“We’re off!” cried Ned. “Come on, Andy.”
Be it said to the credit of the small chap that he kept his head admirably in this emergency. He was neither excited, nor did he make his chums nervous by his rapid-fire talk, as he sometimes did.
While Ned and Andy were on their way to the moored motor boat to get help, Jerry and Bob made Professor Snodgrass as comfortable as possible. There was little they could do, however, that they had not already done. Or, rather, they were afraid of moving or disturbing him too much, for fear of making his injuries worse.
The afflicted man moaned once or twice, and moved uneasily on the cot bed. Now and then he mumbled something; but what it was neither Jerry nor Bob could distinguish. Once, however, Jerry heard the professor say:
“I can prove it! I’ll not let them keep the land! It was a fraud on me and on them!”
“What does he mean?” asked Bob, wonderingly.
“Hush!” cautioned Jerry. “He may hear you. I fancy he is talking about that clay deposit in our swamp.”
“And maybe he knows something that will let your mother get the land back,” suggested the stout lad.
“Maybe,” assented Jerry. But he had little hope.