CHAPTER XVIII
OFF FOR LOST VALLEY
Jim Nestor leaped to his feet, and, with a characteristic motion, his hand sought the revolver he always wore, but which he seldom used, for Jim was a very peaceable man. Then, as if regretting that he had been betrayed into action by the taunt of a bully like Noddy, Jim sat down again, and, looking at the deputy sheriff, asked:
“Did you want to see me, Mike?”
“Yes, that’s what I came here for,” was the answer, “and if some people would mind their own business, and let me attend to mine we’d get along better,” continued Malone, as he gave Noddy a sharp glance.
Jerry looked as if he was going to step forward and engage in a wordy if not a fistic encounter with Noddy, but in a low voice Jim Nestor bade him keep cool.
“Leave it to Malone,” said the superintendent of the gold mine. “He and I are friends. We’ll soon see what’s in this.”
Malone turned to Noddy, Bill Berry and Tom Dalsett.
“You fellows stay back here until I tell you to come on,” he ordered.
“But it’s our mine now,” insisted Noddy. “We have a right——”
“You do as I tell you, or I’ll go back to town, and you can fight your own battle without the aid of the courts,” interrupted Mike. Noddy gave one look at Jim and Tod, with the three motor boys standing in back of them. Then, coming from the mine, for their day’s work was over, could be seen a number of sturdy men. The force was too big for the one Noddy had, and he wisely agreed to keep back. Mike Malone came on alone, and handed Jim Nestor a paper.
“I’m sorry to do this,” he said, “but business is business, and I’m directed by the court to serve this on you.”
“What is it?” asked Jerry.
“It’s some legal document in a suit over this mine. It appears that Nixon and some others lay claim to it.”
“But we own it!” cried Jerry. “Once before Noddy Nixon disputed our title, but the courts held that we had the sole rights to it.”
“I don’t know anything about that,” replied Malone. “All I know is that there’s another suit on, and that I have to serve them papers on you. Nixon and them other two fellows got an order from the court this morning.”
“Yes, and we’re going to take the mine!” exclaimed Noddy. “You fellows had better clear out. We’re in possession.”
“You dry up!” commanded the deputy sheriff. “If I hear another word out of you, I’ll spank you—little whipper-snapper that you are!”
“We want our rights,” growled Bill Berry.
“If you had what was coming to you, there’d be a striped suit on you, instead of the one you’re wearing,” declared Jerry, and Bill only scowled. He knew how true this was.
“What does it all mean?” asked Jim Nestor, as he looked over the paper. “I can’t make head or tail out of these law terms.”
“It means that you can’t work the mine any more until the dispute is decided,” said the deputy. “It seems that there is a defect in the title, and the statute of limitations is somehow involved. These people—Noddy Nixon and his crowd—learned of it, they bought the rights of a man who used to own some shares in it, before the mine was a paying proposition, and now they are suing you under that claim for their share.”
“But I thought that was all settled,” remarked Jerry, for once before Noddy and his cronies had tried the same kind of a game.
“It was, in a way, and yet it wasn’t,” answered Malone. “There are so many loopholes in the law that these fellows have found one, and are sort of firing on you through it. So you lose possession for a while.”
“Too bad, just as we uncovered a rich vein,” sighed Jim.
“Oh, we’ll work it all right,” sneered Tom Dalsett, who had gradually drawn nearer.
“No, you won’t!” cried Mike Malone quickly. “Don’t you fool yourself. This mine, from now on, is in possession of the Supreme Court of Arizona, and I’m its representative. Nobody can take an ounce of gold from these workings until this dispute is settled forever.”
“Do you mean that we can’t work our mine?” cried Noddy.
“I don’t know that it’s your mine,” was the reply from the deputy, “but I do mean that you can’t set foot inside it. Are all the men out?” he asked of Jim, who nodded. “Then,” went on the court official, “I hereby formally and in the name of the court take possession of these diggings, to remain in my possession until dissolved by an order from the court, all accordin’ to the statutes in such cases made and provided! There, I’m glad I got rid of that! I learned it by heart, but I was afraid I’d forget it. Now I’ll seal up the mine, with the official seal, and any man who breaks it or enters the mine will render himself in contempt of court, and liable to a fine or imprisonment, or both, at the discretion of the judge, which is the way the law books have it.”
Having thus cleared his mind, Malone proceeded to affix lead seals to the rude wooden door that closed the mouth of the shaft.
“Does that mean we can’t go in?” asked Jerry.
“It does, but it also means that they can’t go in, either,” and Malone nodded toward Dalsett and the others. “I’m in possession, and I intend to remain. You haven’t got a pipeful of tobacco you could spare, have you, Jim?”
Nestor handed over a plug, from which the deputy sheriff proceeded to shave some into his hand.
“Do you mean to say we can’t have possession of our mine?” cried Noddy, as Malone took his seat on a bench in front of the shaft opening.
“That’s what I mean, bub, but I wouldn’t get excited over it. It’s too warm. You can go back to town and cool off.”
“This means that we all have a vacation, doesn’t it?” asked Nestor.
“Something like that,” answered the official. “Nothing doing until the courts decide who are the real owners.”
“Well, that satisfies me,” declared Jim. “We’ve all been working pretty hard lately, and I don’t mind a rest. Men,” he went on, turning to the miners, “I’ll pay you off, and notify you when I want you again. The mine is closed up.”
The miners did not seem to mind it much, for they had made considerable money lately, and had not had a chance to spend it. They hurried to change their clothes, for a vacation in town. As for Jerry and his chums, once they understood that Noddy had no special advantage over them, and that the court would rule on the question, they were not much alarmed. They did not like their old enemy to gain even this advantage over them, but it could not be helped, and they had no fear but that they would ultimately be declared the real owners of the mine. Meanwhile, no harm would result, as no gold could be taken from it. At first Noddy and his two cronies seemed about to make a determined effort to take physical possession of the diggings, but when they understood that the deputy sheriff meant what he said, and realized that Jim, Tod, and the three boys would be more than a match for them physically, they decided to withdraw.
They went down the road they had come, casting malevolent glances at our heroes; but Jerry, Ned and Bob did not mind these.
“Well, I’m glad that job’s over,” announced Malone, as he saw Noddy disappear. “I didn’t want to serve any papers for those scoundrels, for I believe that’s what they are. I couldn’t help it, however. I think there was crooked work somewhere, to enable them to get even the claim they say they have, but the court will soon settle it. Meanwhile, you gentlemen can do as you like around here. It’s only the mine that is sealed. You can start another if you like, and, of course, you are still in possession of the buildings, bunk houses and the like. In fact, I hope you’ll remain, for it’s going to be a mighty lonesome job for me to stay here on guard all the while, alone.”
“Yes, I guess we’ll stay,” said Jim. “There’s lots of things I’ve been wanting to do, but I haven’t had a chance. I want to go hunting mountain lions, but I didn’t feel like leaving when we were taking out so much gold. Now that I can’t get at it, I’ll take a vacation.”
“Well, I don’t know as I blame you,” agreed Malone.
“Say, this is just the thing for you!” suddenly exclaimed Sledge Hammer Tod. “It’s a lucky thing this happened.”
“I don’t see that,” remarked Jim. “How do you figure it out?”
“Why, you can go with the boys and me in the airship to hunt for Lost Valley,” replied the old miner. “It’s just the chance for you. Between us we ought to be able to locate the place, and rescue the Deering crowd.”
Jim thought deeply for a few minutes. Then, slapping his leg with a noise like a pistol shot, he announced:
“By cracky! I believe you’re right. I will go with you. That is, if that airship shebang is safe,” he added cautiously.
“We came all the way in it,” answered Bob.
“Then I’ll go,” decided Jim. “The mine will be safe with Malone in charge, and I’ll not worry. When can we start?”
“In a few days,” replied Jerry. “I’m glad you can go along, Jim, for we may need your help.”
“Well, let’s get grub, and talk it all over,” proposed Bob, hurrying over to the cook’s shack in order to escape any comments of his chums. But they were too interested in the recent developments to jibe him.
“Why didn’t you ask Noddy why he stole our airship, and what became of Mr. Bell?” suggested Ned to Jerry.
“I didn’t think of it until he started back,” was the reply. “His claiming our mine again sort of knocked my ideas into a cocked hat. But when I did think of it I decided it was best to keep still. We’ll fool Noddy that way. If we begin to question him he may find out that we’re going to make a try to rescue Mr. Bell’s friends, and spoil our plans. But it certainly is queer what has become of the former hermit, and I would like to know how he found out about the people in Lost Valley. If we had Mr. Bell with us now, he could pilot us right to the place.”
“Maybe his son knows.”
“Probably, but we can’t find his son. The last I heard of Tommy Bell he was many miles from here, and it would be hard to locate him. No, I guess it’s just as well we didn’t say anything to Noddy, though some day I’ll get even with him. We’ll go off on our own hook now, and locate that valley.”
Preparations for the trip were hurried during the next few days.
Meanwhile, Noddy and his cronies made an unsuccessful attempt to get a modified order from the court, allowing them to work the mine; but they were defeated, and Mike Malone remained in possession. With him on guard, the motor boys and their friends had little to fear.
At last all was in readiness, and one morning, the airship having been thoroughly gone over, the supplies and food put on board, and everything made taut and trim, was ready for the start.
“All aboard!” called Jerry. “Come on, Professor,” for the scientist was racing after a new kind of butterfly.
“In a moment,” he answered, as, with a sweep of his net, he imprisoned the insect. Then he hurried into the cabin of the Comet.
Jerry started the motor, and the big airship arose with a rush, while Malone, on guard at the mine, sent a cheer after the adventurers.
“Good luck!” he called.
Would they find the mysterious valley and rescue the missing party, or would they themselves fall a prey to the Indians? It was a question no one could answer.