In another minute they were halting alongside the vehicle which contained two athletic-looking men with strong faces, who were apparently well fitted for dealing with desperate characters.
“Howdy, boys, and you, sir!” said one of the officials. “Now, I don’t suppose you’ve seen anything of a precious pair of escaped convicts around this section of country? We’ve traced ’em this far, and we’ve got a hound in the back of the rig here that can run a trail, if only he gets a start; but we want to find their tracks first.”
“Why yes, we can tell you where they were about an hour or so back,” said Hugh; and then as rapidly as he could he narrated how the two rascals had tried to steal the valuable instruments of the wrecked aeronaut they had been rescuing.
“I noticed, too, that one of the men had lost his cap, and you’ll find it lying there under a tree,” Hugh finished. “That will do for your hound to sniff, so as to get the scent he needs. And I hope you’ll cage the fellows again, because they look like hard cases.”
The men asked a few more questions, and then proceeded to tie their horse to a tree back a little from the road. Hugh was tempted to ask the loan of the rig, with a promise that it would be returned in an hour. But as the farmhouse was now only a short distance away and as Mr. Perkins needed some sort of stimulant to sustain him through the remainder of the trip, he concluded that he had better not.
The last they saw of those officers, they were hurrying along the trail that would take them past the spring, and up to the spot where the stranded balloon told the tale of the wreck and rescue.
Five minutes later the little party arrived at Farmer Appleby’s place. He was in the field, but the good woman of the house sent a child out to call him, meanwhile starting to brew a pot of strong coffee and setting a table, after the generous way of farmers’ wives.
Mr. Appleby immediately consented to hitch up his team and take the injured man into town, nor would he hear of being paid for such a little service.
The boys managed to eat more or less of the good things put before them, while first one and then another of the party told the story of the balloonist’s rescue. And then, as Mr. Perkins declared himself feeling fit to make the last run of the journey to a doctor, the scouts went back for the hidden wheels,—all but Hugh, who sat up on the driver’s seat with the wounded aeronaut between himself and Mr. Appleby.
At Hugh’s request the farmer promised to keep the secret of the rescue, for the leader, having reasons of his own, did not want it known just yet.