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Page 45
"We'll look along the road first," said Tom. "If we begin to
make inquiries at the hospitals there will be a lot of questions
asked, and a general alarm may be sent out. Mr. Nestor wouldn't
like that, if he isn't in any danger. And it may turn out that he
has met an old friend, and has been talking with him all this
while, forgetting all about the passage of time."
They were now driving along the highway that led from the
little suburb where Mr. Nestor lived, to the main part of
Shopton, just beyond which was Tom's home. This section was
country-like, with very few houses and those placed at rather
infrequent intervals. The road was a good one, though not the
main-traveled one, and Mr. Nestor, as was known, frequently used
it when he rode his bicycle, an exercise of which he was very
fond.
As Tom and Mr. Damon drove along, they scanned, as best they
could in the light from the young moon and the powerful lamps on
the runabout, every part of the highway. They were looking for
some dark blot which might indicate where a man had fallen from
his wheel and was lying in some huddled heap on the road. But
they saw nothing like this, much to their relief.
"Do you know, Tom," said Mr. Damon, when they were nearing the
town, and their search, thus far, had been in vain, "I think
we're going at this the wrong way."
"Why, so?"
"Because Mr. Nestor may have fallen, and been hurt, and have
been carried into any one of a dozen houses along the road. In
that case we wouldn't see him. We've passed over the most lonely
part of the journey and haven't seen him. If the accident
occurred near the houses his cries would have brought some one
out to help him. He is well known around here, and, even if he
were unconscious and couldn't tell who he was, he could be
identified by papers in his pockets. Then his family would be
notified by telephone."
"Perhaps you are right, Mr. Damon. We may be wasting time this
way. What do you suggest?" asked Tom.
"That we don't delay any longer, but call up the hospitals at
once. If he isn't in either of those he must be in some house,
and in such condition that his identity cannot be established. In
that event it is a case for the police. We haven't found him, and
I think we had better give the alarm."
Tom Swift thought it over for a moment. Then he came to a
sudden decision.
"You're right!" he told Mr. Damon. "We mustn't waste any more
time. He isn't along the road he ought to have traveled in coming
from my house to his home--that's sure. But before I call up the
hospitals I want to try out one more idea."
"What's that, Tom?"
"I want to go to the place where we heard that cry for help."
"Do you think that could have been Mr.
Nestor?"
"It may have been. We'll go and take another look around there.
Some man was evidently hurt there, and was taken away. We may get
a clew. The lights on the runabout will give us a better chance
to look around than we had by the little pocket lamp. We'll try
there, and, if we don't find anything, then I'll call up the
hospitals."
CHAPTER XVI
THE LONG NIGHT
With the speedy runabout it did not take Tom Swift and Mr.
Damon long to reach the place where the Air Scout had been
grounded a few hours before, and where they had heard the cry for
help. All was as dark and as silent as when they had been there
before.
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