CHAPTER XXX

THE TWO-TAILED LIZARD

Seconds seemed stretched into minutes, and minutes into hours, as the boys waited. They spoke little, not even when they went down to look at the _Scud_. She was in shallow water, and could easily be pulled up on shore, and the leaky seams made tight.

“She lasted as long as we needed her,” remarked Jerry, simply.

It must have been two hours later, perhaps more, when Dr. Brown came out of the cabin. His clothes smelled of ether and iodoform as he greeted the boys, saying:

“It’s all over.”

“Is he--will he----?” faltered Jerry.

“He will recover, unless some complication sets in,” was the answer. “The operation was a complete success. Oh, it was worth watching, to witness the masterly manner in which Dr. Wright worked! I am under obligations to you boys for giving me the opportunity.”

“It is we who are in your debt,” responded Jerry. “Can we see him?”

“Oh, indeed no. He has not come out of the ether yet. I doubt if you can see him before to-morrow noon. You had best go to bed. The doctor and the nurses will look after him.”

And, worn out with their nights’ vigils--Jerry and Bob from their long trips, and Ned and Andy from watching--they all felt the need of rest and sleep. But sleep came only fitfully at first, until, toward morning, when they all fell into heavy slumber.

They were awakened by Dr. Brown at their tent.

They found the professor paler and thinner than before, but looking better in spite of that, for he was out of pain. The relief of the operation, given under merciful insensibility of ether, had delivered him from the grip of pain.

“I--I want to talk to you, Jerry,” he said, faintly.

“Not too much,” cautioned Miss Payson.

“It--it will relieve my mind,” was the low reply of the sick man. “I have something to tell Jerry.”

They would not let him tell it all then, but he said enough to let Jerry know that fraud had been practiced by the Universal Plaster Company, and that fraud, Jerry was sure, was sufficient to set aside the sale, on the part of his mother, of the valuable lands in the swamp.

In a few days Professor Snodgrass was able to tell the whole story.

“I had no idea of the medical value of that yellow clay until, on one of my trips after insects, I met Fussel and Professor Bailey,” he said. “I know now that they are scoundrels, but I had no idea of it then. They asked me to test the yellow clay for certain ingredients, and I did so. I found them there, and they told me their plan--to impregnate the clay with certain medicines. I then saw how valuable a use of it could be made, and I gave them a testimonial of its worth. They paid me well. But if I had thought it was injuring my friends I never would have aided those scoundrels.

“I had no idea then, Jerry, that this was the same clay you had showed me. For when I examined your specimen I had no thought that it might be a vehicle for the administration of medicine in the shape of plasters and poultices.

“But from the moment I had given advice to Fussel and his gang, I had no chance to communicate with you. In fact, I did not know there was a large deposit of this clay on your mother’s land. They said it came from Mr. Nixon’s land, and from another part of the swamp. So I was not concerned about you, Jerry.

“Then they hurried me away, on the false assertion that I could find a two-tailed lizard up here. I had no time even to come and see you. In fact, I guess I did not think of it, I was so excited.”

“We thought that strange,” commented Jerry, “your not coming back.”

Jerry explained how he and his chums had set off in search of the scientist, to get his explanation of the matter, and Jerry told of their adventures on the way.

“I intended to have another analysis made of the clay, to see if it was of any value,” the tall lad said, “but I did not get a chance. However, it wasn’t necessary, Professor. But we sure did think it queer that you didn’t come back to us.”

“It was odd,” the professor admitted. “But I was so anxious to get the lizard that I thought of nothing else. I came up here and made the great discovery.”

“Did you find the lizard?” asked Ned.

“No. But one day, when I was out after specimens, I opened one of the box-cages I had brought with me from the hotel in Bellport, where I was stopping when Fussel and his gang sought my advice. In that box I found a certain paper which showed me how I had been tricked. It was one of the plaster company’s documents, and must have fallen into my box by mistake. But it gave away the whole plan, and showed how they had played a trick to get your mother’s land, Jerry.”

“A trick?” questioned the tall lad.

“Yes. They tried to make her believe she would have no right of way to get to her strip, and so, as I understand it, she sold.”

“That was one of the reasons that induced her to part with it,” said Jerry. “That, and the fact that we could not prove the yellow clay to be of any value.”

“And that representation that she had no right of way was a fraud,” the professor declared, “for she had. And it is well established in law that where the conveyance of land is obtained by fraud that it will be given back to the original owners.”

“Then mother will get her land back!” cried Jerry, joyfully.

“Yes, and the valuable clay with it,” declared Professor Snodgrass. “I will testify in her favor, and I have the documents to prove it.”

“When did you discover them?” asked Ned, eagerly.

“One day, as I say, when I was out hunting specimens. I had just caught a rare bug, and was putting it in the box, when the paper attracted my attention. Then, as I took it out and put the paper in my pocket, I saw a rare butterfly. I made a reach for it with the net, and fell over the ledge.

“I remembered nothing more for some time. When I recovered consciousness I found myself, badly injured, at the foot of the cliff. My water bottle and lunch box had fallen near me, and I managed to eat and drink. But I could not move. I called for help, but none came. Then I lost consciousness again, and I remembered nothing more until--until just before the operation.

“I understand you boys found me. You saved my life!”

“And you have saved my mother’s property!” voiced Jerry.

“You will find the papers to prove the fraud in my coat,” the professor said, and there they were. Jerry took charge of them.

“Then you haven’t found the two-tailed lizard?” asked Bob.

“No, and I am afraid I never shall,” was the discouraged answer. “I don’t believe there are any up here.”

Everyone in the camp was in a happy mood. As the days passed the professor grew stronger. There was no question now about his recovery. Jerry had sent the good news to his mother, and had communicated with the family lawyer, who promised to see that action was taken against the swindlers.

And I may state here that eventually Mrs. Hopkins received back her land, and the sale of the yellow clay recouped her fortune. In fact, on the adjoining property there was only a small amount of the clay, and Mrs. Hopkins had a monopoly. So she did not have to worry about money matters. Fraud was clearly proved on the part of Fussel and his crowd, and though they fought the case in the courts they were defeated. The paper accidentally found in the professor’s box won the case for Jerry and his mother.

Dr. Wright, with his sister and the nurse, remained at the camp until it was certain the professor was out of danger. Then Dr. Brown was placed in charge.

Jerry was a little apprehensive about Dr. Wright’s bill, but that matter was easily settled. When Jerry spoke of it the great surgeon laughed and said:

“Do you think I would present Professor Snodgrass with a bill for my services? We scientists are brothers, you know. It was a pleasure to preserve him for the great work he is doing.”

And so Dr. Wright, with the two ladies, went back to civilization. The _Scud_ had been hauled out by the boys, the seams caulked, and she was as fit as ever. In her the doctor was taken back to his hotel.

The boys would remain in the woodland camp about a week longer, and then, by easy stages, would go back home, taking the scientist with them as far as Boston.

One night Bob awoke with a yell, sitting suddenly up in his bunk.

“What’s the matter--got the nightmare?” asked Jerry.

“No, but there’s something in my bed. A snake, I guess,” Bob cried.

Ned came with a light, and Bob, hopping out of his bed, turned back the sheet, for only that light covering was needed on account of the warm weather. As he did so something wriggled farther under the covers.

“There it is!” cried Bob. “Look!”

“It’s something, anyhow,” Jerry agreed.

The coverings were thrown off and Bob cried:

“There it is! The two-tailed lizard!”

It was a large lizard, surely enough, and Jerry, who had little fear of crawling creatures, easily captured the specimen.

“I believe it _is_ a two-tailed one,” he said. “At least it might pass for one. Let’s show the professor.”

Dr. Snodgrass slowly examined the specimen in the light of a lantern. He turned it carefully from side to side.

“Well, I suppose you could call that a two-tailed lizard,” he finally announced. “But it is not what I expected. See, there is the rudiment of the second tail,” and he pointed to a short horny knob growing out above the main, or long tail, of the wriggling creature.

“Nature evidently intended to give this species of lizard two tails,” went on the professor, “but something interfered with her plans. Perhaps she, herself, changed her mind. But it is a sure-enough two-tailed lizard, and will be a valuable addition to our museum. And I can prove that my friend Professor Battin is mistaken when he says there is no such creature. Who found it?”

“It crawled in my bed,” spoke Bob, looking around as though he might see more of the uncanny creatures.

The professor was eagerly examining the specimen. Undoubtedly it was the two-tailed lizard, but it was not such an odd freak as might have been expected. However, the scientist was apparently satisfied. The lizard was put in a box, and the next day the professor, who was rapidly convalescing, made copious notes concerning it.

The motor boys spent another week in camp, fishing and tramping about. The professor was able to walk now. None of the plotters came to drive our friends away from the hunting lodge.

And then, one day, camp was broken, and they started down the lake, to finish the trip by auto, Professor Snodgrass going with them.

“Well, we sure did have an exciting summer of it,” commented Jerry, as he steered the boat over the course on which he had guided her in the race to save the life of the scientist.

“That’s right,” agreed Ned. “And I wonder if we’ll have as lively a time next season?”

Whether our young friends did or did not may be learned by reading our next volume, entitled: “Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall; Or, The Motor Boys as Freshmen.” This will be the first volume of a second series devoted to the activities of our heroes.

In due time the boys, with Professor Snodgrass, reached Cresville. On the way the scientist caught several more specimens, but none, in his opinion, was as valuable as the two-tailed lizard, which had made a bed-fellow of Bob.

“Where you going, Jerry?” asked Ned, one afternoon, as he saw his chum starting out in the motor boat.

“Oh, just over to the swamp to see how the work is coming on. I heard they struck an even richer bed of yellow clay on mother’s land than that which those fellows developed at first.”

“I’ll come along,” went on Ned, and Bob came up soon after, joining the little party.

And while they are on their way to watch the men at work on the land so strangely restored to Mrs. Hopkins, we will take leave of the motor boys.

THE END

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Transcriber’s Notes:

--Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in bold by “equal” signs (=bold=).

--Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.

--Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.

--Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Motor Boys on Road and River, by Clarence Young