CHAPTER XXX.
AN ESCAPE--CONCLUSION.
At midnight Nestor awoke Broswick, who was to take the next watch.
"All quiet?" asked the hunter.
"As a churchyard," replied the miner.
"How about Berry and Pender?"
"They haven't moved."
"All right; turn in."
Nestor was soon snoring, and Broswick began his vigil. The moon began tomove over toward the west, and the only sounds heard were the hoots ofowls or the barking of foxes.
Suddenly the hunter paused in his walk about the camp. His trainedear told him somebody or something was approaching. He could hear thebreaking of twigs and the rattle of stones as they were stepped on.
"That's a human being," decided the hunter. "No animal would be asclumsy as that in making an approach."
He waited, with his rifle ready.
"If it's some one coming to rescue Stoneham they'll get a warmreception," he whispered to himself.
The noise came nearer. Then the bushes off to the left partedcautiously, and Broswick heard a soft whisper:
"Hey, Bill! Hey, Jack! Where are you?"
"It's that Noddy Nixon chap," Broswick muttered. "He must have come backin his automobile after the deputy sheriff released him at sundown. NowI wonder what I'd better do?"
"Hey, Bill!" Noddy called, in a little louder whisper, "can you sneakaway? I have the machine ready."
This time a movement near where Bill Berry and Pender were lying toldthat they had heard the summons. Broswick silently drew back intothe shadows and waited to see what would happen. He did not think itnecessary to arouse the others yet.
Berry rose to his feet and peered about him. Jack followed. They weretrying to locate Noddy's whereabouts.
"Here I am!" whispered Noddy. "Right by the oak tree."
As quietly as they could, Pender and Berry began sneaking off to oneside, avoiding the light cast by the camp-fire.
"Shall I let 'em go or stop 'em?" debated Broswick with himself. "GuessI'll let 'em go. We don't want 'em, for they're more trouble thanthey're worth. But I'll give 'em a good scare."
He raised his gun and fired two shots in the air, over the heads of theescaping man and boy. Their frightened yells told how startled they were.
In an instant the camp was in confusion. Every one awoke, Nestorstanding ready with a revolver in either hand.
"What's the matter?" he cried.
"Only Noddy coming back for his two friends," replied Broswick.
"Have they escaped?"
The hunter raised his hand to indicate silence. A crashing of theunderbrush told in which way the fugitives were heading.
"There they go," said Broswick.
The sheriff had quickly assured himself that Stoneham was still securelybound.
"Shall we take after Noddy and Pender?" asked Broswick.
"What's the use?" asked Nestor. "If we had them arrested it would onlymake trouble for us. Let 'em go. I got some of my gold back from Pender."
"Yes, let 'em go," assented Jerry.
"Hark!" exclaimed Ned.
All listened. The faint chugging of an automobile was heard, graduallydying away in the distance.
"I guess that's the end of 'em," remarked Nestor.
Once more quiet settled down on the camp, and there were no otherdisturbances that night. The shining of the sun through the trees awokethe campers, and soon coffee was made and a simple breakfast ready.
"Now if one of you will run down to town in the automobile, with me andmy friend Stoneham here," said the sheriff, "I'll be obliged to you."
Jerry agreed to make the trip, and Nestor said he would go along, as hewanted to do some business at the Government Assay Office. The mine wasleft in charge of Broswick, Professor Snodgrass, Ned and Bob.
"Don't let anybody jump the claim," cautioned the miner with a laugh, ashe rode off, Jerry steering the automobile down the valley.
"There'll be trouble if they try it," said the hunter, looking at hisgun.
No accidents occurred during the automobile trip. Town was safelyreached, and the sheriff lodged his prisoner in jail. Nestor transactedhis business with the Government agent, and then Jerry headed themachine back for the camp. There they found everything in good shape.
"Now that our troubles are about over, an' we're in possession of ourmine, it won't be a bad idea to dig out a few nuggets for luck," saidNestor.
"Can we have one?" asked Bob.
"Why, sure, Chunky," replied the miner. "The claim's part yours, jest asit is mine. We're goin' to share an' share alike in this deal. I'd neverhave got to this mine if it hadn't been for you boys. Have a nugget?Well, I guess yes."
They went to the top of the hill, and Nestor and Jerry descended theshaft. This second trip more than confirmed the first view of therichness of the mine. The rocky sides of the shaft were fairly studdedwith small nuggets. Nestor dug out some with his knife, and Jerry didlikewise.
"There's about one hundred dollars," remarked the miner after half anhour's work, showing a handful of dull, golden pebbles. Jerry had aboutthe same amount.
"Now we've got to git ready to work this claim," said Nestor. "I'llattend to all that, seein' as how I'm familiar with the business. But,first, we'll go up an' show the others what we have."
As they neared the top of the shaft they heard quite a commotion on thesurface. The voices of men in dispute could be heard.
"I wonder what's the trouble now?" Nestor said.
Coming out of the shaft he found the summit of the hill surrounded byfifty or more roughly dressed men, all bearing mining tools on theirbacks. They stood in a circle while Broswick, with cocked rifle, washolding them at bay.
"What's the matter?" asked Nestor.
"They allowed they was goin' to jump this claim," said the hunter.
"Excuse me, pardner," spoke one of the crowd, who seemed to be a sort ofleader, addressing his remarks to Nestor. "I take it you're in chargehere?"
"That's what," replied the miner.
"Waal, we ain't goin' to jump nobody's claim. We're a bunch of miners,an' we've come all the way from Spread Eagle Valley to this region,hearin' as how there was good claims here. Are we right?"
"You be," replied Nestor, "an' you're welcome. There's the stakes of ourclaim," and he indicated them.
"All filed reg'lar an' 'cordin' to law, I s'pose?" went on the spokesman.
"Right," answered Nestor. "You can locate anywhere you like outside ofmy claim."
"That's all we wanted to know," went on the other. "Come on, boys!" hecalled to his companions. "It's all right!"
The whole valley was soon a scene of great activity, with miners stakingclaims on every side. They were eager with the desire for gold.
Within a week the whole region fairly swarmed with the gold seekers,for the section was rich with the precious metal. But no claim was asvaluable as that of the lost mine which Nestor and the boys had found.
Arrangements were made for working the claim, machinery was ordered,and soon pay-dirt was being taken out in large quantities. A morecomfortable log cabin was erected in place of the rude shack that servedas a temporary shelter, and the boys began to enjoy life in the newdiggings.
One of the first things they had done when they were sure of thepossession of the mine was to write back home and tell their parents ofthe good luck.
Jerry suggested that in the missives each one should ask permission toremain at the gold mine for some time longer, and perhaps make a furthertrip before returning to Cresville.
"I wonder if we'll get any letters by this mail?" asked Ned one evening,when, after the day's work was done, they all sat about the camp-fire.
"We'll soon know," said Jerry. "Here comes Nestor back from town, and itlooks as if he had something in his hand."
The miner approached, riding Broswick's horse.
"Here's the postman!" he cried, waving some papers in the air. "Lettersfor each of ye!"
Three anxious boy
s opened three envelopes and soon were busy readingthe missives. Then came three simultaneous whoops of delight.
"I can stay!" yelled Bob.
"Me, too!" exclaimed Jerry.
"And me!" came from Ned.
"I don't blame your folks for lettin' ye stay," put in Nestor. "You'remakin' money here every day out of this mine."
The parents of the boys had wisely concluded that it would be a goodexperience for their sons to develop the mine further, since they seemedto be in good hands under Nestor's guidance, and able to take care ofthemselves.
"We'll have no end of good times," said Bob, trying to turn a handspringon the grass, but tumbling down in the effort.
"I'd feel better if I was sure we had seen the last of Noddy and Pender,as well as Bill Berry and that Dalsett chap," spoke Jerry.
"Oh, they'll never bother us again," came from Ned. "They're runninglike scared rabbits. We'll never see them again."
But Ned was wrong. They did meet Noddy and his three companions oncemore, and under strange circumstances, as will be related in the nextvolume of this series, to be entitled "The Motor Boys in Mexico; or, TheSecret of the Buried City."
"Let's go to bed," suggested Jerry, as the camp-fire died out. And theywent to their bunks in the log cabin as the moon rose over the trees andcast a silver gleam over the machinery at the shaft of the gold mine.
The Motor Boys' trip overland had panned out very well, indeed.
THE END.