CHAPTER XIX.
THE AUTO STOLEN.
For a few moments the silence of despair was on every one. The knowledgethat they were imprisoned in the cave came as a terrible shock.
"Is there no way out?" asked Nestor.
"Now don't you folks go to worryin'," spoke Broswick, in a more cheerfulvoice than seemed warranted under the circumstances. "I've been intighter places than this, an' come out on top!"
"But we're buried!" cried Professor Snodgrass, who, for once, seemed tohave forgotten all about his beloved specimens.
"That's nothin'," spoke Broswick. "You thought you was all goners whenthem cattle was comin' after you, but I got you out, an' I'm goin' to dothe same now!"
"You can't burrow out like a rabbit," said Ned.
"I've got a little instrument here that will help me," said the hunter."I never travel without a spade on my saddle. I've lost too many rabbitsan' woodchucks through not havin' the means to dig 'em out, so I alwayscarry a shovel along. I reckon it will come in handy. If I only had alight now----"
"No need to worry about that," put in Nestor. "It would be a pretty poorminer that traveled without a bit of candle and some matches with him. Ialways go prepared for emergencies."
He struck a match, a yellow glow filled the cave, and soon a candle gavegood illumination. The boys could see that the cavern was of large size.
"I've often stayed in here to keep out the rain," said Broswick, as hegot his spade, "but I never was ketched like this before."
Guided by the candle, the hunter went to the mouth of the cave andbegan digging away the mass of earth and rocks that had slid down andobstructed the opening.
"Goin' to be quite a job," remarked the miner, as he looked over themass. "It'll take a good while."
"There's plenty of us to do the work," replied Broswick.
He attacked the pile and made the dirt fly. After he had labored fifteenminutes Nestor relieved him. The miner, from his experience in digginginto the earth, made more progress than had the hunter. Nestor kept atit for more than half an hour, refusing to yield the spade to any one.
"There," he said, when he stopped to rest, "I've made quite a hole."
The boys and Professor Snodgrass took turns, and then Nestor went at itagain.
"I wish I had a drink," remarked the miner. "This is dry work."
"Nothin' easier," said Broswick. He took a second candle, which theminer had, and walked to the rear of the cave.
In a little while he returned with a big gourd full of cold water.
"What sort of a magician are you?" asked Jerry.
"There's a spring back there," explained Broswick. "Many's the time I'vetaken a drink at it and the last time I was here I brought this gourdfor a dipper. Now it comes in handy."
Each one took a draught of the cool water and felt the better for it.Then Nestor insisted that he was going to continue the digging. Theothers wanted to relieve him, but he would not let them. He plied thespade vigorously and the dirt was scattered to one side.
"Light! Light!" the miner cried, suddenly. "I can see light! We'renearly out!"
A few more strokes of the shovel made the opening larger and then, witha shout and hurrah, the imprisoned adventurers rushed forward.
"Why! Why! It's night!" exclaimed Bob, as he emerged from the cavern andsaw the stars shining.
"Of course it is," answered Nestor. "It was late afternoon when we tookshelter in the cave, and we were there more than three hours."
"Well, we're out now," said Jerry. "I wonder if the auto was damaged."
The storm had ceased and the night was a fine, clear one. The moon wasshining from a cloudless sky and thousands of stars were out. Jerry ranon ahead to the tree under which the auto had been left, for the machinewas his chief concern.
He paused as he reached the spot. Then he rubbed his eyes and wonderedif he was seeing straight. He even pinched himself to see if he wasawake.
"What's the matter?" asked Ned, who was following close behind his chum.
"The auto is gone!" cried Jerry.
"Gone?"
"Yes. Stolen!"
"What's that?" exclaimed Nestor, running up.
Jerry pointed under the tree. There was not any sign of an automobile.
"That's funny," observed Broswick. "It couldn't fly away, that's sure."He led his horse from the cave up to the road and stooped down toexamine the path closely.
"Let's have one of those candles," the hunter called to Nestor. Lightingthe wick the old man examined the road with care, moving about in acircle and then going backward and forward for quite a distance.
"Well?" inquired Nestor, when the hunter straightened up.
"Some one came along in another auto while we were in the cave," saidthe hunter, "pulled up here alongside of yours, hitched on to it andpulled it away, or else rode off in it."
"What makes you think so?" asked Jerry.
"I haven't hunted an' trapped twenty years for nothin', young man,"was the answer. "I can see the tracks your machine made as it stoppedunder a tree. Then along comes another machine, with tires a leetle mitesmaller'n yours. Auto No. 2 stops. Some one gits out from it an' looksover your auto, for I kin see marks of hob-nailed shoes, an' none of uswear 'em."
"Hob-nails, did you say, eh?" here interrupted Nestor.
"That's what I said."
"Then Tom Dalsett has been here."
"How do you know?"
"Look an' see if the soles of the hob-nailed shoes didn't have a crossin each one."
"They did," replied the hunter, inspecting the tracks.
"Then it's Tom Dalsett for sure. He always wore shoes like that, an' Iseen 'em on him when he was at Dead Man's Gulch."
"Then Noddy and his gang have stolen our auto!" cried Jerry.
"That's about it," assented Nestor. "However, we mustn't give up yet.We'll take after 'em."
"Not much chance of getting them, though," put in Ned.
"You're welcome to my horse," said Broswick. "He ain't very fast, buthe's better than nothin'."
"There's no use doin' anythin' to-night," was the miner's opinion. "We'donly get lost on the road, and I don't know but what we're lost already.We'll have to camp until mornin'."
After some consideration this was voted the best thing to do. It wasa sorrowful band of adventurers that gathered about the fire whichBroswick made, for the hearts of the boys were dispirited over the theftof their machine, and the men sympathized with them.
Fortunately, the hunter had some bacon left, and a meal, such as it was,the travelers made on this. Then, selecting the driest places they couldfind, they prepared to spend the night in the open, without coverings.It was cold, but by keeping a good fire going some comfort was had.
When the sun rose the adventurers got up, stretched themselves andwondered what they were going to do for breakfast.
"Leave it to me," said Broswick. "I'm used to providing meals."
He was gone some little time, and when he came back he had severalplump birds. These were cleaned and were soon roasting over the fire onsticks. It was a good deal better meal than might have been expectedunder the circumstances.
Then, with the hunter riding his horse, and the others following, thejourney in search of the stolen auto was begun. The marks made by thebroad tires of the two machines could be plainly seen.
"I wouldn't care if I had my valuable specimens," wailed ProfessorSnodgrass.
"We'll git 'em, an' the auto, too," said Broswick. "Don't you worry."
They had covered several miles and were descending a long hill, whenJerry called out:
"What's that ahead, there?"
They all stopped and peered down the road.
"There are two autos!" cried Nestor. "One looks like ours. I'm going tosee about it."
And he started off on a run.
The Motor Boys Overland; Or, A Long Trip for Fun and Fortune Page 20