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Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc.
CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic
Growth: Sources and Policies
SOLUTIONS TO END-OF-CHAPTER EXERCISES
Review Questions
7.1
Economic Growth over Time and around the World (pages 153–157)
Learning Objective: Define economic growth, calculate economic growth rates, and
describe global trends in economic growth.
1.1 A country’s economic growth matters because living standards tend to rise with economic growth.
Higher economic growth provides a country with more opportunities to improve the lives of its
citizens by, for example, increasing average life expectancy.
1.2 The total percentage increase is the percentage increase in real GDP from 2005 to 2015. It is not an
annual growth rate. The average annual growth rate is the growth rate at which the value for real
GDP in 2005 would have to grow on average each year to end up with the value for real GDP in
2015.
7.2
What Determines How Fast Economies Grow? (pages 157–164)
Learning Objective: Use the economic growth model to explain why growth rates differ
across countries.
2.1
A movement from A to B shows the effect on real GDP per hour worked of an increase in capital per
hour worked, holding technology constant. A movement from A to C shows the effect of an increase
in technology, holding the quantity of capital per hour worked constant.
CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc.
40
2.2 Diminishing returns to capital imply that, holding technology constant, additional capital per hour
worked results in smaller and smaller increases in real GDP per hour worked. Therefore, sustained
increases in real GDP per hour worked require more than continuing increases in capital per hour
worked. To maintain high growth rates despite diminishing returns to capital, economies must
experience technological change.
2.3 New growth theory is a model of long-run economic growth that emphasizes the impact of
economic incentives on technological change, which is determined by the working of the market
system. The Solow growth theory does not seek to explain what determines technological change,
but instead assumes that technological change occurs because of chance scientific discoveries. The
new growth theory, besides seeking to explain factors that influence technological change,
incorporates knowledge capital. Investments in knowledge capital result in increasing returns to
economic growth.
2.4 Firms are likely to underinvest in research and development because other firms will gain much of
the additional returns from research and development. To increase the accumulation of knowledge
capital, governments can protect intellectual property with patents and copyrights, subsidize
research and development, and subsidize education.
2.5 Knowledge capital experiences increasing returns at the economy level while physical capital
experiences decreasing returns because knowledge capital is nonrival and nonexcludable.
Knowledge, once discovered, becomes available to everyone. One firm’s use of knowledge
capital does not prevent another firm from using it, and once knowledge becomes known it
becomes widely available to other firms. Physical capital is rival because if one firm uses it other
firms cannot, and it is excludable because the firm that owns the capital can keep other firms from
using it.
7.3
Economic Growth in Canada (pages 164–167)
Learning Objective: Discuss fluctuations in productivity growth in Canada.
3.1 The growth rate of productivity increased from 1870 through the mid-1970s, then slowed somewhat
for the next 40 years. The slowdown in productivity growth most likely resulted from the
measurement problem of the economy producing a larger share of services relative to goods and
from stricter environmental and health standards that may have increased overall well-being but not
measured GDP. In response to higher oil prices, some firms switched to production technologies
that were less energy intensive but which also produced less output per worker hour. The scores on
some standardized exams declined during this time period, which may indicate a declining quality of
the labour force. Lower-quality workers may have more difficulty adapting to new technology,
which could reduce the growth rate of productivity. Beginning in 1995, the rapid spread of
information technology may have spurred productivity increases.
3.2 Some economists are optimistic that the increase in productivity that began in the mid-1990s from
advances in information and communication technology will continue. These economists believe
high rates of growth will come from higher productivity in the IT sector itself and in other sectors of
the economy as the result of progress made possible by advances in IT. Other economists argue that
the IT revolution is now having a greater effect on consumer products, such as smartphones and
tablets, than on labor productivity. These economists also identify other factors such as an aging
population, declining educational achievement, and the consequences of increased regulations and
higher taxes, that will lead to lower productivity growth rates.
CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc.
41
7.4
Why Isn’t the Whole World Rich? (pages 168–177)
Learning Objective: Explain economic catch-up and discuss why many poor countries have
not experienced rapid economic growth.
4.1 Increases in the quantity of capital per hour worked and the adoption of new technology should
occur at a high rate in poor countries because the profitability of using additional capital or better
technology is generally greater in a poor country than in a rich country. Some poor countries have
been catching up to rich countries, but many have not.
4.2 The main reasons many poor countries have experienced slow growth are the failure to enforce the
rule of law, wars and revolutions, poor public education and health, and low rates of saving and
investment.
4.3 Globalization refers to the process of countries becoming more open to foreign trade and
investment. Globalization can help a developing country break out of the vicious cycle of low
saving and investment and low growth by providing access to funds and technology from foreign
direct investment and foreign portfolio investment.
7.5
Growth Policies (pages 177–181)
Learning Objective: Discuss government policies that foster economic growth.
5.1 Governments can aid economic growth through policies that enhance property rights and the rule of
law, improve health and education, subsidize research and development, and provide incentives for
saving and investment.
5.2 Economic growth is associated with higher living standards, improved health, improved working
conditions, and longer life expectancy. However, some policymakers and commentators argue that
economic growth has been contributing to income inequality, global warming, deforestation, and
other environmental problems. Whether continued economic growth will always improve economic
well-being is a normative question and cannot be settled by economic analysis.
Problems and Applications
7.1
Economic Growth over Time and around the World (pages 153–157)
Learning Objective: Define economic growth, calculate economic growth rates, and
describe global trends in economic growth.
1.1 The finding of the importance of market efficiency in long-run economic growth by Shiue and
Keller supports North’s argument that a government can promote economic growth by protecting
private property rights and wealth, as the British government did beginning with the Glorious
Revolution of 1688.
1.2 The annual rate of economic growth is calculated as the percentage change in real GDP from the
previous year. For example, the rate of economic growth for Brazil in 2012 equals {[($1,213 –
1,192)/1,912] × 100} = 1.76% percent. The average annual growth rate between 2012 and 2014 is
calculated as the simple average of the growth rates for each year.
Country 2012 2013 2014
Average Annual
Growth Rate
Brazil 1.76% 2.80% 0.08% 1.55%
Mexico 4.01 1.39 2.12 2.51
Thailand 6.48 2.90 0.71 3.36
CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc.
42
a. During 2012, Thailand experienced the highest economic growth rate of 6.48 percent.
b. Between 2012 and 2014, Thailand experienced the highest average annual growth rate of
3.36 percent.
c. It does not matter that each country’s real GDP is measured in a different currency. Growth
rates are measured as percentage changes, which are not dependent on the specific units (in this
case, currencies) being used.
1.3 You will have earned more on your Andover Bank CDs due to the compounding in 2017 and 2018
on the extra $30 you earned on the Andover Bank CD in 2016.
Bank Value of CD at End of Year
2016 2017 2018
Andover Bank $1,050.00 $1,102.50 $1,157.63
Lowell Bank $1,020.00 $1,081.20 $1,156.88
1.4
Year
Real GDP per Capita
(2009 prices)
Annual Growth
Rate
2010 $36,466 -----
2011 37,176 1.95%
2012 37,442 0.72
2013 37,754 0.83
2014 38,293 1.43
a. The percentage change in real GDP per capita between 2010 and 2014 was:
(38,29336,466)
36,466
100  5.01%
b. The average annual growth rate in GDP per capita between 2010 and 2014 can be measured as
the average of the annual growth rates in the above table:
(1.950.720.831.43)
4
1.23%
1.5 a. Real GDP per capita most likely did not increase significantly from the near elimination of
measles and the large decrease in childhood deaths, but the standard of living measured in terms
of health did increase significantly. One reason why falling infant and childhood mortality could
contribute to lowering GDP per capita is that lower mortality results in a larger population and
therefore a higher denominator in the GDP per capita ratio. The reduction in disease would also
mean that resources could be used for purposes other than treating disease, which would raise
living standards; and for a given level of food intake, net nutrition increases with lower
incidence of disease. These last considerations indicate reductions in disease may lay the
foundation for future increases in real GDP per capita.
b. For a developing country, the elimination of measles and childhood deaths from diarrhea is
more achievable than sustained increases in real GDP per capita. Fewer additional resources and
less time are required to achieve the elimination of disease than the additional investment and
the institutional changes needed for sustained increases in real GDP per capita.
CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc.
43
1.6 If ideas and inventions, such as the importance of ABCs and vaccines for DPT (diphtheria, pertussis,
and tetanus), flow more readily than process technologies, such as laws and inventory management
systems, then low-income countries will be able to increase their standard of living as measured by
health and education faster than they will be able to increase real GDP per capita.
7.2
What Determines How Fast Economies Grow? (pages 157–164)
Learning Objective: Use the economic growth model to explain why growth rates differ
across countries.
2.1 a. An increase in capital per hour worked results in a movement along the per-worker production
function.
b. and c. Both result in shifts of the per-worker production function because they are likely to lead
to technological change by increasing real GDP per hour worked, holding capital per hour
worked constant.
2.2 a. Urbanization refers to the process of people moving from rural areas to cities.
b. If urbanization is an important explanation for China’s high rates of economic growth, then we
wouldn’t expect those growth rates to be maintained in the long run. We can draw this
conclusion for two reasons: 1) At some point, after most people have left rural areas for the
cities, the process of urbanization in China will come to an end (as it eventually did in the
United States and other high-income countries); and 2) We know that in the long run,
technological progress, and not increases in capital per hour worked that come from
urbanization, is the key to continuing economic growth.
2.3 a. False, because technology is assumed constant along a given per-worker production function.
b. False, because the movement from point B to point C represents technological change, which
occurs despite the existence of diminishing returns to capital.
c. True, because point C represents both a higher level of capital per worker and a higher level of
technology than point A.
2.4 This strategy ran into the problem of diminishing returns to capital. The policy of very high rates of
investment with little emphasis on technological change meant that the capital stock was increasing
much more rapidly than technology. Continuing rapid increases in capital per hour worked led only
to diminishing increases in output per hour worked. With these diminishing marginal returns, the
growth rate of real GDP per capita stagnated.
2.5 In the traditional economic growth model, technological change is exogenous. This means that the
traditional model does not try to explain technological change. Technological change is endogenous
in the new growth theory, and entrepreneurs play a key role in the development and adoption of new
technology.
2.6 Because even though they are not spending their own money, salaried managers in Canada are
judged by the profitability of the company, which often depends on the adoption of new
technologies.
CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc.
44
7.3
Economic Growth in Canada (pages 164–167)
Learning Objective: Discuss fluctuations in productivity growth in Canada.
3.1 The growth rates might be lower if they were calculated for real GDP per capita instead of per hour
worked because the number of hours worked per person in Canada has decreased in the years since
1900.
3.2 a. There are benefits derived from Internet searches that affect GDP, but they are not likely to be
measured directly. Finding information more quickly and efficiently than was possible prior to
the existence of the Internet results in more time and other resources available to produce new
final goods and services. In other words, as the opportunity cost of finding information has
declined, more resources are available to produce additional output that is included in GDP.
b. There are measurement problems that could explain why productivity growth has declined in
recent years, but some economists have pointed out that similar problems resulted in an
underestimate of productivity growth in periods when measured productivity growth was higher.
Improvements in technology will lead to long-run increases in GDP per capita. Evidence of this
would imply that the recent decline in productivity was partly the result of a measurement
problem.
3.3 Future labour productivity growth rates will decline if Gordon’s observations are correct. The higher
labour productivity growth rates that began in the mid-1990s were due partly to advances in
information and communication technology. To the extent that these advances have moved more to
consumer enjoyment rather than business productivity, then labour productivity growth rates will
decline.
7.4
Why Isn’t the Whole World Rich? (pages 168–177)
Learning Objective: Explain economic catch-up and discuss why many poor countries have
not experienced rapid economic growth.
4.1 The catch-up effect predicts that countries with a lower level of GDP per capita will grow faster than
countries with a higher level of GDP per capita. In the table, the data for China, Ireland, and the
United States are consistent with the catch-up prediction because China’s GDP per capita in 1960
was the lowest and its growth between 1960 and 2011 was the highest, while Ireland’s GDP per
capita in 1960 was between that of China and the United States, as was its growth rate. On the other
hand, Uganda and Madagascar should have grown faster than Ireland and the United States, but they
grew more slowly, which is not consistent with the catch-up prediction.
4.2 a. No, these data do not support the catch-up prediction. The countries with the highest initial
levels of real GDP per capita have growth rates of real GDP per capita similar to the countries
with average initial levels of real GDP per capita.
b. Yes, these data support the catch-up prediction. The countries with the lowest initial levels of
real GDP per capita have the highest growth rates of real GDP per capita, and the countries with
the highest initial levels of real GDP per capita have the lowest growth rates of real GDP per
capita.
c. No, these data do not support the catch-up prediction. The countries have roughly the same
growth rates of real GDP per capita regardless of their initial levels of real GDP per capita.
CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc.
45
4.3 a. The horizontal line in Graph 1 matches the experience of all countries, indicating that most of
the world hasn’t been catching up.
b. The slight upward-sloping line in Graph 3 matches the experience of Western Europe, Canada,
and Japan, indicating that these high-income countries have stopped catching up to the United
States.
c. The downward-sloping line in Graph 2 matches the experience of current high-income
countries, indicating that there has been catch-up among high-income countries.
4.4 A high unemployment rate means distress for the people who are currently out of work. The
economy minister, though, may be expecting Italy’s unemployment rate to fall over time. A low rate
of productivity growth means that in the long run, the standard of living in Italy will be increasing
only slowly. It is likely this slow increase in the standard of living is the tragedy the economy
minister was referring to.
4.5 Large, modern companies can better afford to invest in human and physical capital and technology and
use more efficient means of organizing their production processes than can small companies. All of
these factors result in increases in labor productivity. The McKinsey report recommended actions that
the Mexican government could make to improve productivity growth among small firms: “…remove
incentives for businesses to remain informal, such as tax breaks that vanish once a certain size is
reached; increase enforcement of laws and regulations; lower the cost of opening a business; and
simplify the complexity of regulations that makes compliance a time-consuming affair.”
4.6 a. Using the “rule of 70” it would take 77.8 years for the standard of living – as measured by real
GDP per capita – to double at a growth rate of 0.9 percent.
b. Some economists believe that Mexico’s slow rate of economic growth is partly due to legal
restrictions that hamper the country’s financial sector. Other impediments to growth include
government corruption that has hindered business formation and forced some economic activity
underground, poor infrastructure, and an educational system that does an inadequate job of
teaching students skills they need to find jobs in the global marketplace.
4.7 For the most part, the Roman Empire lacked the secure private property rights required for a market
system to work. If modern economic growth had begun 1700 years earlier than it did, the standard of
living today would be many times higher than it is.
7.5
Growth Policies (pages 177–181)
Learning Objective: Discuss government policies that foster economic growth.
5.1 It would be “good news” for the Mexican economy only if the Mexican government were able
reduce corruption and lawlessness, some of which is related to the traffic of illegal drugs into the
United States. Recent attempts to crack down on corruption have not met with great success. It will
not be easy to achieve greater success in the future.
5.2 The lower birthrate will lead to a lower proportion of workers in their twenties and thirties, and a
higher proportion of workers in their sixties and older. The older workers as a group will be less
educated, less healthy, and less productive. High rates of spending on investment will lead to high
rates of growth in the short run, but not the long run, because of diminishing returns to capital. The
increased spending on investment moves China along its per-worker production function but does
not shift up the function. Ultimately, China will need to achieve technological advance, which will
shift up the per-worker production function.
CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc.
46
5.3 a. “Technological catch-up” refers to China narrowing the gap between the technologies used in
the West and those used in China. China has been catching up to the West in using the most
recent technological innovations.
b. Catching up, or leaping forward, in technology has been a source of China’s high rates of
economic growth. The part of economic growth that has been due to technological catch-up will
no longer occur once catch-up has been achieved. At that point, Chinese firms will have to
become proficient in developing new technologies rather than just adopting existing
technologies.
c. Both the Chinese economy today and the Soviet economy in the 1980s have/had limited
freedom of expression and political rights for its citizens, and have/had relied on large amounts
of investment as a source of economic growth. However, China, unlike the Soviet Union, has
moved away from a centrally planned economy to a more market-based economy.
5.4 a. The passage of an investment tax credit is likely to increase the rate of economic growth in
Canada because the credit will give firm an incentive to purchase more capital, thereby
increasing the capital to labour ratio (K/L).
b. Deductibility of provincial taxes is unrelated to any of the factors that cause economic growth.
c. Providing more funds for low-interest loans to college students is likely to increase the rate of
economic growth in Canada. When more students receive a college education, the level of
human capital increases, which is a form of technological improvement.
5.5 A free press could serve as a watchdog against corruption, which undermines the rule of law and
property rights. Over time, crusading newspapers could help reduce corruption and improve the rule
of law.
5.6 The environment might be considered as a “normal good,” whose demand increases as consumers’
incomes increase. From this perspective, more people in high-income countries than in low-income
countries tend to be concerned about the environment and thus consider rapid economic growth less
desirable.
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different content
Jerry briefly related some of their travel adventures, at which
Tommy opened his eyes to their widest extent.
“Cracky! But you have had stunning times!” he exclaimed.
The meal having been finished, they began to think of getting
some sleep. Blankets were brought out, and rolling themselves up in
them the boys and the professor were soon in the land of nod.
It was nearly dawn when Jerry was suddenly awakened by the far
off baying of a dog. At first he could not imagine what the sound
was, and sat up to listen more intently. Then a long, mournful howl
was borne to him on the wind.
“That’s strange,” he muttered. “There are very few dogs about
here. I wonder what it is.”
At the same time Tommy Bell roused up, and he, too, heard the
sound.
“It’s the gang after us!” he exclaimed. “They have a lot of hounds
on the ranch! Hurry up! Let’s get out of this!”
“Hark!” exclaimed Jerry, raising his hand.
Then the boys heard, faint and far off, the sound of galloping
horses.
“They’re coming!” cried Jerry.
His cry awakened the others, who sat up bewildered and heavy
from sound sleep.
“Lively’s the word!” called Jerry. “They’re after us!”
No further explanation was needed, for all knew what Jerry
meant. There was a hasty piling of blankets into the auto; the stove
was packed up, and, while the travelers jumped into the car, Jerry
went in front to crank it up. The cheerful chug-chug told that the
machinery was in good working order, and then, the boy, leaping
into the steersman’s seat, threw in the low gear for the start.
As he did so Ned glanced back and saw, coming around the bend
of the forest road a score of horsemen and a pack of dogs.
“Speed her up, Jerry!” called Bob.
“I will!” was the exclamation, as Jerry leaned forward to throw in
the high gear. A mournful screeching of the engine was the only
response.
“I forgot! The high gear is broken!” the steersman cried. “We can
only use the intermediate, and that is not very fast!”
“It’s the best we can do, though!” said Bob. “We may get away
from them!”
On the intermediate cogs the auto made good speed, and, for a
while, distanced the gang, the members of which, with shouts of
rage, put their horses to their best effort.
CHAPTER IX
INTO THE CAVE
The sun began to peep up from beneath the eastern hills,
throwing a rosy light over the earth. The woods began to thin out,
and the sides of the “tunnel,” which had been dense, became more
open, so that glimpses of the country could be seen now and then.
The chase was now on in earnest. For some time, however, the
auto kept well in advance of the horsemen, for Jerry used all the
power possible on the differential gear. If the high speed one had
been in working order there would have been no question of the
outcome, but, for once, luck was against the boys.
Nearer and nearer came the gang on horseback. They got so close
that their shouts to halt could be plainly heard. But Jerry was not
going to give up. He gritted his teeth and gripped the wheel with a
firmer grasp.
“We seem to be slacking up,” observed Ned.
“That’s what we are,” spoke Jerry. “The auto is going back on us.”
The car did seem to be dragging, and there was no excuse for it in
the condition of the road, which was a fine level one.
“The car needs repairing,” said Jerry, “and the way I have to run it
isn’t the best thing in the world for it.”
“Do you think they’ll catch up to us?” asked Bob.
“I’m afraid so,” muttered Jerry. “We are going the limit now.”
The thunder of the horses sounded nearer and the shouts of the
pursuing gang came more plainly on the morning breeze. The auto
coughed and wheezed, seeming like a man who has run far and is
about to collapse. The explosions became less frequent, and finally
one of the cylinders ceased to work altogether, leaving only three in
commission.
“Now we’re in for it!” muttered Jerry, as, by a hasty glance back
he saw the men spurring their horses on.
“You’d better give up!” one of the gang shouted.
“Not yet, you scoundrels!” cried Jerry, as he advanced the
sparkling lever to the final notch. This seemed to be the last straw to
the auto engine, for with a dismal snort it stopped short.
“This settles it,” muttered Ned grimly. “We are done for.”
Fortunately, however, they were on a slight slope now, and the
car, with the impetus it had gathered, began to glide down the hill
under its own momentum.
But the horsemen were not one thousand feet in the rear and
were drawing nearer. There seemed to be no help at hand and there
was every indication that the boys would fall into the hands of their
desperate enemies.
“How much farther can we go?” asked Tommy suddenly.
“To the foot of the hill,” replied Jerry. “Why do you ask?”
“That’s far enough!” exclaimed Tommy. “I guess we can escape
them.”
“How?”
“Steer straight for that dead pine tree,” replied the young lad,
“and when you get almost to it, make a wide turn to the right.”
“What good will that do?”
“There’s a big cave right at the foot of the hill,” replied Tommy. “I
know for I passed it as I was tramping toward the ranch. It is large
enough to take in the auto, and maybe we can hold it against the
gang.”
“Hurrah!” shouted Jerry, as he shifted the wheel to conform with
Tommy’s directions. “We’ll beat ’em yet!”
Straight toward the dead pine Jerry aimed, and, as he came to the
bottom of the slope, he saw an opening in the bush-lined side of the
hill, that told him the cave was at hand. Into it, by a skillful turn, he
steered the auto, and the machine, running in about one hundred
feet from the opening came to a stop, just as the horsemen came
dashing up, much surprised by the sudden disappearance of those
they were pursuing.
“We’re safe!” whispered Ned.
“Not yet,” said Jerry. “We must arm ourselves,” and he began to
get out the rifles from the bottom of the car, and hand them around
to his companions.
Outside the cavern, which was a natural one in the rocky side of
the hill, there came confused shouts.
“Where did they go?” they heard a voice ask.
“Must have gone over some ledge and been killed,” was the reply.
“Then that settles it,” said the first one. “That’s just our bad luck!”
Then came a curious cry, and, by it, the boys knew their hiding
place was discovered.
“Here are the tracks of the wheels!” the travelers heard some one
shout. “They turned off somewhere about here.”
“Then they’re in that cave,” was the rejoinder.
“Dismount!” came a sharp order.
The boys could hear the men getting off their horses, and the
animals being led away.
“Get your carbines ready!” was the next command.
“It’s time for us to act!” whispered Jerry. “We must each one take
a gun, and stand at the mouth of the cave. We’ll warn them not to
enter. If they persist we will have to fire, but we must try not to hurt
any one mortally. Aim at their legs!”
In the half darkness of the cavern the boys and the professor each
took a rifle and crept to the mouth of the opening. No sooner had
they reached it than they heard the tramp of feet, and shadows told
them the bad men were advancing.
“Halt!” cried Jerry, who had naturally assumed command.
“Who are you?” asked the leader of the gang.
“Never mind who we are,” replied Jerry. “We are in possession of
this cave, and we warn you not to come in!”
“Big words for a kid!” sneered the leader.
“You’ll find we can back them up,” spoke Jerry. Then, in lower
tones, he bade his comrades stand in readiness.
There was a consultation in whispers among the members of the
gang, and then, seeming to feel that they had nothing to fear, they
made a rush.
“Fire!” cried Jerry.
Remembering his instructions, the boys and the professor aimed
low. To the reports of the rifles there succeeded howls of pain.
Several of the gang shot back, but, as it was dark in the cave they
could not see to aim, and they did no damage.
“Give them another volley!” yelled Jerry.
Again the rifles spoke, and this time, to the chorus of howls there
was added a command from the leader to retreat, and the men
rushed from the cave, which was filled with smoke.
“Are—are any of them killed?” asked Tommy.
“I don’t believe so,” replied Jerry. “We fired too low to do much
damage. I only wanted to let them know we were ready for them.”
Waiting several minutes to see if there would be any further
attack, Jerry cautiously advanced to the mouth of the cavern. In the
semi-light he saw several blood stains, but the absence of any
bodies told him the battle had not resulted fatally, for which he was
thankful. Though the men were desperate characters, who, perhaps,
would not stop at murder, the boy did not want the responsibility of
killing any of them.
“They seem to have retreated,” Jerry reported when he joined the
others. “But I don’t suppose they have gone for good. This probably
will only make them more anxious to get Tommy away from us, for it
is him they are after.”
“Do you think they want me?” asked the younger lad.
“I am pretty sure, after what you have told us about the mine,
that they would give a good deal to get you,” replied Jerry. “Perhaps
your signature may be as good as that of your father’s in case—in
case—” and Jerry stopped suddenly.
“You mean in case dad is dead?” asked Tommy quietly.
“Yes,” answered Jerry.
“I don’t believe my father is dead,” spoke the boy bravely.
“Somehow I feel that he is alive, and that I will find him. But if the
gang is after me, it is not right for you all to be in danger on my
account. Give me up to them, I’m not afraid—that is, I’ll try not to
be. Let me go out and surrender, and perhaps they’ll go away.”
“I’d like to see myself!” exclaimed Jerry. “You don’t stir out of this
cave, Tommy Bell, until we go! I’m not afraid of that gang. We’ve
been in tighter places than this and gotten out; haven’t we, fellows?”
“You bet!” echoed Bob and Ned.
“Then give me a gun and let me help fight,” begged Tommy.
“Can you shoot?” asked Jerry.
“My father taught me,” was all Tommy said, and Jerry gave him a
rifle, at which Tommy’s eyes sparkled.
A cautious glance from the mouth of the cave showed that the
gang had withdrawn some distance away. But that they had no
notion of giving up the fight was evidenced by the fact that they
were constructing a camp so as to command the entrance to the
cavern.
“I guess they’re going to try and starve us out,” remarked the
professor. “Lucky we have plenty of provisions and ammunition on
hand for a siege.”
“Well, I guess we’re just as well off here as anywhere,” observed
Jerry. “We’d have to lay up a few days at any rate, to fix the
machine, and it might as well be in a good roomy cave, where the
rain can’t wet us.”
The boys waited an hour before laying aside their arms. Then, as
the gang showed no signs of renewing the attack, they proceeded to
make themselves more comfortable.
“Might as well get ready to camp out,” said Ned. “I’ll set up the
stove, and we’ll have breakfast, though it is a little late.”
So while he set up the sheet iron apparatus, Jerry instructed Bob
to stand guard at the mouth of the cavern, and to give instant notice
of any activity on the part of the enemy.
“But what will we do about eating breakfast?” asked Bob in a
sorrowful voice.
“Don’t worry about that, ‘Chunky,’” said Jerry. “I’ll relieve you, or
some one will, in time to get a meal. In the meantime keep a good
watch.”
Then Jerry went back to help Ned, and, at the same time, make
ready to repair the machine.
CHAPTER X
ATTACKED BY A COUGAR
“I say, Jerry,” called Ned, “we’re in a sort of a pickle.”
“How’s that?”
“Why, I started to make coffee and I got along all right until I
came to the water.”
“Well?”
“No, it’s not at all well. In fact we ought to have a well here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean there’s no water in the cave!”
“Great Scott! Is that so?” exclaimed Jerry. “I never thought of
such a thing. Are you sure there’s not a spring away in the rear?”
“The professor and I made a good search,” replied the temporary
cook. “The cave comes to an end about three hundred feet back,
and there’s not a sign of water.”
For a few seconds Jerry was silent. Then he gave an exclamation.
“I have it!” he cried. “We can use the emergency water supply on
the auto. It is not very fresh, but it will do for coffee.”
“The very thing!” ejaculated Ned.
It was fortunate that the auto carried an extra tank of water, as
well as one of gasolene. They had often found it useful in getting a
supply of the fluid for the radiator in places far from a supply, and
the reserve tank had been built with that purpose in view. It held
about ten gallons. Drawing on this Ned had a supply for his coffee
which was soon boiling merrily on the stove, while some canned
chicken and bacon were put on to fry.
“I say, is anybody going to relieve me?” called Bob from his post
on guard.
He smelled the breakfast in preparation, and it added to his
hunger.
“I’ll go,” volunteered the professor. “I’m in no hurry to eat, and
perhaps I may pick up a specimen or two. This cave ought to be a
good place for them.”
Accordingly he took Bob’s place, and soon the four boys were
eating ravenously, and with as good appetites as if a band of bad
men was not outside, ready to attack them at the first opportunity.
“Now to fix the machine,” said Jerry as he rose from the ground
that served as a table. “Light all the lamps, Ned, and then you and
Bob come and help me. Tommy and the professor can take turns
standing guard.”
It was no easy matter to take the automobile engine apart, and
substitute a new gear for the broken one. It was also found
necessary to insert new spark plugs, which had become covered
with a coating of carbon; and the cylinders also needed cleaning,
while the pistons had to be adjusted.
The afternoon was spent in working at the auto, and by night
such good progress had been made that Jerry said by the next
evening it would be in shape to start.
“That is if the gang let’s us,” spoke Ned.
“We’ll make a dash for it,” replied Jerry. “We needn’t fear them
with the car in good order, for we can leave them behind in less than
half an hour. We’ll try to escape to-morrow about midnight.”
“In the meanwhile let’s eat,” suggested Bob, and his cry brought
forth the usual chaffing about “Chunky’s” appetite.
Ned started to get supper. He went to the tank of the auto to draw
some water for the tea, when he gave a cry of surprise.
“What’s the trouble?” called Jerry.
“The water’s gone!” exclaimed Ned. “That’s a leak in the tank!”
They all rushed to the car. There, on the ground under the reserve
tank was a muddy spot, showing where the precious fluid had
dripped away. A quick examination showed there was a small hole in
the reservoir.
“Now we are up against it,” murmured Bob.
“Not quite yet,” said Jerry.
“How can we get water without being shot?” asked Ned.
“There is quite a bit left in the pipe coils of the radiator,” answered
Jerry. “It will be pretty poor stuff to drink I guess, but it’s better than
nothing.”
There was considerable of the fluid in the big brass radiator on the
front of the car, and, though it was stale, and had been heated many
times, as it circulated about the cylinders, still, it was better than
none. Made into tea, which was served as a change from coffee, it
did not taste so very bad.
But the situation was grave. With only water enough on hand to
last about half a day, the plight of the travelers was a critical one.
“We’ll have to have water for the car, as well as ourselves,” spoke
Ned. “We can’t run the machine without water.”
“That’s so,” admitted Jerry dubiously. “Something will have to be
done.”
After the evening meal Jerry resumed his labors on the car,
working at double speed, in which he was assisted by Ned and Bob.
The professor and Tommy took turns watching at the cavern’s
mouth.
But there seemed to be no need of this, as the men showed no
inclination to make a second attack. They appeared to know that the
boys were caught in a trap; a trap that contained no water. So they
evidently felt sure of success sooner or later, and that without the
danger of being wounded.
Jerry and his comrades worked to such advantage that shortly
after midnight the auto was in shape to be used, and with the new
high gear wheel in place. The car was given a good oiling, and was
repacked in readiness for a quick start.
“Now if we only had water,” sighed Jerry, “we could slip out, and, I
believe get away.”
But he knew it was useless to proceed without at least a full
radiator. The extra tank, which had been repaired, could be filled
later. The radiator coils were empty however. What had not been
used for cooking had been made up into weak tea, as it was not
considered healthful to drink the water as it came from the pipes.
“We’ve got to do something,” said Jerry decidedly. “If we stay here
much longer we’ll die of thirst. If we could only make a dash and get
some water we could manage. Two pails full would do.”
“Let me go after them,” exclaimed Tommy. “I’m not afraid. I can
run fast. Maybe I can get out there by the brook, get the water and
come back before any of them see me.”
“No you couldn’t,” spoke Jerry, pointing to where one of the men,
as sentry, could be seen, from the mouth of the cave, walking up
and down near the camp fire. “If any one goes I will, and I think I’d
better start.”
Bob and Ned both offered to make the dangerous attempt, and
the professor insisted that he be allowed to try, as he knew how to
move over ground very silently. But Jerry was firm in his
determination.
“I’m going to make the try about two o’clock,” he said. “They’ll be
sounder asleep then.”
As he was very tired he stretched out in some blankets until it
would be time to make the try. He fell asleep soon, and the others
moved away, talking in whispers lest they disturb him.
Almost exactly at the appointed hour Jerry awakened. He sat up,
and, slipping a pair of Indian moccasins over his shoes, to enable
him to move as silently as possible, he cautiously approached the
mouth of the cavern, carrying two water pails with him.
The moon had gone down and it was quite dark, which was
favorable to Jerry’s plans. As he got to the entrance of the cavern
the boy looked toward the gang’s camp. There seemed to be no sign
of life, and Jerry thought perhaps the sentry had fallen asleep.
As silent as a cat the lad made his way toward the stream, which
he could hear gurgling and splashing over the stones. His throat was
dry, for the last of the cold tea had been drunk, and his exertions
had made him very thirsty. As he heard the sound of the brook he
felt a fierce desire for water, so strong was it that he felt he would
brave anything to get it.
Foot by foot he advanced, crouching down as low as he could. He
was beginning to feel that he would be successful, and not be
detected. He could see the sparkle of the water about three hundred
feet away, and his parched mouth and throat seemed to be as dry as
leather. He could hardly swallow.
On and on he went. Now he was about two hundred feet away
and he was getting ready to make a dash for the brook.
Suddenly he heard a clicking sound, and knew it was a rifle being
cocked. Next there rang out on the night air the command:
“Halt or I’ll fire!”
Poor Jerry was detected! He came to a stop, sick at heart at the
failure of his plan.
For a moment there was no other sound. The boy could not see
who had discovered him, though he instinctively felt the eyes of the
man on him. Suddenly there was a shaking in the tree somewhat to
Jerry’s left, and about one hundred feet away. Then came a rustle of
the leaves on the ground and the boy made out the figure of a man,
dimly, standing with rifle aimed straight at him.
“Throw up your hands!” was the next order, and, letting the pails
fall to the ground, Jerry obeyed.
Then, all at once, there burst out on the air a most terrifying
sound. It was a blood-curdling yell, a screech as if from some one in
mortal agony. Jerry felt the cold chills go down his back.
The next instant there was a crashing sound, and, from the tree
under which the man stood who had aimed at the boy a dark body
shot downward.
The screech of the cougar, for such it was, mingled with the
terrific yells of the sentry. Jerry dimly saw a confused tangle of man
and beast. He heard the man shout for help. He heard his rifle go
off, and then came sounds that told that the camp had been
aroused.
The attack of the cougar had come just in time. Jerry, taking
advantage of the diversion, grabbed up his pails, and running to the
brook filled them with water. Then, as fast as he could go, he ran
toward the cave.
CHAPTER XI
A RUNAWAY AUTO
Behind the boys sounded the yells and shouts of the men in camp,
mingled with rifle shots and the screeching of several of the cougars,
for, it developed, a band of three, grown desperate by hunger, had
made an attack.
“Are you hurt, Jerry?” cried Bob and Ned, as, with his pails of
water, the boy staggered into the cave.
“Not a bit, but I had a close shave,” was the answer. “But we must
be quick! Here! Help fill the radiator with the water.”
“Can’t we drink any?” asked Bob who, like the others, was very
thirsty.
“Not a drop,” said Jerry firmly. “We need every bit for the
automobile. Without it we can’t get away from here, and now is the
only chance we may have to escape. We can drink later.”
While Jerry and Ned filled the radiator the other boys and the
professor made ready for the escape. Everything was packed up and
placed in the car, which, as soon as the coil was filled, would be
ready to start and dash from the cave.
“I’m afraid this is not going to be water enough,” spoke Jerry as
the second of the pails was emptied into the radiator.
“Can’t I make a dash for some more? There seems to be
excitement enough in the camp to keep them from watching me,”
said Ned. “I’m going to try.”
There was considerable activity among the ranch men. The
cougars, though wounded, seemed to have temporarily lost all fear
and made attack after attack on the men, who had to fire several
volleys from their rifles.
“Go ahead,” said Jerry. “I’ll start the engine slowly.”
Grabbing up the pails Ned walked from the cave.
“I’m going to help, also,” said Tommy.
“No, you stay here,” commanded Jerry. “Bob can go if he wants
to.”
Bob joined Ned. They ran to the stream and had filled the pails
when, just as they started on the way back, the wounded cougars,
driven from the camp, came dashing after the boys.
“Now we’re in for it!” exclaimed Ned. “Run, Bob!”
And run they did, as they had never run before, and left the
beasts behind.
“Have you the water?” asked Jerry eagerly as the boys came in.
“We have!” exclaimed Bob. “And hard enough work we had getting
it.”
“Good!”
Jerry hurriedly poured most of it into the radiator, though every
one in the cave looked at the fluid with longing eyes.
“I must get a drink soon, or I shall go half crazy!” said the
professor suddenly. “I never was so thirsty in my life.”
“I’m saving just a little bit for each of us,” spoke Jerry. “But it is a
very small quantity, and will only serve to wet our mouths. If all goes
well we shall soon have plenty.”
He distributed about a pint of the water among his companions,
and though each one got only a little it brought welcome relief.
“Now we’re ready to skip out!” announced Jerry as he screwed the
cap on the radiator tank, and increased the speed of the engine.
“But first we had better take a look outside to see if any of that gang
are in sight.”
The professor, who had good eyes, went to the mouth of the cave,
and, coming back, reported that he could see a dark mass moving
on the further bank of the stream.
“They have evidently gotten over their scare about the cougars,”
Mr. Snodgrass said, “and are waiting to bag us. What are we going
to do?”
“There’s only one thing to do,” replied Jerry.
“And that is what?”
“We must make a dash for it. The road is fairly good, and I guess
we can speed up enough to get out of the range of their bullets in a
short time. They can’t be very good shots or they would have killed
the three cougars, with all the bullets they fired.”
So it was decided. They all took their places in the car, and Jerry,
who, as if by mutual consent, assumed the place of steersman,
leaned forward to throw in the gear clutches.
“Here we go!” he cried. “Look out everybody!”
Slowly at first, but gathering speed, the auto moved out of the
cave. The lamps lighted up the path, and, though the boys realized
that the lanterns disclosed their position to their enemies, they had
to use them for their own safety. It was too dark to do without
them.
A few seconds later and the car emerged from the cavern. As it
shot out there came a chorus of angry cries from the camp of the
ranchmen, and several shots were fired, though none of them came
close enough to be uncomfortable.
“Here we go!” cried Jerry again, as he increased the speed, and
the auto fairly leaped forward. It swayed from side to side, and
struck several ruts, so that the occupants were tossed about.
But the main thing was that they went ahead, and away from their
enemies. Jerry, peering as best he could into the darkness ahead,
made a course for the stream, intending to go close to it, and then
run along the bank, or near it, as he had noted in the afternoon that
there was a fairly good road there.
Gradually the shouts of the men, and the firing of their guns died
away, and the travelers began to breathe more freely. They had
made their escape, and, for the present, were safe.
“Oh do let’s stop and get a drink!” pleaded Bob.
“Not yet!” exclaimed Jerry. “Five minutes more will not kill you,
and it may save all our lives,” for he did not want to slack up while
there was any danger of the ranchmen coming after them.
The five minutes seemed like an hour to Bob, and the others, too,
were impatient. But at last Jerry shut off the power and the machine
came to a halt not far from the creek. Out scrambled the boys and
the professor, and then, in spite of the danger of drinking snakes
and lizards in the darkness, they all made for the stream, where they
quenched their thirst from small collapsable cups which each one
had been holding in readiness for just that chance.
“That’s better than an ice cream soda!” exclaimed Ned.
“You bet!” agreed Bob heartily. “I never tasted such fine water.”
“Very good!” said the professor.
“I guess we can stop long enough to lay in a supply now,”
remarked Jerry. “We can start off again in five minutes, and in that
time they can not catch up to us.”
So the radiator was filled to the top, and the auxiliary tank
likewise, while the boys indulged freely in the liquid, thinking,
perhaps, they might have some of the characteristics of the camel,
and could drink enough at one time to last a week or more.
Then they started forward again, and the auto soon carried them
beyond the possibility of capture that night. They camped out in the
open, and, in spite of their rather exciting adventures they slept
soundly, awaking as the sun rose.
Ned was given a chance to run the machine, and he took the front
seat with Tommy, who was delighted to be there for the first time.
They had not been going long before they found the land was rising.
“We’re coming into the mountains now,” said Jerry.
Up a long hill, with a gradual assent, puffed the auto. On either
side were broad fields where tall Pampas grass was growing, amid
which thousands of grasshoppers, or some similar insect, were
singing.
“Better be sure your brake is in good working order,” suggested
Jerry, as they came to the steep descent on the other side. “We
don’t want any more accidents.”
Ned tried the ordinary brake. There was a clicking sound, followed
by a snapping one.
“Brake’s busted!” exclaimed Jerry. “Try the emergency!”
Ned did so. That, too, gave out only a faint screech, and did not
grip the axle as it should.
“Look out now!” yelled Jerry. “We’re in for it!”
An instant later the auto began to move forward at a rapid pace.
All Ned’s efforts to check it were in vain.
“We’re running away!” cried frightened Tommy. “I wish I’d stayed
in back!”
“Keep to the middle of the road!” Jerry cried above the noise of
the auto rushing down the steep hill. At the bottom the road took a
sharp turn, and the hearts of all beat rapidly with fear as they
beheld it.
CHAPTER XII
TOMMY FINDS A FRIEND
So rapidly did the machine shoot down the descent that it almost
seemed the curved road was rushing to meet the travelers. Again
and again Ned tried the brakes, but without avail. He had shut off
the power at the first indication that something was wrong.
“We can never make that turn!” exclaimed Bob.
“I’m afraid not,” agreed Jerry.
They were all clinging to the sides of the car, while Ned gripped
the steering wheel with a desperate hold.
“Look out for the turn!” cried the professor as they came to the
sharp curve.
But, to the surprise of all, Ned, instead of shifting the wheel in at
least an attempt to swing around the half circle kept straight on the
course. The boy had resolved on another plan.
Directly in front of him, and to the left of the road was a big field
of tall waving Pampas grass, the plumes nodding eight feet above
the ground. It was shut off from the thoroughfare by a frail wooden
fence.
“I’m going to steer into the grass!” cried Ned. “It’s our only
chance!”
The next instant there was a splintering sound as the auto crashed
through the fence, which offered no more resistance, because of the
great speed, than a paper hoop does to a circus performer. Then it
seemed to the travelers as though they had been plunged into a
tossing, waving sea of grass.
The tall Pampas plumes and the stems wrapped themselves about
the boys and the professor, almost choking them by the pollen that
was shaken off. The feathery-like tops tickled them in the eyes, nose
and mouth as, carried by the runaway auto, they were dashed
through them.
But the grass had just the effect Ned had intended and hoped for.
It clogged the wheels of the machine, and though soft, offered so
much resistance that the machine soon began to slow down, as does
a locomotive when it runs into a snow drift.
After plowing through the field for about two hundred feet the car
came to a final stop, with a little jolt.
“Santa Maria! Caramba!” yelled a voice and then followed such a
string of Spanish that the boys thought they had run down a whole
camp of Mexican herders.
“Did we hit any one?” asked Jerry, peering forward as well as he
could through the tall grass.
“Caramba! Hit any one! The Americano pirates have killed Don
Elvardo!” exclaimed the unseen one. “You have broken—!” and then
followed such a confusion of words that the boys could not
understand.
“Have we broken your leg?” asked Jerry, speaking in Spanish this
time.
“Santa Maria! No! You have broken the cigarette I just rolled!” and
with that the grass parted in front of the auto, and a little Mexican,
wearing a suit profusely trimmed with silver braid, showed himself.
The boys felt like laughing as they beheld the woe-begone face of
Don Elvardo. In his hand he held the remains of a cigarette.
“Behold!” he went on tragically. “I am peacefully walking in my
field, looking over my crop of Pampas, when I feel a desire to
smoke. I sit me down and roll a cigarette. I am about to light it,
when—Santa Maria! There is a rushing sound of ten thousand imps
of darkness. My grass is mowed down as if by a sickle in the hands
of a giant. I turn in fear! I see something coming! I can not tell what
it is, for the tall grass hides it! I turn to flee! The infernal thing keeps
after me! Presto! Caramba! It hits me so—”
Don Elvardo illustrated by slapping himself vigorously on the thigh.
“Then I fall! I am crushed! I am killed! I die in pain and fear! I
arise! Behold, senor Americanos, my cigarette is broken!”
“We’re very sorry, of course,” said Jerry politely. “But you see our
auto ran away on the hill, and as the brakes would not work, the
only thing to save our lives was to steer into this field. We did not
know you were here, or we would have sent around to your house
to ask permission to enter,” added the lad sarcastically.
“But I am here!” snapped the Mexican.
“So we see,” admitted Jerry. “We are willing to pay for any
damage we have done.”
The Mexican’s eyes sparkled, and he rubbed his hands as if in
anticipation.
“That alters the case,” said Don Elvardo. “The Americano senors
are welcome ten thousand times to my field. I bid you welcome. I
salute you. Pay. Oh, yes! It is but right that you should pay!” Again
he rubbed his hands together.
“About what would you say it was worth?” asked Ned.
“I am no miser,” replied the Mexican. “I do not wish to insult my
friends the Americanos. I will only charge them for the damage to
the grass. The broken fence is of no moment. Pay me one hundred
dollars and I will say no more about the affair.”
“He’s a robber!” said Jerry in a low voice. “We haven’t done five
dollars’ damage to his crop and the fence combined.”
“I guess he will whistle for his one hundred dollars,” said Ned.
Don Elvardo heard him.
“So!” he exclaimed. “You will not pay me one little hundred dollars
for the damage. Caramba! Then it is I who shall at once lodge a
complaint with the authorities. We will see if there is a law in the
land, or if crazy Americanos can spoil a poor man’s crop and pay
nothing. We shall see!”
“Offer him ten dollars,” suggested Bob. The boys consulted
together a minute or two. They wanted to be fair, but they did not
care to be robbed. The professor had taken no part in the
discussion. He seemed to be intently examining the tall grass on
either side of the machine.
Suddenly the scientist stepped from the side of the car, and rapidly
made his way to the front, where Don Elvardo stood. Mr. Snodgrass
gazed intently at the Mexican. Then he gave a leap toward the Don,
exclaiming as he did so:
“There it is! Right on your hat! Don’t move an inch or it will jump
away! I have it now! This is indeed a lucky day! Just a second and
I’ll have it!”
With that the professor made a leap toward the Mexican with
outstretched hands.
“Santa Maria! Diavolo?” screamed Don Elvardo as he saw the
scientist coming for him. “Caramba! It is to murder me that you
come!”
Then, calling for help at the top of his voice, the Mexican turned
and fled in terror, his course being marked through the tall grass by
the wave-like motion he imparted to the plumes in his haste.
“Why—why what in the world ails him?” asked Mr. Snodgrass.
“He probably thought you were going to choke him to death,” said
Jerry with a laugh. “In fact your actions were not so very far from
giving that idea.”
“Why bless my soul!” ejaculated the professor. “All I wanted was
to get a fine specimen of a blue grasshopper from his big hat, where
the insect had alighted. It was worth about forty dollars.”
“I saw some just as good in a city once for twenty dollars,” put in
Tommy, “and they had more silver braid on.”
“What! A grasshopper with silver braid on?” cried the scientist.
“I thought you said his hat was worth forty dollars,” went on
Tommy, somewhat embarrassed.
“I was speaking of the blue grasshopper,” explained Mr. Snodgrass.
“My, I am sorry to have missed that one.”
“But you did a good service in scaring this Mexican away, as you
did the chap with the ox cart,” spoke Ned. “He might have made
trouble for us.”
“And we had better get out of here while we have the chance,”
said Jerry. “He may come back any minute.”
Accordingly the auto was turned around, and run over the same
course by which it had entered the field. Otherwise it would have
been almost impossible to have advanced, so thick was the grass.
The road regained, the machine was sent along it at good speed, for
fear Don Elvardo or some of his friends might appear.
“We had better stop and fix the brakes,” suggested Ned, after an
hour’s run.
“And get dinner at the same time,” put in Bob. “We’ll kill two
stones with the same automobile, as the poem says.”
“I guess you’re a little twisted,” remarked Ned, “but your
intentions are good.”
A halt was made under a big tree, near a little stream, and soon a
good fire was built and dinner was being cooked.
It was found that some nuts had become loose on the brakes, and
this trouble Jerry soon remedied. After the meal they sat about and
talked a while.
“We’ll soon be in New Mexico,” remarked Jerry, consulting a small
map.
“Will we?” asked Tommy. “I’m so glad.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a man who was once a friend of my father at a
place called Las Cruces. It’s near the Rio Grande river. If we could go
there I know Mr. Douglass would take care of me.”
“Then we’ll go there,” said Jerry. “It will be right on our route.”
They all agreed this would be a good plan. That night the travelers
stopped in a small village where they had good beds and meals.
They resumed the journey next day, and for several days thereafter
met with no mishaps as they speeded toward Las Cruces. They had
left the lowlands and were well up among the hills by this time.
One day, just at dusk, they rolled into Las Cruces and, after a little
inquiry found Mr. Douglass, who was very glad to see Tommy.
“I will be glad to take care of him for the present,” he said.
CHAPTER XIII
THE COLORED MAN’S GHOST
The travelers found the town where Tommy’s friend lived such a
pleasant place that they spent several days there. It was a thriving
place, and the auto was a source of endless wonder to most of the
inhabitants, who had never seen one.
Had the boys wished they could have made considerable money
taking parties out in the car for short trips, but they knew they had a
long journey before them and they wished to save the machine all
they could. It needed some repairs which were made by the local
blacksmith, and then the travelers were ready to move forward
again.
“I don’t know how to thank you for all you did for me,” said
Tommy, as the boys were leaving. “You saved my life. Maybe I will
have a chance to do you a good turn some day. If I have, you can
bet I’ll do it.”
“We know you will, Tommy,” said Jerry. “Well, good-by. I hope we
see you again.”
“Same here!” exclaimed Bob and Ned.
They did not know how soon they were to meet their friend again,
nor in what a peculiar manner he was able to aid them in return for
what they had done for him.
For several days the auto skimmed along through a somewhat
lonely country. The roads were not very good and a number of times
progress was so slow that only a few miles were made between
sunrise and sunset. Now and then the travelers would come to a
lonely cabin, where they could replenish their food supply or get a
night’s lodging. But, in the main, they had to depend on their own
resources.
Occasionally they would reach a little settlement, where their
arrival never failed to produce as much excitement as a fire and
circus combined. Every day brought them nearer their gold mine,
concerning which they were very anxious, as they had heard nothing
further from Jim Nestor.
“The mine may have been taken away from him for all we know,”
chafed Jerry as he fretted at the delay caused by bad roads.
“We’ll hope for the best,” said Ned. “No use crossing a bridge until
you come to it.”
The travelers were well up among the lower mountains now,
though compared with the heights they had still to scale the range
was one of mere hills. One evening just at dusk, after a particularly
hard day of travel, during which the auto had broken down several
times, necessitating minor repairs, the Motor Boys came to a place
where two roads divided.
“I wonder which we had better take?” asked Bob, who was at the
wheel.
“The right,” said Jerry.
“The left,” advised Ned.
“Toss up a cent,” suggested the professor. “Make it heads right
and tails left.”
They did so. The coin came down heads up, and Bob turned the
machine to the right. It had not proceeded far on this road when,
about a mile ahead, the travelers saw a couple of log cabins.
“Well, there’s shelter for to-night, at all events,” Jerry remarked,
“and, I hope, supper as well. I’m getting a little tired of bacon and
coffee.”
They found one of the cabins occupied by a negro, his wife, and
seven children, the oldest a boy of sixteen and the youngest a little
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  • 5. Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc. CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies SOLUTIONS TO END-OF-CHAPTER EXERCISES Review Questions 7.1 Economic Growth over Time and around the World (pages 153–157) Learning Objective: Define economic growth, calculate economic growth rates, and describe global trends in economic growth. 1.1 A country’s economic growth matters because living standards tend to rise with economic growth. Higher economic growth provides a country with more opportunities to improve the lives of its citizens by, for example, increasing average life expectancy. 1.2 The total percentage increase is the percentage increase in real GDP from 2005 to 2015. It is not an annual growth rate. The average annual growth rate is the growth rate at which the value for real GDP in 2005 would have to grow on average each year to end up with the value for real GDP in 2015. 7.2 What Determines How Fast Economies Grow? (pages 157–164) Learning Objective: Use the economic growth model to explain why growth rates differ across countries. 2.1 A movement from A to B shows the effect on real GDP per hour worked of an increase in capital per hour worked, holding technology constant. A movement from A to C shows the effect of an increase in technology, holding the quantity of capital per hour worked constant.
  • 6. CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc. 40 2.2 Diminishing returns to capital imply that, holding technology constant, additional capital per hour worked results in smaller and smaller increases in real GDP per hour worked. Therefore, sustained increases in real GDP per hour worked require more than continuing increases in capital per hour worked. To maintain high growth rates despite diminishing returns to capital, economies must experience technological change. 2.3 New growth theory is a model of long-run economic growth that emphasizes the impact of economic incentives on technological change, which is determined by the working of the market system. The Solow growth theory does not seek to explain what determines technological change, but instead assumes that technological change occurs because of chance scientific discoveries. The new growth theory, besides seeking to explain factors that influence technological change, incorporates knowledge capital. Investments in knowledge capital result in increasing returns to economic growth. 2.4 Firms are likely to underinvest in research and development because other firms will gain much of the additional returns from research and development. To increase the accumulation of knowledge capital, governments can protect intellectual property with patents and copyrights, subsidize research and development, and subsidize education. 2.5 Knowledge capital experiences increasing returns at the economy level while physical capital experiences decreasing returns because knowledge capital is nonrival and nonexcludable. Knowledge, once discovered, becomes available to everyone. One firm’s use of knowledge capital does not prevent another firm from using it, and once knowledge becomes known it becomes widely available to other firms. Physical capital is rival because if one firm uses it other firms cannot, and it is excludable because the firm that owns the capital can keep other firms from using it. 7.3 Economic Growth in Canada (pages 164–167) Learning Objective: Discuss fluctuations in productivity growth in Canada. 3.1 The growth rate of productivity increased from 1870 through the mid-1970s, then slowed somewhat for the next 40 years. The slowdown in productivity growth most likely resulted from the measurement problem of the economy producing a larger share of services relative to goods and from stricter environmental and health standards that may have increased overall well-being but not measured GDP. In response to higher oil prices, some firms switched to production technologies that were less energy intensive but which also produced less output per worker hour. The scores on some standardized exams declined during this time period, which may indicate a declining quality of the labour force. Lower-quality workers may have more difficulty adapting to new technology, which could reduce the growth rate of productivity. Beginning in 1995, the rapid spread of information technology may have spurred productivity increases. 3.2 Some economists are optimistic that the increase in productivity that began in the mid-1990s from advances in information and communication technology will continue. These economists believe high rates of growth will come from higher productivity in the IT sector itself and in other sectors of the economy as the result of progress made possible by advances in IT. Other economists argue that the IT revolution is now having a greater effect on consumer products, such as smartphones and tablets, than on labor productivity. These economists also identify other factors such as an aging population, declining educational achievement, and the consequences of increased regulations and higher taxes, that will lead to lower productivity growth rates.
  • 7. CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc. 41 7.4 Why Isn’t the Whole World Rich? (pages 168–177) Learning Objective: Explain economic catch-up and discuss why many poor countries have not experienced rapid economic growth. 4.1 Increases in the quantity of capital per hour worked and the adoption of new technology should occur at a high rate in poor countries because the profitability of using additional capital or better technology is generally greater in a poor country than in a rich country. Some poor countries have been catching up to rich countries, but many have not. 4.2 The main reasons many poor countries have experienced slow growth are the failure to enforce the rule of law, wars and revolutions, poor public education and health, and low rates of saving and investment. 4.3 Globalization refers to the process of countries becoming more open to foreign trade and investment. Globalization can help a developing country break out of the vicious cycle of low saving and investment and low growth by providing access to funds and technology from foreign direct investment and foreign portfolio investment. 7.5 Growth Policies (pages 177–181) Learning Objective: Discuss government policies that foster economic growth. 5.1 Governments can aid economic growth through policies that enhance property rights and the rule of law, improve health and education, subsidize research and development, and provide incentives for saving and investment. 5.2 Economic growth is associated with higher living standards, improved health, improved working conditions, and longer life expectancy. However, some policymakers and commentators argue that economic growth has been contributing to income inequality, global warming, deforestation, and other environmental problems. Whether continued economic growth will always improve economic well-being is a normative question and cannot be settled by economic analysis. Problems and Applications 7.1 Economic Growth over Time and around the World (pages 153–157) Learning Objective: Define economic growth, calculate economic growth rates, and describe global trends in economic growth. 1.1 The finding of the importance of market efficiency in long-run economic growth by Shiue and Keller supports North’s argument that a government can promote economic growth by protecting private property rights and wealth, as the British government did beginning with the Glorious Revolution of 1688. 1.2 The annual rate of economic growth is calculated as the percentage change in real GDP from the previous year. For example, the rate of economic growth for Brazil in 2012 equals {[($1,213 – 1,192)/1,912] × 100} = 1.76% percent. The average annual growth rate between 2012 and 2014 is calculated as the simple average of the growth rates for each year. Country 2012 2013 2014 Average Annual Growth Rate Brazil 1.76% 2.80% 0.08% 1.55% Mexico 4.01 1.39 2.12 2.51 Thailand 6.48 2.90 0.71 3.36
  • 8. CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc. 42 a. During 2012, Thailand experienced the highest economic growth rate of 6.48 percent. b. Between 2012 and 2014, Thailand experienced the highest average annual growth rate of 3.36 percent. c. It does not matter that each country’s real GDP is measured in a different currency. Growth rates are measured as percentage changes, which are not dependent on the specific units (in this case, currencies) being used. 1.3 You will have earned more on your Andover Bank CDs due to the compounding in 2017 and 2018 on the extra $30 you earned on the Andover Bank CD in 2016. Bank Value of CD at End of Year 2016 2017 2018 Andover Bank $1,050.00 $1,102.50 $1,157.63 Lowell Bank $1,020.00 $1,081.20 $1,156.88 1.4 Year Real GDP per Capita (2009 prices) Annual Growth Rate 2010 $36,466 ----- 2011 37,176 1.95% 2012 37,442 0.72 2013 37,754 0.83 2014 38,293 1.43 a. The percentage change in real GDP per capita between 2010 and 2014 was: (38,29336,466) 36,466 100  5.01% b. The average annual growth rate in GDP per capita between 2010 and 2014 can be measured as the average of the annual growth rates in the above table: (1.950.720.831.43) 4 1.23% 1.5 a. Real GDP per capita most likely did not increase significantly from the near elimination of measles and the large decrease in childhood deaths, but the standard of living measured in terms of health did increase significantly. One reason why falling infant and childhood mortality could contribute to lowering GDP per capita is that lower mortality results in a larger population and therefore a higher denominator in the GDP per capita ratio. The reduction in disease would also mean that resources could be used for purposes other than treating disease, which would raise living standards; and for a given level of food intake, net nutrition increases with lower incidence of disease. These last considerations indicate reductions in disease may lay the foundation for future increases in real GDP per capita. b. For a developing country, the elimination of measles and childhood deaths from diarrhea is more achievable than sustained increases in real GDP per capita. Fewer additional resources and less time are required to achieve the elimination of disease than the additional investment and the institutional changes needed for sustained increases in real GDP per capita.
  • 9. CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc. 43 1.6 If ideas and inventions, such as the importance of ABCs and vaccines for DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus), flow more readily than process technologies, such as laws and inventory management systems, then low-income countries will be able to increase their standard of living as measured by health and education faster than they will be able to increase real GDP per capita. 7.2 What Determines How Fast Economies Grow? (pages 157–164) Learning Objective: Use the economic growth model to explain why growth rates differ across countries. 2.1 a. An increase in capital per hour worked results in a movement along the per-worker production function. b. and c. Both result in shifts of the per-worker production function because they are likely to lead to technological change by increasing real GDP per hour worked, holding capital per hour worked constant. 2.2 a. Urbanization refers to the process of people moving from rural areas to cities. b. If urbanization is an important explanation for China’s high rates of economic growth, then we wouldn’t expect those growth rates to be maintained in the long run. We can draw this conclusion for two reasons: 1) At some point, after most people have left rural areas for the cities, the process of urbanization in China will come to an end (as it eventually did in the United States and other high-income countries); and 2) We know that in the long run, technological progress, and not increases in capital per hour worked that come from urbanization, is the key to continuing economic growth. 2.3 a. False, because technology is assumed constant along a given per-worker production function. b. False, because the movement from point B to point C represents technological change, which occurs despite the existence of diminishing returns to capital. c. True, because point C represents both a higher level of capital per worker and a higher level of technology than point A. 2.4 This strategy ran into the problem of diminishing returns to capital. The policy of very high rates of investment with little emphasis on technological change meant that the capital stock was increasing much more rapidly than technology. Continuing rapid increases in capital per hour worked led only to diminishing increases in output per hour worked. With these diminishing marginal returns, the growth rate of real GDP per capita stagnated. 2.5 In the traditional economic growth model, technological change is exogenous. This means that the traditional model does not try to explain technological change. Technological change is endogenous in the new growth theory, and entrepreneurs play a key role in the development and adoption of new technology. 2.6 Because even though they are not spending their own money, salaried managers in Canada are judged by the profitability of the company, which often depends on the adoption of new technologies.
  • 10. CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc. 44 7.3 Economic Growth in Canada (pages 164–167) Learning Objective: Discuss fluctuations in productivity growth in Canada. 3.1 The growth rates might be lower if they were calculated for real GDP per capita instead of per hour worked because the number of hours worked per person in Canada has decreased in the years since 1900. 3.2 a. There are benefits derived from Internet searches that affect GDP, but they are not likely to be measured directly. Finding information more quickly and efficiently than was possible prior to the existence of the Internet results in more time and other resources available to produce new final goods and services. In other words, as the opportunity cost of finding information has declined, more resources are available to produce additional output that is included in GDP. b. There are measurement problems that could explain why productivity growth has declined in recent years, but some economists have pointed out that similar problems resulted in an underestimate of productivity growth in periods when measured productivity growth was higher. Improvements in technology will lead to long-run increases in GDP per capita. Evidence of this would imply that the recent decline in productivity was partly the result of a measurement problem. 3.3 Future labour productivity growth rates will decline if Gordon’s observations are correct. The higher labour productivity growth rates that began in the mid-1990s were due partly to advances in information and communication technology. To the extent that these advances have moved more to consumer enjoyment rather than business productivity, then labour productivity growth rates will decline. 7.4 Why Isn’t the Whole World Rich? (pages 168–177) Learning Objective: Explain economic catch-up and discuss why many poor countries have not experienced rapid economic growth. 4.1 The catch-up effect predicts that countries with a lower level of GDP per capita will grow faster than countries with a higher level of GDP per capita. In the table, the data for China, Ireland, and the United States are consistent with the catch-up prediction because China’s GDP per capita in 1960 was the lowest and its growth between 1960 and 2011 was the highest, while Ireland’s GDP per capita in 1960 was between that of China and the United States, as was its growth rate. On the other hand, Uganda and Madagascar should have grown faster than Ireland and the United States, but they grew more slowly, which is not consistent with the catch-up prediction. 4.2 a. No, these data do not support the catch-up prediction. The countries with the highest initial levels of real GDP per capita have growth rates of real GDP per capita similar to the countries with average initial levels of real GDP per capita. b. Yes, these data support the catch-up prediction. The countries with the lowest initial levels of real GDP per capita have the highest growth rates of real GDP per capita, and the countries with the highest initial levels of real GDP per capita have the lowest growth rates of real GDP per capita. c. No, these data do not support the catch-up prediction. The countries have roughly the same growth rates of real GDP per capita regardless of their initial levels of real GDP per capita.
  • 11. CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc. 45 4.3 a. The horizontal line in Graph 1 matches the experience of all countries, indicating that most of the world hasn’t been catching up. b. The slight upward-sloping line in Graph 3 matches the experience of Western Europe, Canada, and Japan, indicating that these high-income countries have stopped catching up to the United States. c. The downward-sloping line in Graph 2 matches the experience of current high-income countries, indicating that there has been catch-up among high-income countries. 4.4 A high unemployment rate means distress for the people who are currently out of work. The economy minister, though, may be expecting Italy’s unemployment rate to fall over time. A low rate of productivity growth means that in the long run, the standard of living in Italy will be increasing only slowly. It is likely this slow increase in the standard of living is the tragedy the economy minister was referring to. 4.5 Large, modern companies can better afford to invest in human and physical capital and technology and use more efficient means of organizing their production processes than can small companies. All of these factors result in increases in labor productivity. The McKinsey report recommended actions that the Mexican government could make to improve productivity growth among small firms: “…remove incentives for businesses to remain informal, such as tax breaks that vanish once a certain size is reached; increase enforcement of laws and regulations; lower the cost of opening a business; and simplify the complexity of regulations that makes compliance a time-consuming affair.” 4.6 a. Using the “rule of 70” it would take 77.8 years for the standard of living – as measured by real GDP per capita – to double at a growth rate of 0.9 percent. b. Some economists believe that Mexico’s slow rate of economic growth is partly due to legal restrictions that hamper the country’s financial sector. Other impediments to growth include government corruption that has hindered business formation and forced some economic activity underground, poor infrastructure, and an educational system that does an inadequate job of teaching students skills they need to find jobs in the global marketplace. 4.7 For the most part, the Roman Empire lacked the secure private property rights required for a market system to work. If modern economic growth had begun 1700 years earlier than it did, the standard of living today would be many times higher than it is. 7.5 Growth Policies (pages 177–181) Learning Objective: Discuss government policies that foster economic growth. 5.1 It would be “good news” for the Mexican economy only if the Mexican government were able reduce corruption and lawlessness, some of which is related to the traffic of illegal drugs into the United States. Recent attempts to crack down on corruption have not met with great success. It will not be easy to achieve greater success in the future. 5.2 The lower birthrate will lead to a lower proportion of workers in their twenties and thirties, and a higher proportion of workers in their sixties and older. The older workers as a group will be less educated, less healthy, and less productive. High rates of spending on investment will lead to high rates of growth in the short run, but not the long run, because of diminishing returns to capital. The increased spending on investment moves China along its per-worker production function but does not shift up the function. Ultimately, China will need to achieve technological advance, which will shift up the per-worker production function.
  • 12. CHAPTER 7 | Long-Run Economic Growth: Sources and Policies Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc. 46 5.3 a. “Technological catch-up” refers to China narrowing the gap between the technologies used in the West and those used in China. China has been catching up to the West in using the most recent technological innovations. b. Catching up, or leaping forward, in technology has been a source of China’s high rates of economic growth. The part of economic growth that has been due to technological catch-up will no longer occur once catch-up has been achieved. At that point, Chinese firms will have to become proficient in developing new technologies rather than just adopting existing technologies. c. Both the Chinese economy today and the Soviet economy in the 1980s have/had limited freedom of expression and political rights for its citizens, and have/had relied on large amounts of investment as a source of economic growth. However, China, unlike the Soviet Union, has moved away from a centrally planned economy to a more market-based economy. 5.4 a. The passage of an investment tax credit is likely to increase the rate of economic growth in Canada because the credit will give firm an incentive to purchase more capital, thereby increasing the capital to labour ratio (K/L). b. Deductibility of provincial taxes is unrelated to any of the factors that cause economic growth. c. Providing more funds for low-interest loans to college students is likely to increase the rate of economic growth in Canada. When more students receive a college education, the level of human capital increases, which is a form of technological improvement. 5.5 A free press could serve as a watchdog against corruption, which undermines the rule of law and property rights. Over time, crusading newspapers could help reduce corruption and improve the rule of law. 5.6 The environment might be considered as a “normal good,” whose demand increases as consumers’ incomes increase. From this perspective, more people in high-income countries than in low-income countries tend to be concerned about the environment and thus consider rapid economic growth less desirable.
  • 13. Other documents randomly have different content
  • 14. Jerry briefly related some of their travel adventures, at which Tommy opened his eyes to their widest extent. “Cracky! But you have had stunning times!” he exclaimed. The meal having been finished, they began to think of getting some sleep. Blankets were brought out, and rolling themselves up in them the boys and the professor were soon in the land of nod. It was nearly dawn when Jerry was suddenly awakened by the far off baying of a dog. At first he could not imagine what the sound was, and sat up to listen more intently. Then a long, mournful howl was borne to him on the wind. “That’s strange,” he muttered. “There are very few dogs about here. I wonder what it is.” At the same time Tommy Bell roused up, and he, too, heard the sound. “It’s the gang after us!” he exclaimed. “They have a lot of hounds on the ranch! Hurry up! Let’s get out of this!” “Hark!” exclaimed Jerry, raising his hand. Then the boys heard, faint and far off, the sound of galloping horses. “They’re coming!” cried Jerry. His cry awakened the others, who sat up bewildered and heavy from sound sleep. “Lively’s the word!” called Jerry. “They’re after us!” No further explanation was needed, for all knew what Jerry meant. There was a hasty piling of blankets into the auto; the stove was packed up, and, while the travelers jumped into the car, Jerry went in front to crank it up. The cheerful chug-chug told that the machinery was in good working order, and then, the boy, leaping into the steersman’s seat, threw in the low gear for the start.
  • 15. As he did so Ned glanced back and saw, coming around the bend of the forest road a score of horsemen and a pack of dogs. “Speed her up, Jerry!” called Bob. “I will!” was the exclamation, as Jerry leaned forward to throw in the high gear. A mournful screeching of the engine was the only response. “I forgot! The high gear is broken!” the steersman cried. “We can only use the intermediate, and that is not very fast!” “It’s the best we can do, though!” said Bob. “We may get away from them!” On the intermediate cogs the auto made good speed, and, for a while, distanced the gang, the members of which, with shouts of rage, put their horses to their best effort.
  • 16. CHAPTER IX INTO THE CAVE The sun began to peep up from beneath the eastern hills, throwing a rosy light over the earth. The woods began to thin out, and the sides of the “tunnel,” which had been dense, became more open, so that glimpses of the country could be seen now and then. The chase was now on in earnest. For some time, however, the auto kept well in advance of the horsemen, for Jerry used all the power possible on the differential gear. If the high speed one had been in working order there would have been no question of the outcome, but, for once, luck was against the boys. Nearer and nearer came the gang on horseback. They got so close that their shouts to halt could be plainly heard. But Jerry was not going to give up. He gritted his teeth and gripped the wheel with a firmer grasp. “We seem to be slacking up,” observed Ned. “That’s what we are,” spoke Jerry. “The auto is going back on us.” The car did seem to be dragging, and there was no excuse for it in the condition of the road, which was a fine level one. “The car needs repairing,” said Jerry, “and the way I have to run it isn’t the best thing in the world for it.” “Do you think they’ll catch up to us?” asked Bob. “I’m afraid so,” muttered Jerry. “We are going the limit now.” The thunder of the horses sounded nearer and the shouts of the pursuing gang came more plainly on the morning breeze. The auto coughed and wheezed, seeming like a man who has run far and is
  • 17. about to collapse. The explosions became less frequent, and finally one of the cylinders ceased to work altogether, leaving only three in commission. “Now we’re in for it!” muttered Jerry, as, by a hasty glance back he saw the men spurring their horses on. “You’d better give up!” one of the gang shouted. “Not yet, you scoundrels!” cried Jerry, as he advanced the sparkling lever to the final notch. This seemed to be the last straw to the auto engine, for with a dismal snort it stopped short. “This settles it,” muttered Ned grimly. “We are done for.” Fortunately, however, they were on a slight slope now, and the car, with the impetus it had gathered, began to glide down the hill under its own momentum. But the horsemen were not one thousand feet in the rear and were drawing nearer. There seemed to be no help at hand and there was every indication that the boys would fall into the hands of their desperate enemies. “How much farther can we go?” asked Tommy suddenly. “To the foot of the hill,” replied Jerry. “Why do you ask?” “That’s far enough!” exclaimed Tommy. “I guess we can escape them.” “How?” “Steer straight for that dead pine tree,” replied the young lad, “and when you get almost to it, make a wide turn to the right.” “What good will that do?” “There’s a big cave right at the foot of the hill,” replied Tommy. “I know for I passed it as I was tramping toward the ranch. It is large enough to take in the auto, and maybe we can hold it against the gang.”
  • 18. “Hurrah!” shouted Jerry, as he shifted the wheel to conform with Tommy’s directions. “We’ll beat ’em yet!” Straight toward the dead pine Jerry aimed, and, as he came to the bottom of the slope, he saw an opening in the bush-lined side of the hill, that told him the cave was at hand. Into it, by a skillful turn, he steered the auto, and the machine, running in about one hundred feet from the opening came to a stop, just as the horsemen came dashing up, much surprised by the sudden disappearance of those they were pursuing. “We’re safe!” whispered Ned. “Not yet,” said Jerry. “We must arm ourselves,” and he began to get out the rifles from the bottom of the car, and hand them around to his companions. Outside the cavern, which was a natural one in the rocky side of the hill, there came confused shouts. “Where did they go?” they heard a voice ask. “Must have gone over some ledge and been killed,” was the reply. “Then that settles it,” said the first one. “That’s just our bad luck!” Then came a curious cry, and, by it, the boys knew their hiding place was discovered. “Here are the tracks of the wheels!” the travelers heard some one shout. “They turned off somewhere about here.” “Then they’re in that cave,” was the rejoinder. “Dismount!” came a sharp order. The boys could hear the men getting off their horses, and the animals being led away. “Get your carbines ready!” was the next command. “It’s time for us to act!” whispered Jerry. “We must each one take a gun, and stand at the mouth of the cave. We’ll warn them not to
  • 19. enter. If they persist we will have to fire, but we must try not to hurt any one mortally. Aim at their legs!” In the half darkness of the cavern the boys and the professor each took a rifle and crept to the mouth of the opening. No sooner had they reached it than they heard the tramp of feet, and shadows told them the bad men were advancing. “Halt!” cried Jerry, who had naturally assumed command. “Who are you?” asked the leader of the gang. “Never mind who we are,” replied Jerry. “We are in possession of this cave, and we warn you not to come in!” “Big words for a kid!” sneered the leader. “You’ll find we can back them up,” spoke Jerry. Then, in lower tones, he bade his comrades stand in readiness. There was a consultation in whispers among the members of the gang, and then, seeming to feel that they had nothing to fear, they made a rush. “Fire!” cried Jerry. Remembering his instructions, the boys and the professor aimed low. To the reports of the rifles there succeeded howls of pain. Several of the gang shot back, but, as it was dark in the cave they could not see to aim, and they did no damage. “Give them another volley!” yelled Jerry. Again the rifles spoke, and this time, to the chorus of howls there was added a command from the leader to retreat, and the men rushed from the cave, which was filled with smoke. “Are—are any of them killed?” asked Tommy. “I don’t believe so,” replied Jerry. “We fired too low to do much damage. I only wanted to let them know we were ready for them.” Waiting several minutes to see if there would be any further attack, Jerry cautiously advanced to the mouth of the cavern. In the
  • 20. semi-light he saw several blood stains, but the absence of any bodies told him the battle had not resulted fatally, for which he was thankful. Though the men were desperate characters, who, perhaps, would not stop at murder, the boy did not want the responsibility of killing any of them. “They seem to have retreated,” Jerry reported when he joined the others. “But I don’t suppose they have gone for good. This probably will only make them more anxious to get Tommy away from us, for it is him they are after.” “Do you think they want me?” asked the younger lad. “I am pretty sure, after what you have told us about the mine, that they would give a good deal to get you,” replied Jerry. “Perhaps your signature may be as good as that of your father’s in case—in case—” and Jerry stopped suddenly. “You mean in case dad is dead?” asked Tommy quietly. “Yes,” answered Jerry. “I don’t believe my father is dead,” spoke the boy bravely. “Somehow I feel that he is alive, and that I will find him. But if the gang is after me, it is not right for you all to be in danger on my account. Give me up to them, I’m not afraid—that is, I’ll try not to be. Let me go out and surrender, and perhaps they’ll go away.” “I’d like to see myself!” exclaimed Jerry. “You don’t stir out of this cave, Tommy Bell, until we go! I’m not afraid of that gang. We’ve been in tighter places than this and gotten out; haven’t we, fellows?” “You bet!” echoed Bob and Ned. “Then give me a gun and let me help fight,” begged Tommy. “Can you shoot?” asked Jerry. “My father taught me,” was all Tommy said, and Jerry gave him a rifle, at which Tommy’s eyes sparkled.
  • 21. A cautious glance from the mouth of the cave showed that the gang had withdrawn some distance away. But that they had no notion of giving up the fight was evidenced by the fact that they were constructing a camp so as to command the entrance to the cavern. “I guess they’re going to try and starve us out,” remarked the professor. “Lucky we have plenty of provisions and ammunition on hand for a siege.” “Well, I guess we’re just as well off here as anywhere,” observed Jerry. “We’d have to lay up a few days at any rate, to fix the machine, and it might as well be in a good roomy cave, where the rain can’t wet us.” The boys waited an hour before laying aside their arms. Then, as the gang showed no signs of renewing the attack, they proceeded to make themselves more comfortable. “Might as well get ready to camp out,” said Ned. “I’ll set up the stove, and we’ll have breakfast, though it is a little late.” So while he set up the sheet iron apparatus, Jerry instructed Bob to stand guard at the mouth of the cavern, and to give instant notice of any activity on the part of the enemy. “But what will we do about eating breakfast?” asked Bob in a sorrowful voice. “Don’t worry about that, ‘Chunky,’” said Jerry. “I’ll relieve you, or some one will, in time to get a meal. In the meantime keep a good watch.” Then Jerry went back to help Ned, and, at the same time, make ready to repair the machine.
  • 22. CHAPTER X ATTACKED BY A COUGAR “I say, Jerry,” called Ned, “we’re in a sort of a pickle.” “How’s that?” “Why, I started to make coffee and I got along all right until I came to the water.” “Well?” “No, it’s not at all well. In fact we ought to have a well here.” “What do you mean?” “I mean there’s no water in the cave!” “Great Scott! Is that so?” exclaimed Jerry. “I never thought of such a thing. Are you sure there’s not a spring away in the rear?” “The professor and I made a good search,” replied the temporary cook. “The cave comes to an end about three hundred feet back, and there’s not a sign of water.” For a few seconds Jerry was silent. Then he gave an exclamation. “I have it!” he cried. “We can use the emergency water supply on the auto. It is not very fresh, but it will do for coffee.” “The very thing!” ejaculated Ned. It was fortunate that the auto carried an extra tank of water, as well as one of gasolene. They had often found it useful in getting a supply of the fluid for the radiator in places far from a supply, and the reserve tank had been built with that purpose in view. It held about ten gallons. Drawing on this Ned had a supply for his coffee
  • 23. which was soon boiling merrily on the stove, while some canned chicken and bacon were put on to fry. “I say, is anybody going to relieve me?” called Bob from his post on guard. He smelled the breakfast in preparation, and it added to his hunger. “I’ll go,” volunteered the professor. “I’m in no hurry to eat, and perhaps I may pick up a specimen or two. This cave ought to be a good place for them.” Accordingly he took Bob’s place, and soon the four boys were eating ravenously, and with as good appetites as if a band of bad men was not outside, ready to attack them at the first opportunity. “Now to fix the machine,” said Jerry as he rose from the ground that served as a table. “Light all the lamps, Ned, and then you and Bob come and help me. Tommy and the professor can take turns standing guard.” It was no easy matter to take the automobile engine apart, and substitute a new gear for the broken one. It was also found necessary to insert new spark plugs, which had become covered with a coating of carbon; and the cylinders also needed cleaning, while the pistons had to be adjusted. The afternoon was spent in working at the auto, and by night such good progress had been made that Jerry said by the next evening it would be in shape to start. “That is if the gang let’s us,” spoke Ned. “We’ll make a dash for it,” replied Jerry. “We needn’t fear them with the car in good order, for we can leave them behind in less than half an hour. We’ll try to escape to-morrow about midnight.” “In the meanwhile let’s eat,” suggested Bob, and his cry brought forth the usual chaffing about “Chunky’s” appetite.
  • 24. Ned started to get supper. He went to the tank of the auto to draw some water for the tea, when he gave a cry of surprise. “What’s the trouble?” called Jerry. “The water’s gone!” exclaimed Ned. “That’s a leak in the tank!” They all rushed to the car. There, on the ground under the reserve tank was a muddy spot, showing where the precious fluid had dripped away. A quick examination showed there was a small hole in the reservoir. “Now we are up against it,” murmured Bob. “Not quite yet,” said Jerry. “How can we get water without being shot?” asked Ned. “There is quite a bit left in the pipe coils of the radiator,” answered Jerry. “It will be pretty poor stuff to drink I guess, but it’s better than nothing.” There was considerable of the fluid in the big brass radiator on the front of the car, and, though it was stale, and had been heated many times, as it circulated about the cylinders, still, it was better than none. Made into tea, which was served as a change from coffee, it did not taste so very bad. But the situation was grave. With only water enough on hand to last about half a day, the plight of the travelers was a critical one. “We’ll have to have water for the car, as well as ourselves,” spoke Ned. “We can’t run the machine without water.” “That’s so,” admitted Jerry dubiously. “Something will have to be done.” After the evening meal Jerry resumed his labors on the car, working at double speed, in which he was assisted by Ned and Bob. The professor and Tommy took turns watching at the cavern’s mouth.
  • 25. But there seemed to be no need of this, as the men showed no inclination to make a second attack. They appeared to know that the boys were caught in a trap; a trap that contained no water. So they evidently felt sure of success sooner or later, and that without the danger of being wounded. Jerry and his comrades worked to such advantage that shortly after midnight the auto was in shape to be used, and with the new high gear wheel in place. The car was given a good oiling, and was repacked in readiness for a quick start. “Now if we only had water,” sighed Jerry, “we could slip out, and, I believe get away.” But he knew it was useless to proceed without at least a full radiator. The extra tank, which had been repaired, could be filled later. The radiator coils were empty however. What had not been used for cooking had been made up into weak tea, as it was not considered healthful to drink the water as it came from the pipes. “We’ve got to do something,” said Jerry decidedly. “If we stay here much longer we’ll die of thirst. If we could only make a dash and get some water we could manage. Two pails full would do.” “Let me go after them,” exclaimed Tommy. “I’m not afraid. I can run fast. Maybe I can get out there by the brook, get the water and come back before any of them see me.” “No you couldn’t,” spoke Jerry, pointing to where one of the men, as sentry, could be seen, from the mouth of the cave, walking up and down near the camp fire. “If any one goes I will, and I think I’d better start.” Bob and Ned both offered to make the dangerous attempt, and the professor insisted that he be allowed to try, as he knew how to move over ground very silently. But Jerry was firm in his determination. “I’m going to make the try about two o’clock,” he said. “They’ll be sounder asleep then.”
  • 26. As he was very tired he stretched out in some blankets until it would be time to make the try. He fell asleep soon, and the others moved away, talking in whispers lest they disturb him. Almost exactly at the appointed hour Jerry awakened. He sat up, and, slipping a pair of Indian moccasins over his shoes, to enable him to move as silently as possible, he cautiously approached the mouth of the cavern, carrying two water pails with him. The moon had gone down and it was quite dark, which was favorable to Jerry’s plans. As he got to the entrance of the cavern the boy looked toward the gang’s camp. There seemed to be no sign of life, and Jerry thought perhaps the sentry had fallen asleep. As silent as a cat the lad made his way toward the stream, which he could hear gurgling and splashing over the stones. His throat was dry, for the last of the cold tea had been drunk, and his exertions had made him very thirsty. As he heard the sound of the brook he felt a fierce desire for water, so strong was it that he felt he would brave anything to get it. Foot by foot he advanced, crouching down as low as he could. He was beginning to feel that he would be successful, and not be detected. He could see the sparkle of the water about three hundred feet away, and his parched mouth and throat seemed to be as dry as leather. He could hardly swallow. On and on he went. Now he was about two hundred feet away and he was getting ready to make a dash for the brook. Suddenly he heard a clicking sound, and knew it was a rifle being cocked. Next there rang out on the night air the command: “Halt or I’ll fire!” Poor Jerry was detected! He came to a stop, sick at heart at the failure of his plan. For a moment there was no other sound. The boy could not see who had discovered him, though he instinctively felt the eyes of the man on him. Suddenly there was a shaking in the tree somewhat to
  • 27. Jerry’s left, and about one hundred feet away. Then came a rustle of the leaves on the ground and the boy made out the figure of a man, dimly, standing with rifle aimed straight at him. “Throw up your hands!” was the next order, and, letting the pails fall to the ground, Jerry obeyed. Then, all at once, there burst out on the air a most terrifying sound. It was a blood-curdling yell, a screech as if from some one in mortal agony. Jerry felt the cold chills go down his back. The next instant there was a crashing sound, and, from the tree under which the man stood who had aimed at the boy a dark body shot downward. The screech of the cougar, for such it was, mingled with the terrific yells of the sentry. Jerry dimly saw a confused tangle of man and beast. He heard the man shout for help. He heard his rifle go off, and then came sounds that told that the camp had been aroused. The attack of the cougar had come just in time. Jerry, taking advantage of the diversion, grabbed up his pails, and running to the brook filled them with water. Then, as fast as he could go, he ran toward the cave.
  • 28. CHAPTER XI A RUNAWAY AUTO Behind the boys sounded the yells and shouts of the men in camp, mingled with rifle shots and the screeching of several of the cougars, for, it developed, a band of three, grown desperate by hunger, had made an attack. “Are you hurt, Jerry?” cried Bob and Ned, as, with his pails of water, the boy staggered into the cave. “Not a bit, but I had a close shave,” was the answer. “But we must be quick! Here! Help fill the radiator with the water.” “Can’t we drink any?” asked Bob who, like the others, was very thirsty. “Not a drop,” said Jerry firmly. “We need every bit for the automobile. Without it we can’t get away from here, and now is the only chance we may have to escape. We can drink later.” While Jerry and Ned filled the radiator the other boys and the professor made ready for the escape. Everything was packed up and placed in the car, which, as soon as the coil was filled, would be ready to start and dash from the cave. “I’m afraid this is not going to be water enough,” spoke Jerry as the second of the pails was emptied into the radiator. “Can’t I make a dash for some more? There seems to be excitement enough in the camp to keep them from watching me,” said Ned. “I’m going to try.” There was considerable activity among the ranch men. The cougars, though wounded, seemed to have temporarily lost all fear
  • 29. and made attack after attack on the men, who had to fire several volleys from their rifles. “Go ahead,” said Jerry. “I’ll start the engine slowly.” Grabbing up the pails Ned walked from the cave. “I’m going to help, also,” said Tommy. “No, you stay here,” commanded Jerry. “Bob can go if he wants to.” Bob joined Ned. They ran to the stream and had filled the pails when, just as they started on the way back, the wounded cougars, driven from the camp, came dashing after the boys. “Now we’re in for it!” exclaimed Ned. “Run, Bob!” And run they did, as they had never run before, and left the beasts behind. “Have you the water?” asked Jerry eagerly as the boys came in. “We have!” exclaimed Bob. “And hard enough work we had getting it.” “Good!” Jerry hurriedly poured most of it into the radiator, though every one in the cave looked at the fluid with longing eyes. “I must get a drink soon, or I shall go half crazy!” said the professor suddenly. “I never was so thirsty in my life.” “I’m saving just a little bit for each of us,” spoke Jerry. “But it is a very small quantity, and will only serve to wet our mouths. If all goes well we shall soon have plenty.” He distributed about a pint of the water among his companions, and though each one got only a little it brought welcome relief. “Now we’re ready to skip out!” announced Jerry as he screwed the cap on the radiator tank, and increased the speed of the engine.
  • 30. “But first we had better take a look outside to see if any of that gang are in sight.” The professor, who had good eyes, went to the mouth of the cave, and, coming back, reported that he could see a dark mass moving on the further bank of the stream. “They have evidently gotten over their scare about the cougars,” Mr. Snodgrass said, “and are waiting to bag us. What are we going to do?” “There’s only one thing to do,” replied Jerry. “And that is what?” “We must make a dash for it. The road is fairly good, and I guess we can speed up enough to get out of the range of their bullets in a short time. They can’t be very good shots or they would have killed the three cougars, with all the bullets they fired.” So it was decided. They all took their places in the car, and Jerry, who, as if by mutual consent, assumed the place of steersman, leaned forward to throw in the gear clutches. “Here we go!” he cried. “Look out everybody!” Slowly at first, but gathering speed, the auto moved out of the cave. The lamps lighted up the path, and, though the boys realized that the lanterns disclosed their position to their enemies, they had to use them for their own safety. It was too dark to do without them. A few seconds later and the car emerged from the cavern. As it shot out there came a chorus of angry cries from the camp of the ranchmen, and several shots were fired, though none of them came close enough to be uncomfortable. “Here we go!” cried Jerry again, as he increased the speed, and the auto fairly leaped forward. It swayed from side to side, and struck several ruts, so that the occupants were tossed about.
  • 31. But the main thing was that they went ahead, and away from their enemies. Jerry, peering as best he could into the darkness ahead, made a course for the stream, intending to go close to it, and then run along the bank, or near it, as he had noted in the afternoon that there was a fairly good road there. Gradually the shouts of the men, and the firing of their guns died away, and the travelers began to breathe more freely. They had made their escape, and, for the present, were safe. “Oh do let’s stop and get a drink!” pleaded Bob. “Not yet!” exclaimed Jerry. “Five minutes more will not kill you, and it may save all our lives,” for he did not want to slack up while there was any danger of the ranchmen coming after them. The five minutes seemed like an hour to Bob, and the others, too, were impatient. But at last Jerry shut off the power and the machine came to a halt not far from the creek. Out scrambled the boys and the professor, and then, in spite of the danger of drinking snakes and lizards in the darkness, they all made for the stream, where they quenched their thirst from small collapsable cups which each one had been holding in readiness for just that chance. “That’s better than an ice cream soda!” exclaimed Ned. “You bet!” agreed Bob heartily. “I never tasted such fine water.” “Very good!” said the professor. “I guess we can stop long enough to lay in a supply now,” remarked Jerry. “We can start off again in five minutes, and in that time they can not catch up to us.” So the radiator was filled to the top, and the auxiliary tank likewise, while the boys indulged freely in the liquid, thinking, perhaps, they might have some of the characteristics of the camel, and could drink enough at one time to last a week or more. Then they started forward again, and the auto soon carried them beyond the possibility of capture that night. They camped out in the
  • 32. open, and, in spite of their rather exciting adventures they slept soundly, awaking as the sun rose. Ned was given a chance to run the machine, and he took the front seat with Tommy, who was delighted to be there for the first time. They had not been going long before they found the land was rising. “We’re coming into the mountains now,” said Jerry. Up a long hill, with a gradual assent, puffed the auto. On either side were broad fields where tall Pampas grass was growing, amid which thousands of grasshoppers, or some similar insect, were singing. “Better be sure your brake is in good working order,” suggested Jerry, as they came to the steep descent on the other side. “We don’t want any more accidents.” Ned tried the ordinary brake. There was a clicking sound, followed by a snapping one. “Brake’s busted!” exclaimed Jerry. “Try the emergency!” Ned did so. That, too, gave out only a faint screech, and did not grip the axle as it should. “Look out now!” yelled Jerry. “We’re in for it!” An instant later the auto began to move forward at a rapid pace. All Ned’s efforts to check it were in vain. “We’re running away!” cried frightened Tommy. “I wish I’d stayed in back!” “Keep to the middle of the road!” Jerry cried above the noise of the auto rushing down the steep hill. At the bottom the road took a sharp turn, and the hearts of all beat rapidly with fear as they beheld it.
  • 33. CHAPTER XII TOMMY FINDS A FRIEND So rapidly did the machine shoot down the descent that it almost seemed the curved road was rushing to meet the travelers. Again and again Ned tried the brakes, but without avail. He had shut off the power at the first indication that something was wrong. “We can never make that turn!” exclaimed Bob. “I’m afraid not,” agreed Jerry. They were all clinging to the sides of the car, while Ned gripped the steering wheel with a desperate hold. “Look out for the turn!” cried the professor as they came to the sharp curve. But, to the surprise of all, Ned, instead of shifting the wheel in at least an attempt to swing around the half circle kept straight on the course. The boy had resolved on another plan. Directly in front of him, and to the left of the road was a big field of tall waving Pampas grass, the plumes nodding eight feet above the ground. It was shut off from the thoroughfare by a frail wooden fence. “I’m going to steer into the grass!” cried Ned. “It’s our only chance!” The next instant there was a splintering sound as the auto crashed through the fence, which offered no more resistance, because of the great speed, than a paper hoop does to a circus performer. Then it seemed to the travelers as though they had been plunged into a tossing, waving sea of grass.
  • 34. The tall Pampas plumes and the stems wrapped themselves about the boys and the professor, almost choking them by the pollen that was shaken off. The feathery-like tops tickled them in the eyes, nose and mouth as, carried by the runaway auto, they were dashed through them. But the grass had just the effect Ned had intended and hoped for. It clogged the wheels of the machine, and though soft, offered so much resistance that the machine soon began to slow down, as does a locomotive when it runs into a snow drift. After plowing through the field for about two hundred feet the car came to a final stop, with a little jolt. “Santa Maria! Caramba!” yelled a voice and then followed such a string of Spanish that the boys thought they had run down a whole camp of Mexican herders. “Did we hit any one?” asked Jerry, peering forward as well as he could through the tall grass. “Caramba! Hit any one! The Americano pirates have killed Don Elvardo!” exclaimed the unseen one. “You have broken—!” and then followed such a confusion of words that the boys could not understand. “Have we broken your leg?” asked Jerry, speaking in Spanish this time. “Santa Maria! No! You have broken the cigarette I just rolled!” and with that the grass parted in front of the auto, and a little Mexican, wearing a suit profusely trimmed with silver braid, showed himself. The boys felt like laughing as they beheld the woe-begone face of Don Elvardo. In his hand he held the remains of a cigarette. “Behold!” he went on tragically. “I am peacefully walking in my field, looking over my crop of Pampas, when I feel a desire to smoke. I sit me down and roll a cigarette. I am about to light it, when—Santa Maria! There is a rushing sound of ten thousand imps of darkness. My grass is mowed down as if by a sickle in the hands
  • 35. of a giant. I turn in fear! I see something coming! I can not tell what it is, for the tall grass hides it! I turn to flee! The infernal thing keeps after me! Presto! Caramba! It hits me so—” Don Elvardo illustrated by slapping himself vigorously on the thigh. “Then I fall! I am crushed! I am killed! I die in pain and fear! I arise! Behold, senor Americanos, my cigarette is broken!” “We’re very sorry, of course,” said Jerry politely. “But you see our auto ran away on the hill, and as the brakes would not work, the only thing to save our lives was to steer into this field. We did not know you were here, or we would have sent around to your house to ask permission to enter,” added the lad sarcastically. “But I am here!” snapped the Mexican. “So we see,” admitted Jerry. “We are willing to pay for any damage we have done.” The Mexican’s eyes sparkled, and he rubbed his hands as if in anticipation. “That alters the case,” said Don Elvardo. “The Americano senors are welcome ten thousand times to my field. I bid you welcome. I salute you. Pay. Oh, yes! It is but right that you should pay!” Again he rubbed his hands together. “About what would you say it was worth?” asked Ned. “I am no miser,” replied the Mexican. “I do not wish to insult my friends the Americanos. I will only charge them for the damage to the grass. The broken fence is of no moment. Pay me one hundred dollars and I will say no more about the affair.” “He’s a robber!” said Jerry in a low voice. “We haven’t done five dollars’ damage to his crop and the fence combined.” “I guess he will whistle for his one hundred dollars,” said Ned. Don Elvardo heard him.
  • 36. “So!” he exclaimed. “You will not pay me one little hundred dollars for the damage. Caramba! Then it is I who shall at once lodge a complaint with the authorities. We will see if there is a law in the land, or if crazy Americanos can spoil a poor man’s crop and pay nothing. We shall see!” “Offer him ten dollars,” suggested Bob. The boys consulted together a minute or two. They wanted to be fair, but they did not care to be robbed. The professor had taken no part in the discussion. He seemed to be intently examining the tall grass on either side of the machine. Suddenly the scientist stepped from the side of the car, and rapidly made his way to the front, where Don Elvardo stood. Mr. Snodgrass gazed intently at the Mexican. Then he gave a leap toward the Don, exclaiming as he did so: “There it is! Right on your hat! Don’t move an inch or it will jump away! I have it now! This is indeed a lucky day! Just a second and I’ll have it!” With that the professor made a leap toward the Mexican with outstretched hands. “Santa Maria! Diavolo?” screamed Don Elvardo as he saw the scientist coming for him. “Caramba! It is to murder me that you come!” Then, calling for help at the top of his voice, the Mexican turned and fled in terror, his course being marked through the tall grass by the wave-like motion he imparted to the plumes in his haste. “Why—why what in the world ails him?” asked Mr. Snodgrass. “He probably thought you were going to choke him to death,” said Jerry with a laugh. “In fact your actions were not so very far from giving that idea.” “Why bless my soul!” ejaculated the professor. “All I wanted was to get a fine specimen of a blue grasshopper from his big hat, where the insect had alighted. It was worth about forty dollars.”
  • 37. “I saw some just as good in a city once for twenty dollars,” put in Tommy, “and they had more silver braid on.” “What! A grasshopper with silver braid on?” cried the scientist. “I thought you said his hat was worth forty dollars,” went on Tommy, somewhat embarrassed. “I was speaking of the blue grasshopper,” explained Mr. Snodgrass. “My, I am sorry to have missed that one.” “But you did a good service in scaring this Mexican away, as you did the chap with the ox cart,” spoke Ned. “He might have made trouble for us.” “And we had better get out of here while we have the chance,” said Jerry. “He may come back any minute.” Accordingly the auto was turned around, and run over the same course by which it had entered the field. Otherwise it would have been almost impossible to have advanced, so thick was the grass. The road regained, the machine was sent along it at good speed, for fear Don Elvardo or some of his friends might appear. “We had better stop and fix the brakes,” suggested Ned, after an hour’s run. “And get dinner at the same time,” put in Bob. “We’ll kill two stones with the same automobile, as the poem says.” “I guess you’re a little twisted,” remarked Ned, “but your intentions are good.” A halt was made under a big tree, near a little stream, and soon a good fire was built and dinner was being cooked. It was found that some nuts had become loose on the brakes, and this trouble Jerry soon remedied. After the meal they sat about and talked a while. “We’ll soon be in New Mexico,” remarked Jerry, consulting a small map.
  • 38. “Will we?” asked Tommy. “I’m so glad.” “Why?” “Because there’s a man who was once a friend of my father at a place called Las Cruces. It’s near the Rio Grande river. If we could go there I know Mr. Douglass would take care of me.” “Then we’ll go there,” said Jerry. “It will be right on our route.” They all agreed this would be a good plan. That night the travelers stopped in a small village where they had good beds and meals. They resumed the journey next day, and for several days thereafter met with no mishaps as they speeded toward Las Cruces. They had left the lowlands and were well up among the hills by this time. One day, just at dusk, they rolled into Las Cruces and, after a little inquiry found Mr. Douglass, who was very glad to see Tommy. “I will be glad to take care of him for the present,” he said.
  • 39. CHAPTER XIII THE COLORED MAN’S GHOST The travelers found the town where Tommy’s friend lived such a pleasant place that they spent several days there. It was a thriving place, and the auto was a source of endless wonder to most of the inhabitants, who had never seen one. Had the boys wished they could have made considerable money taking parties out in the car for short trips, but they knew they had a long journey before them and they wished to save the machine all they could. It needed some repairs which were made by the local blacksmith, and then the travelers were ready to move forward again. “I don’t know how to thank you for all you did for me,” said Tommy, as the boys were leaving. “You saved my life. Maybe I will have a chance to do you a good turn some day. If I have, you can bet I’ll do it.” “We know you will, Tommy,” said Jerry. “Well, good-by. I hope we see you again.” “Same here!” exclaimed Bob and Ned. They did not know how soon they were to meet their friend again, nor in what a peculiar manner he was able to aid them in return for what they had done for him. For several days the auto skimmed along through a somewhat lonely country. The roads were not very good and a number of times progress was so slow that only a few miles were made between sunrise and sunset. Now and then the travelers would come to a lonely cabin, where they could replenish their food supply or get a
  • 40. night’s lodging. But, in the main, they had to depend on their own resources. Occasionally they would reach a little settlement, where their arrival never failed to produce as much excitement as a fire and circus combined. Every day brought them nearer their gold mine, concerning which they were very anxious, as they had heard nothing further from Jim Nestor. “The mine may have been taken away from him for all we know,” chafed Jerry as he fretted at the delay caused by bad roads. “We’ll hope for the best,” said Ned. “No use crossing a bridge until you come to it.” The travelers were well up among the lower mountains now, though compared with the heights they had still to scale the range was one of mere hills. One evening just at dusk, after a particularly hard day of travel, during which the auto had broken down several times, necessitating minor repairs, the Motor Boys came to a place where two roads divided. “I wonder which we had better take?” asked Bob, who was at the wheel. “The right,” said Jerry. “The left,” advised Ned. “Toss up a cent,” suggested the professor. “Make it heads right and tails left.” They did so. The coin came down heads up, and Bob turned the machine to the right. It had not proceeded far on this road when, about a mile ahead, the travelers saw a couple of log cabins. “Well, there’s shelter for to-night, at all events,” Jerry remarked, “and, I hope, supper as well. I’m getting a little tired of bacon and coffee.” They found one of the cabins occupied by a negro, his wife, and seven children, the oldest a boy of sixteen and the youngest a little
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