CHAPTER XXX PURSUED

"Well, we got away in good shape!"

"We sure did; and fooled those fellows."

Thus spoke Paul and Innis.

"I'll show you that my car can go some, Mr. Cameron," said Dick, as he turned on more power.

"It may need to," answered the engineer.

"Why so?"

"Sam and Bill aren't going to give up so easily. And they have a speedy machine."

"You mean they may follow us?"

"I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they did. You know they were paid to see that no hostile interests got at me."

"And we might be regarded as 'hostile interests'; is that it?" inquired Dick, with a smile.

"Somewhat; yes. So put as many miles between them and us as you can. They're sure to discover, sooner or later, that I have gone, and they'll pursue us. But I think I put one over on them at that."

"How?" asked Paul, from the rear of the car, for Dick was driving.

"I poured water in the gasoline tank. They may be able to run for a few miles, but they're sure to stall sooner or later."

"Then there's no use in worrying," said our hero, and he had almost slowed down his car, when Mr. Cameron said:

"Don't bank too much on that. They carry an extra supply of the 'gas,' and they're sure to find out, in a little while, what the trouble is. They're both experts, and they were sent off with me on that account. Also, your Uncle Ezra's agents considered that it might be necessary for me to make a quick shift, so they provided a powerful car, and plenty of gasoline, though he did object most strenuously to the price."

"I can imagine him doing that," agreed Dick, with a laugh. "Well, then, we'll keep on for a while longer, and remain dark. It won't be so easy for them to trace us then, as this car makes very little noise for its size."

"I noticed that," said Mr. Cameron.

On they shot, over the desert. It was about an hour since they had left the dry gully where they had picked up the young engineer, and they had covered several miles.

Once Dick halted his machine, while they listened for any sounds of pursuit, but they heard none. If the other car was coming after them it was either following silently, or was so far back that no sound of its motor carried over the desert.

"And so you put water in their gasoline tank?" chuckled Dick, as he recalled what his guest had said.

"Yes, they were both playing 'seven-up,' and disputing over some intricate point, when I just took one of the water cans, and emptied it into the gas tank. I thought I ought to do something after their having taken most of the tricks so far."

"That was all right!" rejoined Dick. "I'd like to see them when they stall."

"Well, really I owed them something like that," went on the young engineer. "They had things their own way long enough. To think how I let them fool me makes me mad! And yet I believed what they told me—that they were in the right—I mean your Uncle Ezra and his friends—and of course as long as I was paid for my legitimate work, I saw nothing wrong in not coming to court to testify, particularly when they said that the other side had been guilty of the same kind of practice.

"But I see their game now. They thought I would never hear the other side. It was the luckiest thing in the world that I stumbled into your camp last night. It was fate. Do you believe in fate?" he asked Dick.

"I certainly do," answered that young man. "That is why I stuck those valuable papers—at least, they were valuable at one time—back of that glass where anyone could see them," and he told of the experiences he and his chums had gone through.

In turn Mr. Cameron related some of his life's story. He was all alone in the world, having been left a small inheritance by his father. He took up the study of civil engineering, and made a success of it.

It was by accident that he had been hired by Mr. Larabee's agents to make the survey, and the rest followed by a "trick of fate," as he described it.

"I needed the money they promised to give me," he said, "or perhaps I should not have gone into the matter at all. I am intending to set up in business for myself, and the amount the lawyer named was very acceptable. I never stopped to think that I might be doing some one an injustice. The fact of the matter is, that I thought the trickery was on Wardell's side."

"I hope you are convinced now that it was not," said Dick.

"I am, perfectly. I think your Uncle Ezra, not to put too fine a point upon it, as the celebrated Mr. Snagsby would say—I think your Uncle Ezra rather put one over on me."

"I believe he did," said Dick, "and I'm glad I can be the means of correcting the wrong."

"And what will Uncle Ezra say when he finds it out?" asked Paul, with a chuckle.

"I'm afraid," answered the young millionaire, "that he'll have a fit; won't he, Grit?"

The animal growled, as he nearly always did at the mention of Mr. Larabee's name. Grit and Mr. Cameron, however, had made friends at once.

They drove on for a few miles farther, stopping now and then to listen for sounds of an auto coming after them, but they heard nothing. Then, as the way was getting rough, Dick decided to light the lamps, since it was hardly possible now for the two men to see them over the desert.

A short halt was made for this purpose, and then they got under way again. There was the coming of a pale light in the east, and Dick, looking toward it, said:

"The sun will soon be up. We'll keep on as far as we can in the cool of the day, and then halt in the best place we can find, for the engine easily gets overheated on this sandy desert. After rest, and a breakfast, we'll keep on."

All thought this was a good plan, and it was followed. They had put many miles between themselves and the two men when they slackened speed for the morning meal. The sun seemed to come up with a "pop" from the sandy waste, and immediately it was warm.

"Thank goodness we haven't much more of this desert," said Dick, as he helped his chums to prepare breakfast. "We can make better time when we get on harder ground."

"Are you going right into 'Frisco?" asked Innis.

"As straight as I can," answered Dick. "I don't want to run any more chances than I have to, and there's no telling what the other fellows may do when they find that Mr. Cameron has deserted them."

"Would they telegraph in to the lawyers?" asked Paul.

"Very likely they would."

"Then they may be waiting for us when we arrive," said Dick. "We'll have to be careful."

"I agree with you," spoke Mr. Cameron. "Once they know I have gone over to the other side—the right side—they will do their best to discredit me. They may even cause my arrest on some trumped-up charge, to prevent me from going into court and giving my evidence to save Mr. Wardell's fortune."

"Then we'll be careful that they don't get you," said Dick, with a laugh. "I'll have some more coffee, Paul."

They were putting away the breakfast things, playfully scattering the wooden plates over the sand, when Innis, who had gone to the rear of the car, to look at the brake band, that needed a slight adjusting, called out:

"I say, Dick, they're after us!"

"Who?"

"Mr. Cameron's guards. There's a car coming over the desert behind us."

They all ran to look, and there, in the distance, could be seen a cloud of dust.

"Maybe it's a stage coach," suggested Paul.

Dick focussed a pair of field glasses on the cloud. Then he exclaimed:

"It's an auto, all right, and it must be after us, though I can't make out the kind of a car it is. Still, we'll take no chances. Come on, fellows, let's get a move on!"

They tumbled into the Last Word and were soon speeding off over the sand.

"Lucky there isn't much more of this," said Paul. "We can't make any time here."

"And if we don't run into another sand-bog we'll be lucky," added Innis.

"We simply mustn't do that," declared Dick. "You fellows watch out, and so will I. We don't want to be delayed, for they would catch up to us then."

"They'll have hard work to get me to go back with them," spoke Mr. Cameron, grimly.

"Well, we don't want a fight if we can help it," said our hero. "If we can beat them, so much the better," and he glanced back to where the other auto was coming on in pursuit of the big car. Then Dick turned on more power, and watched the road ahead keenly. He wanted no accidents now.

But the auto behind was coming on swiftly. It was a powerful car, and was traveling light, while the Last Word carried a heavy load.

"But they sha'n't catch us!" murmured Dick.

From behind there sounded a report like that of a gun.

"A blow-out!" cried Paul.

"No, they're trying to signal us—with revolvers," said Mr. Cameron, with a chuckle.