"Come back--!" began Tom, and then he realized that his enemy could
not hear him. The bully was too far away. At the same time our hero
realized that it would be useless to give chase, for Andy had too
much of a start. There was nothing to do but to turn back, and Tom
knew that his delay in trying to gain an entrance at the front door
had given Andy the very opportunity he needed to escape at the rear.
"Well, this is a bad turn of affairs," remarked the lad, as he faced
the puzzled miner.
"What is, Tom?"
"Him having that map. It shows the location of the valley of gold,
doesn't it, and tells how to get there?"
"That's what it does!"
"How did Andy happen to get it?"
"Jest as I told you. I was on my way t' your house, havin' inquired
at th' post-office, an' the man said that at your place there was a
big shed, where you kept your airships. I come along, an', of
course, when I see this house, an' the shed, an' had a glimpse of
th' airship, I, of course, thought it was your place. An', though
you'd never told me about it, I thought maybe this lad was in
business with you. So, like a blamed young tenderfoot, I blurted out
my business afore I thought, an' handed him the map for safe
keepin'. He took it, too, that's the worst of it."
"Yes, that's the worst of it," agreed Tom, "But I'll get it back, if
I have to cause his arrest, and search his whole house.
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