"It will be a good joke on your Uncle Ezra, to get Mr. Wardell's fortune away from him; won't it?" remarked Paul.
"It sure will," declared Dick. "And the best of it is that he doesn't know that I'm going to do it. Uncle Ezra is pretty sharp, but I think we got ahead of him this time."
But if Dick could have known that a few miles back, in an auto that had closely followed the course of the big touring car since the day before, was a certain mean-faced man, perhaps the young millionaire would not have felt so confident. Especially could he have known that the man in the rear auto was constantly making inquiries about the _Last Word_--when she had passed through certain towns, and which way she was headed.
But knowing none of these things, Dick and his chums turned into the bunks with a feeling of peacefulness and ease, and slept soundly. All too soundly, it would seem. Too soundly to have heard a car pull up behind them shortly after midnight.
The car came to a halt some distance away from Dick's, the red tail-lamp on the latter disclosing its presence. From the rear car a man silently alighted to the dusty road.
"Are you sure that's the machine?" a whispered voice asked.
"Yes, I'll stake my reputation on it. We've followed it too close to be mistaken, and they haven't had time to shake us."
"That's right. Well, Jake, do your best. Mr. Black expects us to make a record on this job."
"I know he does. That old skinflint of a Larabee isn't going to pay very heavy, though. It was all we could do to squeeze this car out of him."
"Well, now we've got it we can do as we please. Think you can pull off anything?"
"I don't know. I can sneak up there and see how the land lays, anyhow. If we can't get the papers now we will have to some other time. But I think those lads will sleep well to-night--they had quite a day of it."
"I should say so! It was all I could do to drive this old car to keep up with 'em, and this isn't a slow machine, either. Well, if you're going, go ahead. I'll wait here."
"And be ready for a quick get-away in case--well, in case anything happens."
The figure in the road stole quietly toward the big touring car. As he came nearer he walked more and more slowly, and getting to within a short distance of the _Last Word_, he remained silent--listening.