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Page 59
"When did you last see that it was in perfect condition?" asked
Jackson.
Tom named a certain date.
"That was just before Gale called," observed the mechanician.
"He might have known of it."
"I wish I'd known of it at the time," said Tom savagely. "He
wouldn't have gotten away as easily as he did. Well, there's no
use standing here talking about it. Let's get back to
civilization and we'll send back one of the trucks. Luckily I
have another silencer I can put on for the government test. This
one will never be of any more use, though I may be able to save
some of the valves and baffle plates."
Slowly they turned from the disabled aeroplane and started to
look for a path that would lead them out of the lonely place. Tom
as the first to strike what seemed to be a cow path, or perhaps
what had been a road into the wood lot in the early days.
As he tramped along it, followed by Jackson, the young inventor
suddenly stopped, as he came to a sandy place, and, stooping
over, looked intently at some queer marks in the soil.
"What is it?" asked the mechanician.
"Looks like the marks of an automobile," said Tom slowly. "And
I was just trying to remember where I'd seen marks like these
before."
CHAPTER XXI
THE DESERTED CABIN
For several seconds the young inventor remained bending over
the queer marks in that little sandy path of the lonely field in
the midst of the silent woods. Jackson watched him curiously,
and then Tom straightened up, exclaiming as he did so:
"I have it! Now I know where it was! I saw marks like these the
night Mr. Nestor disappeared. Mr. Damon and I noticed the marks
in the dust on the road the time we made the forced landing the
first night we tried out the silent motor. That's it! They are
the same marks! I'm sure of it!"
"I wouldn't go so far as to say that," said Jackson slowly. He
was more deliberate than Tom Swift, a fact for which the young
inventor was often glad, as it saved him from impulsive mistakes.
"This may not be the same auto," went on the mechanician. "I'll
admit I never saw square tire marks like those before. Most of
the usual ones are circular, diamond-shape or oblong. Some tire
manufacturer must have tried a new stunt. But as for saying these
marks were made by the same machine you saw evidences of the
night Mr. Nestor disappeared, why, that's going a little too far,
Tom."
"Yes, I suppose it is," admitted the young inventor. "But it's
a clew worth following. Maybe Mr. Nestor has been brought to some
lonely place like this, and is being held."
"Why would any one want to do that?" asked Jackson. "He had no
enemies.
"Well, perhaps those who ran him down and injured him are
afraid to let him go for fear he will prosecute them and ask for
heavy damages," suggested Tom. "They may be holding him a captive
until he gets well, and aim on treating him so nicely that he
won't bring suit."
"That's a pretty far-fetched theory," said the mechanician as
he carefully looked at the tracks. "But of course it may be true.
Anyhow, these tire marks are rather recent, I should say, and
they are made by a new tire. Do you think we can follow them?"
"I'm going to try !" declared Tom. "The only trouble is we
can't tell whether it was going or coming--that is we don't know
which way to go."
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