Clean. - - 686--Dick Merriwell In The Marathon; or, The Sensation of the Great - Run. - - 687--Dick Merriwell's Colors; or, All For the Blue. - - 688--Dick Merriwell, Driver; or, The Race for the Daremore Cup. - - 689--Dick Merriwell on the Deep; or, The Cruise of the _Yale_. - - 690--Dick Merriwell in the North Woods; or, The Timber Thieves of the - Floodwood. - - 691--Dick Merriwell's Dandies; or, A Surprise for the Cowboy Nine. - - 692--Dick Merriwell's "Skyscooter"; or, Professor Pagan and the - "Princess." - - 693--Dick Merriwell in the Elk Mountains; or, The Search for "Dead - Injun" Mine. - - -_For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt -of price, 5 cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by_ - -STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York - - -=IF YOU WANT ANY BACK NUMBERS= of our Weeklies and cannot procure them -from your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct. -Fill out the following Order Blank and send it to us with the price -of the Weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail. -=POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY.= - - - ________________________ _190_ - - _STREET & SMITH, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York City._ - - _Dear Sirs: Enclosed please find_ ___________________________ - _cents for which send me_: - - TIP TOP WEEKLY, Nos. ________________________________ - - NICK CARTER WEEKLY, " ________________________________ - - DIAMOND DICK WEEKLY, " ________________________________ - - BUFFALO BILL STORIES, " ________________________________ - - BRAVE AND BOLD WEEKLY, " ________________________________ - - MOTOR STORIES, " ________________________________ - - _Name_ ________________ _Street_ ________________ - - _City_ ________________ _State_ ________________ - - - - -A GREAT SUCCESS!! - -MOTOR STORIES - - -Every boy who reads one of the splendid adventures of Motor Matt, which -are making their appearance in this weekly, is at once surprised and -delighted. Surprised at the generous quantity of reading matter that we -are giving for five cents; delighted with the fascinating interest of -the stories, second only to those published in the Tip Top Weekly. - -Matt has positive mechanical genius, and while his adventures are -unusual, they are, however, drawn so true to life that the reader can -clearly see how it is possible for the ordinary boy to experience them. - - -_HERE ARE THE TITLES NOW READY AND THOSE TO BE PUBLISHED_: - - 1--Motor Matt; or, The King of the Wheel. - - 2--Motor Matt's Daring; or, True to His Friends. - - 3--Motor Matt's Century Run; or, The Governor's Courier. - - 4--Motor Matt's Race; or, The Last Flight of the "Comet." - - 5--Motor Matt's Mystery; or, Foiling a Secret Plot. - - 6--Motor Matt's Red Flier; or, On the High Gear. - - 7--Motor Matt's Clue; or, The Phantom Auto. - - 8--Motor Matt's Triumph; or, Three Speeds Forward. - - 9--Motor Matt's Air Ship; or, The Rival Inventors. - - 10--Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon House Plot. - - 11--Motor Matt's Daring Rescue; or, The Strange Case of Helen Brady. - - 12--Motor Matt's Peril; or, Cast Away in the Bahamas. - - 13--Motor Matt's Queer Find; or, The Secret of the Iron Chest. - - 14--Motor Matt's Promise; or, The Wreck of the "Hawk." - - 15--Motor Matt's Submarine; or, The Strange Cruise of the "Grampus." - - 16--Motor Matt's Quest; or, Three Chums in Strange Waters. - - 17--Motor Matt's Close Call; or, The Snare of Don Carlos. - - 18--Motor Matt in Brazil; or, Under the Amazon. - - 19--Motor Matt's Defiance; or, Around the Horn. - - 20--Motor Matt Makes Good; or, Another Victory for the Motor Boys. - -To be Published on July 12th. - - 21--Motor Matt's Launch; or, A Friend in Need. - -To be Published on July 19th. - - 22--Motor Matt's Enemies; or, A Struggle for the Right. - -To be Published on July 26th. - - 23--Motor Matt's Prize; or, The Pluck That Wins. - -To be Published on August 2nd. - - 24--Motor Matt on the Wing; or, Flying for Fame and Fortune. - - -PRICE, FIVE CENTS - -At all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receipt -of the price. - - STREET & SMITH, _Publishers_, NEW YORK - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - - -Added table of contents. - -Bold text is represented with =equal signs=, italics with _underscores_. - -Page 1, Added comma after "Joe McGlory" in list of "Characters that -appear in this story." - -Page 10, restored missing period to last sentence of chapter VI. - -Page 29, corrected "Rufe" to "Rube" ("miss me except old Rube"). - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Motor Matt's Enemies, No. 22, July 24, -1909, by Stanley R. 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