"I guess we are coming up to Fremville now," said Sam, when the distant lights of a town showed on the horizon. "We'll have to look for some safe place to land, and that is not so easy in the darkness."
Dick slowed down the motor as they drew closer to the town, which was composed of several streets of stores, half a dozen churches, some schools, and a hundred or more houses. He made a circle, and then, seeing a level field back of some of the houses, headed for it, and shut off the engine. They landed without anybody seeing them do it.
"Tom, I think you had better watch the machine, while Sam and I make some inquiries," said Dick, as he alighted.
"Oh, don't you think I had better go too?" asked Tom anxiously.
At that moment a man came out of the darkness, attracted by the voices. He was surprised to see the biplane. He told the lads that his house was close by and wanted to know what they were doing.
"We are on the trail of a big, enclosed touring car that came this way," answered Dick. "Did you see anything of it?"
"Say, that must be the machine Jim Hickey told about!" cried the man. "Jim said it went tearin' through like mad, about half an hour ago."
"Which way was it headed?" asked Tom, eagerly.
"I don't know--I didn't ask. Jim could tell you."
"Jim? Why he keeps the barber shop, down on the corner of Main Street and Lumber Alley."
"Do you know if he is at his barber shop now?" asked Dick.
"He must be--he was going there when he saw the auto."
The boys waited no longer, but asking the man to look after the _Dartaway_ during their absence, they hurried to the main street of the town and then to the barber shop in question. Jim Hickey was busy shaving a customer but he was willing to suspend operations long enough to answer the Rover boys.
"Did I see the car?" he cried. "If I hadn't I'd be a dead man this minit!" he cried. "She was going some, she was!"
"Which way did the car go?" asked all the boys.
"Down Main Street to the bridge and then turned around the church corner."
"Where does that road lead to?" asked Tom.
"Yes, but they can't git through on that road," put in the customer, wiping the lather from around his mouth so he could talk. "The bridge is shut off--they're fixin' it--went at the work this morning."