Evidently the other finally agreed to abide by the decision of his leader; for they both relapsed into temporary silence.

"I _must_ find some chance to jump!" Frank said over and over to himself, after having heard what had pa.s.sed between the two men back of him.

To do it then and there invited a dislocated shoulder when he struck the hard ground. And then again there was that ugly, shiny thing which Jim had taken such deliberate pains to show him; he did not fancy being used for a target.

"How far along are we now?" asked Jim, close to his ear.

"About five miles out of Fayette, I think?" replied Frank, who had frequently come over this some course on his wheel, and knew the country well.

"Huh! that's encouraging. Keep her going like she is, bub. You seem to know how to run a machine, all right. Steady! there comes something ahead. Give 'em the horn, boy, and steer to the right, d'ye hear! Not a peep as we pa.s.s, remember!"

Again came that wicked punch in the small of Frank's back.

"I'll remember," he said, hastily, as he turned as far out as the nature of the road permitted, and at the same time caused the horn to give a few croaks.

It was another auto approaching, as the several lights announced.

Frank's heart seemed to be in his throat as the two machines rapidly approached each other. What would he not have given for a chance to shout out, and tell the parties who were in the other car that he was held under duress, and compelled to play the part of chauffeur to these fugitive rascals; but he dared not, with that desperate wounded man right at his back.

Judge to his astonishment when he saw that the other car held a number of Columbia people, among the rest Minnie Cuthbert and her father. He only had a quick glimpse of them as the two machines pa.s.sed; but it was enough to show him a look of sheer astonishment on the face of the girl, which told that she must have recognized him.

"h.e.l.lo! Frank!" came a voice booming after them, as the other car slowed down suddenly; and he believed that it must be Mr. Cuthbert who called, possibly influenced by Minnie.

"Silence! not a word, do you hear?" exclaimed Jim, emphasizing his words with a further display of significant pushes with that hard object.

"And keep her going, kid, keep her going right along," added the other man, grimly.

"Are they turning around, Bart?" demanded the stout party, savagely.

"Naw. Nothing doing this time. There they start up again, and headin' the other way. It's all right, pard, all right sure."

"Lucky for them it is," grunted Jim; though he sighed in relief because the peril had pa.s.sed; "them fellers seemed to know you, son?"

"Yes, they are Columbia people," replied Frank, shortly, for he had experienced a bitter disappointment when he realized that this sudden little chance had slipped away without helping his forlorn cause a mite.

Three more miles or so had been pa.s.sed over when suddenly there flashed into his mind a brilliant idea that promised results. Just ahead was a bridge over Juniper Creek, quite a good sized stream that flowed into Harrapin River above Clifford.

Pa.s.sing down the incline that led to the bridge, Frank managed to make the car act wobbly, as though there might be something the matter. And as it ran on to the boards of the bridge itself, he brought it to a sudden stand.

"What's wrong here?" demanded Jim, angrily.

The engine had stopped working.

"I'll get out and see," observed Frank, suiting the action to the word, and opening up the hood of the car.

"Don't you try to run away, son, if you know what's good for you,"

said the man, after Frank had used a wrench on the engine. "Try cranking her again, and see if she refuses to work. There--hold on, you fool--why, he's crazy, Bart!" for Frank had suddenly whirled around, and taken a plunge over the side of the wooden bridge into the cold waters of Juniper Creek!

[Ill.u.s.tration: FRANK HAD SUDDENLY PLUNGED OVER THE SIDE OF THE BRIDGE.]

CHAPTER XVIII

MATCHING WITS

"After him, Bart! We mustn't let him get away!" exclaimed the stout man, as he hurriedly climbed out of the tonneau of the automobile.

"Not me! I ain't hankering after a cold bath just now," answered his companion, who had jumped out on the other side, and was running around.

"Run down to the bank and get hold of him, if you can!" continued Jim, harshly.

This seemed at least reasonable, and Bart had no objections to trying to do something along such lines.

"Don't see anything of him here!" he announced a minute later, as he appeared below, and ran along the bank of the stream.

The moon had gone behind a cloud, as though wishing to favor the escape of the unwilling chauffeur.

"Hang the luck! Well, come up here then, and we'll put off. P'raps I might manage with my other arm. We can't hang around here, with time flying. The town's close by. Hurry up, Bart!"

But when Bart reached his side, he found the other breathing out threatenings in a fashion that denoted a new difficulty.

"What's wrong now?" asked the slim man, who was panting from his exertions.

"That clever little scamp has dished us, that's what; carried away the spark plugs of the machine with him, and without them we might as well try to move this bridge. I was a fool to trust him one second. We've just got to find him, Bart, that's all there is to it! Either that, or walk into Fayette, and perhaps lose that train. Come on back again. You take one side, and I'll look over the other. He's there, sure, unless he got drowned, and that I don't imagine is the case."

Bart was fully awake to the great necessity of finding the boy, after hearing what Frank had done as he jumped from the car. Each of them hurried around the approach of the bridge, and slipped down the bank.

"Any sign of him over there, Jim," called Bart, as he pushed his way into the bushes and reeds that bordered the creek.

"Don't see none yet, but keep on further down. Like as not as he just drifted with the current a bit, and then crawled out. Get him, if you find his tracks, I feel like I could do something to him for playin' this trick on us. h.e.l.lo!"

"What's doing, boss?" called the other.

"Here's where he crawled out, all right," replied Jim, excitedly.

"How d'ye know it is?" demanded the other, across the water of the creek.

"It's all wet. I'll follow it up, and nab him in a dozen winks. He can't have got far away, I reckon."

"What d'ye want me to do, Jim?" called his companion, after a wait.

"Go back to the bridge, and cross over here."

"All right. Keep right after him. The moon's going to come out again right soon. If you see him, give him a shot to make him stop!" and shouting in this vein, Bart turned to retrace his steps back to the bridge.

He was somewhat out of wind by the time he had half mounted the abrupt bank that served as the base for one end of the bridge. All at once he heard a sound that electrified him. It was the cranking of the car!