The Motor Boys Overland | Page 8

suddenly turned from the main road, and took a path
leading through the fields.
"That ends it!" exclaimed Jerry. "No use trying to follow him. Our auto
isn't built for 'cross-country riding."
He slowed up, turned around, and, with a last glance in the direction
Noddy Nixon's former toady and friend had taken, sent the car back
toward the lonely hut.
Meanwhile, Ned, after his companions had started on the chase, had
struck a match and lighted the candle in the cabin. He found the old
miner, for such the boys correctly guessed him to be, lying unconscious
in a corner. The belt, with the gold-dust was gone, though a few grains

of the precious metal were scattered over the floor. Ned found a pail of
water in the place. He bathed the old man's head and poured some of
the fluid down his throat.
"Where am I? What happened?" asked the old man, opening his eyes.
Then he passed his hand over his head. His fingers were stained with
blood.
"You're all right," spoke Ned. "I'll take care of you. What's your name
and where did you come from?"
"Don't let him rob me!" pleaded the old miner. "I have only a little gold,
but I need it. I know where there is more, much more. I'll tell you, only
don't hit me again. I'm sick, please don't strike poor Jim Nestor!"
"No one is going to hurt you," said Ned, in soothing tones, but the old
man did not seem to comprehend. Ned felt of the miner's head, and
found he had a bad cut on the back. He washed it off with some water
and bound his handkerchief around it. This seemed to ease the old man,
and he sank into a doze.
"Well, of all the queer adventures, this is about the limit," spoke Ned,
to himself.
The boy glanced about the hut. There was nothing to throw any light on
the strange happenings. The candle flickered in the draught from the
open door, and cast weird shadows. The man breathed like a person in
distress. Ned was about to bathe the wounded man's head again, when
the sound of the automobile returning was heard.
"What luck?" asked Ned, running to the door. "Did you get him?"
Whereupon Jerry told of the fruitless chase after Jack Pender. The three
boys entered the hut, and Ned told his chums what he had done to
relieve the miner.
"He's got a bad wound on the head," he went on. "I guess Pender must
have hit him. Jack probably came this way, saw the old man in here

sick, and unable to help himself, and watched his chance to rob him.
There must have been considerable gold-dust in that belt."
Jerry stooped down and gathered a little from the floor.
"There is some mystery here," he said. "I think we had better get a
doctor for the old miner. After he gets better he may talk. I'd like to get
my hands on Pender for a little while."
"So would I," chorused Ned and Bob.
"The question is, shall we take the old man back in the auto with us, or
run back to town and bring out a doctor?" went on Jerry.
"I think we'd better go get a doctor and fetch him here," was Ned's
opinion. "It might injure the old man to move him."
This was voted the best plan. They made the unconscious miner as
comfortable as possible on the bed of rags, placed the pail of water
where he could reach it, and prepared to run back to town. Ned
volunteered to stay with the miner until they returned, but Jerry advised
against it, as the hut was on a lonely road.
It did not take long to reach Cresville. Dr. Morrison was routed out of
bed by the boys, and agreed to return with them in the auto, when the
case had been explained to him.
"Just wait until I get dressed," he said, "and pack up some instruments
and I'll be with you."
While waiting, Jerry examined the auto to see that there was plenty of
water and gasolene in the tanks. He found everything all right.
While Dr. Morrison was making ready to relieve the sufferings of the
miner in the hut, Jack Pender, on his motor-cycle, was still speeding on,
to get as far away as possible from those in pursuit of him. When he
turned from the road and cut across lots he thought very likely that the
auto would not follow. But he was taking no chances, and, when he

emerged into the highway again, about a mile farther on, he still ran his
machine at full speed.
"That was a close call!" he exclaimed. "Who would ever have thought
that