as soon as the farmer disappeared, the boys started off once more, taking the left-hand road. after riding five or six miles, they entered a thick woods and about a half a mile farther on they came to a bridge, leading over a small, shallow stream. this bridge had been newly repaired as they could see that the plank flooring had been but little used.
"by jimminy, but i believe we're getting warm now," cried bob, as he stopped his wheel on the bridge. "see where the road leads down through the brook there?"
"yes," replied jack leaning over the rail. "they must have crossed that way while the bridge was being fixed. but what of it?"
"just this of it. i remember that just a few minutes after we turned into the main road that night, the machine suddenly stopped and then turned down a very rough, steep place just like this, and after going a few feet, came back into the road again, and i'll bet my cap that this is the place. 160funny i didn't think of it before, for this bridge brought it to my mind. they hadn't taken the blindfold off then, so, of course, i couldn't see anything, but, this is the place sure as guns, and that road can't be more than a mile off."
"well, come on," urged jack, impatiently, as he mounted his wheel, "we'll soon find it if you're right."
they rode on slowly, closely watching the right-hand side of the road and had not gone quite a mile when jack's keen eyes spied a slight break in the thick trees.
"hurrah!" he called, "here's something that looks promising"; and then as bob came up, "there's your woods road and there's your gully."
"i believe you're right, now what had we better do?"
"how far do you think the house is from the road?"
"not more than a third of a mile i should say. now i don't think we'd better take the wheels in there, because the road is so rough that if we should have to make a quick getaway, we could go much faster without them."
"then let's hide them in the bushes and hoof it," proposed jack.
"i kinder hate to leave them, but i guess it's the best way out. come on."161
they led the motorcycles along the woods road for perhaps a dozen yards and then turned off into the thick wood to the left, and after pushing along about two rods, bob suddenly said:
"there's just the place, right by that birch tree. the bushes in front there are so thick that no one can see them."
pushing on they carefully hid them there and then turned back to the road.
"i don't think we'd better follow the road," advised bob, "for we might meet some one. let's go parallel to it, but through the woods a little to the left." this they did and had gone about a quarter of a mile when jack whispered:
"say bob, do you know we left the caps on the wheels?"
"gracious, that's so; think we'd better go back and get them?"
"oh, i guess they'll be all right; we must be most there now. let's risk it."
so they pushed on, and had gone but a little farther, when bob, peering through the trees, saw an opening in the woods, and a moment later a low two-story log house, standing on the farther edge, was visible. jack was a few feet behind and, placing his finger on his lips, bob motioned him to come on.
"that the place, sure as guns," he whispered, 162"right out in front here is where i had that fight with reed."
"guess you're right, but i don't see any signs of life there, do you?"
"no, but we'll camp down here a while and watch."
bob had hardly spoken, when they heard a low growl a little to their left.
"goodness, there's a dog," whispered jack, and the next moment a huge mastiff, similar to the one they had seen with the farmer, sprang toward them.
"quick, bob, your pistol," gasped jack.
the boys always carried water pistols, loaded with strong ammonia water, when they went off on their motorcycles, and now they were to stand them in good stead. as jack spoke, he jumped back, reaching for his pistol, which he carried in his back pocket, but before he could get it out the dog was upon him. quickly thrusting forward his left arm, the dog caught him by the elbow, but the stout canvas, of which their jackets were made, prevented the sharp teeth from going through. by this time, bob had his pistol out, and stepping forward, he shot the contents fairly into the face of the enraged beast. he let go his hold and with a loud yelp of pain, sprang backward, and began wildly clawing the dirt and leaves.
"did he bite you, jack?" asked bob anxiously.
"nope, nary a bite, you were too quick for him. 163but i think we'd better hike out of here. if there's anybody in that house, they must have heard that howl, and will likely investigate."
"that's right, you know we promised mother not to run any risks; come on."
hastily they began to retrace their steps, but as there were no signs of pursuit, they soon slowed up a little.
"don't believe there was a soul there," panted jack, "but we found the house and that's one good job done anyhow, and i guess we'd better be content with that for today, but i would have liked to take a peep in that house."
by this time, they were in sight of the tree where they had left the wheels, but, when they hurried forward to drag them out, to their great consternation, no wheels were there.
"jerusalem!" gasped bob, "they're gone!"
"well, what do you know about that?" echoed jack. "if this isn't a pretty kettle of fish! are you sure this was the place?"
"'course it is. here's the big birch tree and you can see where the bushes are trampled down. oh, if we'd only taken those caps with us! but come on, we mustn't stand here doing nothing. we've got to get those wheels back, and let's hurry out to the road and see if we can see anything of them."
as they hurried along, bob continued, "if king or reed spotted us i guess it's all up, but it may be 164that some country lout saw us leave 'em there and has swiped 'em. if that's the case, we may get 'em back."
"we'll do our best anyhow," panted jack, as they raced along.
they soon reached the main road, and quickly looked both ways, but nothing of the wheels was to be seen.
for a moment the two boys looked at each other in helpless despair, then jack, casting his eyes on the ground, said:
"here, quick, bob, see here's their tracks."
sure enough, in the dusty road the tracks of two wheels, leading in the direction from which they had come, were plainly visible.
"see, here's our tracks on this side of the road and there's the others," and a second later he added, "there's only one fellow; see where he walked between 'em."
"right you are, sherlock," shouted bob, "come on now, on the run."
they set off at a rapid pace, their hopes away up. they ran nearly two miles, both being in good training, before they saw any one, then as they rounded a turn, they saw the object of their pursuit, walking rapidly about two hundred yards ahead of them, between the two wheels.
"come on now as fast as you can leg it," said 165bob, "let's get as near him as we can before he sees us."
they were within two hundred feet of the thief, when he turned and saw them.
"hey, you, drop those wheels!" shouted jack.
the man hesitated a minute and then dropped the wheels on the road and, springing to one side, started off across a field at the top of his speed. in another minute they had reached the wheels, and with a cry of joy, jack grabbed his up saying:
"guess we're in luck again." but the next moment his spirits were dashed, when bob suddenly cried:
"look, jack, he's taken one of my caps." then, before jack could speak, he said: "you look out for this wheel, i'm going after that chap."
the man by this time was some distance away and running as fast as he could go, but bob remembered that a little farther along a road branched off to the left, and hoping to cut him off, he jumped on jack's wheel and fairly flew down the road in a cloud of dust. coming to the branch road he turned and had ridden but a short distance when he saw the man climbing a fence, beside the road, just a little ahead. so quietly did the wheel run that bob was nearly upon him before he was aware of his presence. he was a tall fellow, about twenty years old, dressed in overalls. seeing that bob was alone, he made no further attempt to escape, 166but stood in the middle of the road panting, as bob came up.
stopping the wheel and jumping off, he demanded:
"see here, what do you mean by taking our wheels?"
"huh, don't yer wish yer knew? what yer going ter do about it anyhow?" he asked with a sneer.
"well," replied bob slowly, "you've taken a cap off one of the machines and if you give it to me at once, there'll be no trouble, but if you don't, why i'll just naturally have to take it away from you, sonny."
the tall youth laughed loudly, then stepping closer to bob, shook his fist in his face, saying:
"i'm not saying i got the cap, but, if you think i have, mebby you'd better pitch in right now 'fore you forgit it."
bob knew that the country youth was much stronger than he, as he was all of thirty pounds heavier, but he had taken several lessons in wrestling and boxing, and also was familiar with a number of the holds of the japanese which had been taught him by a jap friend. he therefore felt confident of his ability to handle the country boy, unless he had a similar training, which he doubted.
"won't give it to me then?" asked bob.
"give yer nothing," the farmer boy started to 167answer, but before he had time to finish, bob had made a rush and grabbed him round the waist.
"easy now or you'll be apt to get hurt," he said, as he clasped his arms round bob's shoulders.
this was exactly what bob wanted, and giving a sudden twist to his body, he exerted all his strength, and threw the fellow fairly over his head. he came down with a heavy thud and was probably more surprised than he had ever been before in his life. he was not hurt, however, and quickly jumping to his feet, he made a wild rush for bob, shouting:
"i'll fix you for that, you blamed dude."
he was more careful this time, however, and for two or three minutes they sparred, neither being able to strike a decisive blow. bob found that the fellow was by no means ignorant of the art of boxing, as he soon got a blow on the nose, which made it bleed freely, but as one of his opponent's eyes were closed, he felt that he was at least holding his own.
"blame yer, i'll get yer now," and the fellow aimed a powerful blow at bob's head. if he had landed, his words would undoubtedly have come true, but bob jumped nimbly to one side, and the country boy nearly fell forward from the impetus of his blow. bob saw his chance, and quickly jumping forward, he grabbed him round the neck and, getting his knee in the small of his back, he pulled 168his head backward, a trick he had learned from the jap.
"gosh amighty, yer breaking my neck," gasped the fellow, now absolutely helpless, and the more he struggled, the more bob's grip hurt.
bob knew that he had him at his mercy, and freeing one arm, while he held him tightly with the other, he reached into the pocket of his overalls, and to his joy, pulled out the stolen cap. but his troubles were not yet over, for just then he heard the sound of rapidly approaching steps, and turning, he saw the farmer, who had questioned them that noon coming towards them on the run and only about one hundred feet away.
