CHAPTER X.
THE DOOR IN THE HILLSIDE.
In spite of Siwash Charley's threat, Matt struggled as fiercely as hecould. With a muttered curse, the ruffian drew back one fist.
"Steady there, Siwash!" cried Murgatroyd. "Don't be any rougher withhim than you can help. Wait! I'll come down there and lend a hand whilewe get a rope on him."
Murgatroyd picked up a rope from the bottom of the car, jumped to theground and came rapidly up behind Matt. Between the two of them, thescoundrels succeeded in bearing the young motorist to the ground andputting lashings on his hands and feet.
Siwash Charley lifted himself scowling and drew his shirt sleeve acrosshis damp forehead.
"He's a fighter, all right," he muttered, "but he kin gamble on it thatwe've got the upper hand o' him now."
"You took the girl away and got Siwash Charley, eh, Murgatroyd?" askedMatt.
"You're a young man of rare perception," was the broker's sarcasticresponse.
"You'll both pay for this," went on Matt steadily.
"Who'll make us pay?" grunted Siwash Charley. "Not you, my bantam. I'vegot inter enough trouble on your account, an' I ain't intendin' ter gitinter any more."
This was a luminous remark of Siwash Charley's. Matt would have likedto ask him how he expected to keep out of trouble by continuing hislawless work, but there was not time. Lifting the prisoner roughlySiwash Charley heaved him onto the seat in the tonneau, and slammed thedoor; then Siwash got up in front. Murgatroyd was turning the engineover. When he was done, he climbed to the driver's seat and started thecar. He did not go on toward Sykestown, but, as before, made in theopposite direction.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Matt.
"Ye'll know," answered Siwash Charley, turning around savagely, "whenye find out--an' not afore."
"Where are you taking me?" persisted Matt.
"Ye'll find that out quicker'n ye'll find out the other."
There was clearly no satisfaction to be got out of Siwash Charley.
"Something will happen to that a?roplane," said Matt, "if it's leftalone on the prairie."
"Don't worry erbout that thar flyin' machine. We're goin' ter take keero' it."
"Murgatroyd," cried Matt, "if you do any more injury to that machine,you'll have to pay for it."
"Sing small," answered the broker, giving all his attention to hisdriving; "you'll be a whole lot wiser before I'm done with you."
"That machine," went on Matt, "is to be delivered to the government,at Fort Totten, on the first of next month. If it isn't, I'll lose thesale of it. If you keep me from making the sale, you'll have to pay thegovernment price--fifteen thousand dollars."
Siwash Charley lay back in his seat and guffawed loudly.
"Talks big, don't he, Murg?" said he.
"Talk's cheap," was the laconic answer.
Owing to his bonds, Matt had difficulty in keeping himself upright onthe seat while the automobile pitched and slewed along the road.
When two or three miles had been covered, Murgatroyd turned the machinefrom the road and drove toward a range of hills, or coteaus, thatfringed the horizon in the northwest.
Over the crisp, crackling grass the heavy car passed, now and thenchugging into a gopher hole and slamming Matt around in the tonneau.
When they had reached the foot of the hills, Murgatroyd followed alongthe foot of the range and finally halted.
"This will do," said the broker. "Take the ropes off his feet, Siwash,and make him walk. I guess he won't try to get away. You can keep agrip on him and I'll trail along with the rifle."
"Oh, I guess he won't try any foolishness with me," cried Siwash,swinging down from the car, "not if he knows what's best fer him."
Opening the tonneau door, Siwash Charley reached in and removed therope from Matt's ankles.
"Come out here," he ordered.
Murgatroyd stood up in front, rifle in hand, and watched to see thatthe order was obeyed. Matt supposed that all this was to keep him fromgoing to Traquair's homestead and helping Mrs. Traquair. But, bound ashe was, and with two desperate men for captors, he was helpless.
Without a word he got up and stepped out of the car. Siwash Charleycaught his arm and led him toward a steep hillside, Murgatroydfollowing with the rifle. At the foot of the almost perpendicular wallof earth they stopped.
"Hold the gun on him, Murg," said Siwash, "while I fix the winder so'stter throw a little light inter the dugout."
"Go ahead," answered the broker curtly.
Siwash stepped apart. Matt, with ill-concealed astonishment, saw himpush a hand along the hillside and push back a square curtain ofcanvas painted the color of the yellowish brown of the dried grass. Asmall window was revealed. To the right of the window another curtainwas lifted, disclosing a door. Siwash opened the door and stepped backwith an ill-omened grin.
"Conduct the gent inter the hang-out, Murg," he leered.
"Go on," ordered Murgatroyd, touching Matt with the muzzle of the rifle.
"What kind of a place is this?" asked Matt, hesitating.
"Look at it from the inside an' mebby ye'll have a better notion ofit," answered Siwash, grabbing Matt's arm and hustling him through thedoorway.
Motor Matt's heart sank when he looked around at the earthen walls ofthe excavation. It looked like a prison, and undoubtedly it was to be aprison for him.
"I'll make him lay down on the shelf," observed Siwash, "an' tie himthar."
"Put him in a chair and tie him to that," said Murgatroyd. "He'll haveto lie down at night, and change of position will be something of arest for him. I don't want to be any rougher than we have to."
"Bah!" snorted Siwash. "From the way ye talk, Murg, a person 'u'd thinkye had a weak heart. But I know diff'rent. I shouldn't think ye'd be soonreasonable when ye stop ter think o' the hole this feller's got usboth inter."
"He's going to get us out of the hole, and give me something I've setmy heart on, besides. I reckon he's entitled to all the considerationwe can give him."
Siwash kicked a chair forward and pushed Matt into it; then, withanother rope, he tied the prisoner with coil on coil, drawn taut abouthis legs, waist, and shoulders. When Siwash was done, Matt could hardlyshift his position an inch.
"Now," proceeded Murgatroyd briskly, "we'll have to hurry. I left myniece at a farmhouse, and I want to get back there and make sure thatshe doesn't cause any trouble."
"Trouble? What kind o' trouble kin she make?"
"She's not used to this sort of work, and it was tough luck that shewas in the car when Motor Matt came along in that flying machine. She'svery much put out with me because I fired a bullet into the a?roplanein order to stop Motor Matt. She's a girl of spirit, and I must talkwith her to make sure she doesn't do something that will play hob withmy plans."
"Wimmen ain't no good, anyhow," growled Siwash Charley. "Will ye goright on ter Sykestown ter-night?"
"I think not. It will be best to stay at the farmhouse until I makesure whether my talk will do any good. If I think Amy will leave myhands free, we'll make for town in the morning."
Murgatroyd turned to Matt.
"Where's McGlory?" he asked.
"I don't know," Matt answered.
"Was he to meet you in Sykestown?"
Matt was silent.
"Ye kin gamble, Murg, that cowboy feller was ter meet him some'r's.Wharever ye find one of 'em ye're purty sure ter find t'other. I'mwonderin' why McGlory wasn't in the flyin' machine along with MotorMatt."
"If they were to meet anywhere," said Murgatroyd, "it was in Sykestown.Motor Matt would hardly try to rescue Mrs. Traquair alone."
A snaky smile accompanied the last words. Siwash Charley chuckled.
"It worked like a house afire," the latter muttered.
"Bring writing materials, Siwash," said the broker.
The other went to a box cupboard, swinging against the wall, andbrought out some paper and envelopes, a bottle of ink and a pen. Thesehe placed on the table i
n front of Murgatroyd.
"How many letters ye goin' ter write, Murg?" queried Siwash, hangingexpectantly over the table.
"Three," replied the broker. "One letter will be sent to LieutenantCameron, another to Joe McGlory, and another to Mrs. Traquair."
Matt could not understand these allusions to Mrs. Traquair. If she wasa prisoner at the homestead, why was Murgatroyd writing a letter?
It required an hour's time to write the three letters. Murgatroydallowed Siwash to read each one as soon as it was finished.
Siwash became jubilant as the reading progressed. When the last letterhad been gone over, he brought his fist down on the table with asmashing blow.
"They'll do the trick, by jinks!" he declared. "Ye'll git what ye'rearter, Murg, an' so'll I. Thunder, but I wisht I had your head!"
"It takes something of a head to make money and keep out of jail, thesetimes," laughed Murgatroyd, getting up.
The letters were folded and put in the addressed envelopes, andMurgatroyd slipped the three missives into his pocket.
"I'm off, now, Siwash," said he, stepping toward the door. "It may takea week to wind up this business, and it may not take more than threedays. See that the prisoner don't get away, whatever you do."
"Waal, ye kin bank on me from the drap o' the hat!" cried SiwashCharley effusively. "Blamed if I ever had anythin' ter do with sich aslick game as this afore, an' it does me proud ter have a hand in it.Count on me, Murg, count on me!"
With a derisive grin at Motor Matt, Murgatroyd stepped through the doorin the hillside. A few moments later Matt could hear his automobilegliding off across the prairie.