“Great hambones, Dave! you certainly have had an experience!” was Roger’s comment. “Let me look at that ear. I declare! it’s quite swollen. I hope it didn’t hurt anything inside,” he added anxiously.
“It rings and aches a little, Roger; but I don’t think it is seriously hurt.”
“How about your shoulder?”
“That feels a little sore, but that’s all. I’ll soon get over it.”
“And to think you got so close to capturing him and then he got away!” was the sad comment of the senator’s son. “It does beat all how slippery some of those rascals are.”
“I’m living in hope that those farmer boys will locate Porton,” said Dave. “I promised them a reward of ten dollars if they did so. That’s a lot of money for lads living around here.”
Now that he had rejoined Roger, and had gotten partly over the effects of his encounter with Porton, Dave was rather loath to give up the hunt. They managed to find a store where the proprietor occasionally furnished lunches, and there procured some sandwiches and hot chocolate. Then they drove to Barnett by the regular highway, and there took another look around for the missing evil-doer.
“The boys have gone down to the woods to look for him,” announced the farmer when Dave called on him once more. “If they learn anything I’ll let you know.”
That evening found Dave and Roger back in Crumville, where, of course, they had to relate the details of what had happened.