Part 5 (1/2)
”Which way was it headed? Try to tell me as nearly as you can.”
”It was headed over Bear Hill, near the Spring. That would about take it over Rayville.”
”Thank you, Tom; then I'll call up somebody in Rayville. Good-bye.”
”Oh, say, Sam, hold on a minute. You say the machine broke away. How was that?” Tom Bender was all curiosity.
”We were trying the engine and propellers, that's all. I'll tell you the rest when I see you,” answered the youngest Rover, and rang off. ”Tom would keep me answering questions for a year if I let him,” he added, to his brothers.
He next tried the Rayville general store, but could get no information concerning the missing biplane. Then he tried several farmers who were utter strangers to him but whose names were in the telephone directory.
”Airs.h.i.+p, eh?” queried one farmer, a man named Peter Marley. ”Well, we sure did see an airs.h.i.+p, fer it came nigh onto rippin' off the roof o'
the barn. Ef I had the feller here as was runin' it I'd give him a dose o' buckshot! He nigh scart my wife into a fit, he did!”
”Which way did the airs.h.i.+p go, Mr. Marley?”
”Went right over into Rocker's Woods,--over where the old saw mill used to be.”
”Did the airs.h.i.+p come down, do you think?”
”I guess so--leas'wise she looks like she was goin' to come down. But who was the crazy loon as was runnin' her?”
”n.o.body was running the craft--she ran away on her own hook.”
”By gum! Ye don't tell me! No wonder she acted so blamed crazy like! Any reward fer her?” And the farmer's voice betrayed a sudden interest.
”I don't know--I'll find out,” answered Sam, and then consulted hastily with his brothers.
”Tell him the biplane is ours and if he will help locate it and get it to a safe place we will pay him well for his services,” said d.i.c.k.
”When can we go to Rayville?”
”First thing in the morning. There's a good road, and we can make the sixteen miles in the auto in no time.”
”All right,” said Sam, and told Peter Marley of what had been said. The farmer agreed to remain around his house until they arrived and then do all in his power to help locate the _Dartaway_.
”d.i.c.k, do you think you'll be able to take that trip?” questioned Randolph Rover. ”Hadn't you better remain behind? I can go with Tom and Sam if necessary.”
”Oh, I'll be all right in the morning,” was the reply.
”But you've got to let me and Sam run the machine,” put in Tom. ”No use of your doing that.”
”All right,” answered the eldest Rover boy.
That night, when the others had gone to bed, the three Rover boys gathered in d.i.c.k's room to discuss further the news regarding Josiah Crabtree and Tad Sobber.
”Do you suppose it is possible that Sobber thinks to come here and blow the house up?” queried Tom.
”He might be equal to it,” answered d.i.c.k, soberly. ”We'll have to keep our eyes peeled, and, when we go back to Brill, we'll have to warn dad and Uncle Randolph.”