CHAPTER XXX

A FLIGHT BY NIGHT

“Young man,” said the chief of the mounted officers, “I heard what you said, and I want to warn you to be careful.” His tone was firm, but respectful, and Jerry, looking at the group of those surrounding the crippled airship, saw a grin of malicious delight on the face of Noddy Nixon.

“We are going to stand up for our rights,” said the tall lad.

“I can’t blame you for that,” went on the officer. “But don’t talk of fighting. We are in authority here. I might add that under the circumstances, and in view of the information given to us, we could only act as we did and halt you.”

“Do you know the whole story?” asked Jerry.

“No, but I am informed that you are citizens of the United States, that you have in your possession gold taken from the Dominion of Canada, and that you propose to take it into the United States, across the Border, in violation not only of the customs laws, but of the international law regarding treasure as well. Is that correct?”

“Well, I suppose it is--in a measure,” admitted Jerry. “But I should like to tell you the whole story. Will you come in, you and the other officers?”

“We will be glad to,” said the mounted man, in more genial tones. “We are sorry for what we had to do, but we must enforce the laws.”

“That’s all right,” said the tall lad. “Maybe you’ll feel differently after you hear all the facts.”

The men tied their horses to some trees, and approached the airship through the mist that was falling. Noddy and some of his cronies started to follow, evidently not liking it in the storm.

“No, you don’t!” cried Jim Nestor, barring the way of all save the police. “You fellows can stay out. Harvey, get busy here. There’s some undesirable citizens trying to get in,” and the two Westerners proved an effectual barrier against the plotters.

Jerry lost little time in telling the story of the search for the gold, adding his suspicions of how Noddy Nixon had followed them, and joined forces with the unscrupulous men who had first tried to take Mr. Brill’s wealth from him.

“It is true that we found the gold in Canada,” explained Jerry; “but it was washed there, after being dug in the United States, and only by accident did it get over the Border. We surely had a right to recover our own property, and bring it back.”

“Hum! That puts a different face on it,” said the chief officer, obviously much puzzled. “I did not know that. I will have to report to my superiors,” he went on. “It will take some little time, and I am sorry for the delay caused you. If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt it, we have no jurisdiction over you. I shall at once ride to the nearest telegraph station and make a full report of the matter to my superiors. Then if everything turns out as I expect it will, you may go.”

He and his companions left, after Jerry had insisted on their taking some hot coffee which Bob made. As they got outside, the mounted police were surrounded by Noddy and his cronies, eager to learn what had taken place in the airship. That they were disappointed by the outcome was evident.

“They’re going to have their own troubles getting hold of this gold!” declared Mr. Brill, grimly.

“And if they make any move toward my luminous snakes!” exclaimed the professor, “I--I’ll fight ’em--that’s what I will!”

The mounted officers rode off in the storm, and Noddy and his companions made a rough camp not far from the stalled airship.

“What are you going to do, Jerry?” asked Ned, as dinner time drew near. “Stay here and wait for those officers to come back?”

“I am not!” declared the tall youth.

“What then?”

“We leave here to-night!”

“To-night?”

“Yes. I know what the decision will be--in our favor--and there is no use staying here and taking chances with that crowd,” and he nodded toward the campers.

“The gold is ours,” he went on, “and we have a right to take it where we please. The mounted police admitted as much. It was all a bluff on the part of Noddy’s crowd to make trouble. Maybe they thought they could, in some way, get possession of the nuggets. But we’ll fool ’em. We’ll slip away to-night--after dark.”

“But how can we--when the gas bag is full of holes?” asked Mr. Brill.

“We’ll go as an aeroplane,” declared Jerry. “There is enough level ground here for a start, and those police won’t be back before morning.”

Night settled down, a cold, windy, stormy night, and Noddy and his cronies in their camp were anything but comfortable. They seemed to be waiting for the return of the police, but the Westerners expressed the belief that the lawless men might try to rush the airship after dark and take the gold.

“We’ll stop ’em if they do,” declared Jim Nestor, grimly.

Strict watch was kept, and in the shelter of the craft Jerry and his chums went over all the machinery. They would not need to use the gas apparatus to get over the Border.

“I think there’s something doing out there,” reported Mr. Brill, about nine o’clock, coming in from the outer deck where he had been keeping watch on the camp. “It looks like they were coming this way.”

“Let ’em come,” replied Jerry. “We’re ready to start. Turn on the motor, Ned!”

With a rush and a roar the _Comet_ shot across the ground. There was a chorus of surprised cries, and one or two rifle shots. Then, like a bird, the motorship sailed aloft, leaving the disappointed plotters behind.

“We’re off!” yelled Ned.

“For the good old U. S. A.!” added Bob.

“Over the Border, and all the mounted police in Canada can’t touch us!” spoke Jerry, gleefully. “I think we’ve fooled ’em. They didn’t think we would, or could, go.”

The cries and rifle shots died away in the darkness and the _Comet_ swept on, out of danger.

Of the return trip little need be written. By morning they were over the Border, in their own country, and out of Canadian jurisdiction. They found a good place, and made a descent to repair the gas bag, for they could not tell when it might be needed. The storm was at an end, and in the sunny weather their spirits revived wonderfully. Many times during the course of the repairs they stopped to look at the gold, while Professor Snodgrass lovingly viewed his luminous snakes.

“Oh, but we sure had adventures this trip!” exclaimed Ned, when they were ready to start off again.

“Yes, it came near to beating anything else we ever did,” agreed Jerry.

“I guess we’ll have to settle down now, for a while,” remarked Bob.

“Settle down! I guess not!” cried Jerry. “We’ll have some more fun as soon as we can,” and how they did it, and what it was, will be related in the next volume of this series, to be called “The Motor Boys Under the Sea; Or, From Airship to Submarine.”

Once more they were on the wing. The _Comet_ swept along at wonderful speed and soon they were back at Kabspell, where they intended to take their motorship apart, and go home by train, with the gold and the professor’s snakes.

Everything went off well, and the troubles they had coming West were not repeated on the trip East. How Noddy fared with the grub-stakers who sought to get the gold they did not learn for some time later, but they did hear that the mounted police returned to the place where they had left the airship, intending to report that they had no jurisdiction, and that Jerry and his chums could do just as they pleased. But the motor boys had done it anyhow.

The gold proved to be of more value than was thought, and the syndicate of the boys’ parents received their money back with good interest. Jim Nestor and Harvey Brill purchased their mine, and are still working it. In fact it paid so well that Mr. Brill could help most of his poor relations, including the stout aunt. Jake Paxton and Ike Weldon, the chief plotters of the grub-stakers, got into trouble soon after their disappointing trip to the Border, and had to flee the country. Noddy and Bill came back, much chastened in spirit. The Blackfeet Indians, after their little excursion, were safely driven back on the reservation.

“Well, I wonder if Professor Snodgrass got his luminous snakes safely to the museum?” said Ned to his chums one day several weeks later.

“Yes, I had a letter from him,” spoke Jerry. “He said he had received another honorary degree. He’s got more letters to his name now than ever.”

“But, all the same, he’s a nice man,” observed Bob, who was munching a piece of cake, his chums having called at his house.

“That’s what he is,” agreed Ned. “Say, let’s go for a motorboat ride, and talk over where we’ll spend the summer vacation,” and with the motor boys thus on pleasure bent we will say good-bye to them.

THE END

A New Line By the Author of the Ever-Popular

“Motor Boys Series”

The Racer Boys Series

by CLARENCE YOUNG

Author of “The Motor Boys Series”, “Jack Ranger Series”, etc. etc.

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The announcement of a new series of stories by Mr. Clarence Young is always hailed with delight by boys and girls throughout the country, and we predict an even greater success for these new books, than that now enjoyed by the “Motor Boys Series.”

The Racer Boys or The Mystery of the Wreck

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This volume takes the hero and several of his chums to the great West. At the ranch and on the range adventures of the strenuous sort befall him.

Jack Ranger’s Ocean Cruise _Or, The Wreck of the Polly Ann_

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Jack Ranger’s Treasure Box _Or, The Outing of the School Boy Yachtsmen_

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The Saddle Boys at Circle Ranch or In at the Grand Round-up

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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 is preserved.

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

--Inconsistencies in formatting and punctuation of individual advertisements have been retained.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Motor Boys on the Border, by Clarence Young