Read Online The Secret of the Forgotten City by Carolyn G. Keene - Free Book Online
Authors: Carolyn G. Keene
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road with little trouble.
Nancy and George scrambled after him as fast as they dared. Apparently he was used to climbing up to this cave and knew how to get down safely and quickly. Now Fleetfoot began to run and soon he far outdistanced the girls.
When they reached the ground, Nancy said, “Let’s chase him in the car!”
She and George jumped in, and Nancy started the motor instantly. She swung the car around and sped off.
“Who is he?” Bess asked. Learning that he was Fleetfoot, she said, “Oh, be careful, Nancy. You know he’s dangerous.”
The man leaped along the road like a deer. When he realized that Nancy was catching up with him, he veered off and scrambled up the side of a huge rock.
“Let the old mountain goat go!” Bess cried out.
Reaching the top of the rock, Fleetfoot hurried down the other side and disappeared from view.
“Oh hypers!” George exclaimed, using one of her pet expressions. “Why did we have to lose him when we were so close?”
Nancy accepted the matter more philosophically. First she thanked Bess for warning George and her of Fleetfoot’s approach.
“But I’m sorry we lost him just the same,” Bess said.
Nancy went on, “We’ve proved two things, and both are important.”
“Like what?” Bess asked.
“One is that Fleetfoot definitely is in this area. The other is that no doubt he’s using the Mouse’s Tank as a hideaway.”
Bess nodded. “So now all we have to do is notify the police and they’ll know where to hunt for him. Then we won’t have any more to worry about.”
George was sure it would not be so easy. “We can look for a lot more trouble from that thief,” she predicted.
Bess added, “I suppose there’s no use wishing, but I hope Fleetfoot doesn’t find out where our camp is.”
“I’ll bet he knows already,” George said. “He probably watches everything that’s going on in this desert.”
“And steals what he can,” Bess added.
Nancy had not spoken for some minutes. She kept looking right and left across the uninhabited landscape. There was not a house or other building in sight.
Finally Bess said, “Nancy, you look concerned. Why?”
Nancy said she had been watching her falling gas gauge.
“It’s almost on the empty mark,” she said. “I hope that even when it’s marked empty, there’s a little gas left in the tank.”
She drove for another ten minutes, then slowly the engine sputtered to a halt. The car rolled for another hundred feet under its own momentum and stopped.
“Oh, don’t tell me!” Bess said. “It’s a long way back to town—miles and miles. I couldn’t possibly walk.”
George said, “I don’t relish a hike of twenty-five miles myself.”
Nancy suggested that if they could get to the main road, there surely would be help.
“Bess, suppose you sit behind the wheel and steer. George and I will push the car.”
They tried this, but after doing so for a mile, Nancy and George were exhausted. Bess pleaded with them to rest.
“You won’t have to ask me twice,” George replied with a groan.
She flopped down on the field at the side of the road and stretched out. Nancy, too, lay down. The two girls closed their eyes against the sunlight and soon were ready to fall asleep.
Suddenly Bess awakened them with a loud scream and cried out, “Nancy! There’s a hairy scorpion on you!”
Nancy jumped up instantly, flinging off the creature. It crawled away.
“I guess it’s safer in the car,” George said. “Nancy, let’s get back inside and rest in a safe place.”
Another ten minutes went by. Then the girls heard the sound of a motor. Nancy and George got out. A car was coming up the road. They waved frantically and it stopped. A young man sat at the wheel.
“You having trouble?” he asked, leaning out of his window.
Bess cried out, “Nancy, there’s a hairy scorpion on you. !”
“We sure are,” George responded. “We’re out of gas. We don’t have one drop.”
The young man
Nancy and George scrambled after him as fast as they dared. Apparently he was used to climbing up to this cave and knew how to get down safely and quickly. Now Fleetfoot began to run and soon he far outdistanced the girls.
When they reached the ground, Nancy said, “Let’s chase him in the car!”
She and George jumped in, and Nancy started the motor instantly. She swung the car around and sped off.
“Who is he?” Bess asked. Learning that he was Fleetfoot, she said, “Oh, be careful, Nancy. You know he’s dangerous.”
The man leaped along the road like a deer. When he realized that Nancy was catching up with him, he veered off and scrambled up the side of a huge rock.
“Let the old mountain goat go!” Bess cried out.
Reaching the top of the rock, Fleetfoot hurried down the other side and disappeared from view.
“Oh hypers!” George exclaimed, using one of her pet expressions. “Why did we have to lose him when we were so close?”
Nancy accepted the matter more philosophically. First she thanked Bess for warning George and her of Fleetfoot’s approach.
“But I’m sorry we lost him just the same,” Bess said.
Nancy went on, “We’ve proved two things, and both are important.”
“Like what?” Bess asked.
“One is that Fleetfoot definitely is in this area. The other is that no doubt he’s using the Mouse’s Tank as a hideaway.”
Bess nodded. “So now all we have to do is notify the police and they’ll know where to hunt for him. Then we won’t have any more to worry about.”
George was sure it would not be so easy. “We can look for a lot more trouble from that thief,” she predicted.
Bess added, “I suppose there’s no use wishing, but I hope Fleetfoot doesn’t find out where our camp is.”
“I’ll bet he knows already,” George said. “He probably watches everything that’s going on in this desert.”
“And steals what he can,” Bess added.
Nancy had not spoken for some minutes. She kept looking right and left across the uninhabited landscape. There was not a house or other building in sight.
Finally Bess said, “Nancy, you look concerned. Why?”
Nancy said she had been watching her falling gas gauge.
“It’s almost on the empty mark,” she said. “I hope that even when it’s marked empty, there’s a little gas left in the tank.”
She drove for another ten minutes, then slowly the engine sputtered to a halt. The car rolled for another hundred feet under its own momentum and stopped.
“Oh, don’t tell me!” Bess said. “It’s a long way back to town—miles and miles. I couldn’t possibly walk.”
George said, “I don’t relish a hike of twenty-five miles myself.”
Nancy suggested that if they could get to the main road, there surely would be help.
“Bess, suppose you sit behind the wheel and steer. George and I will push the car.”
They tried this, but after doing so for a mile, Nancy and George were exhausted. Bess pleaded with them to rest.
“You won’t have to ask me twice,” George replied with a groan.
She flopped down on the field at the side of the road and stretched out. Nancy, too, lay down. The two girls closed their eyes against the sunlight and soon were ready to fall asleep.
Suddenly Bess awakened them with a loud scream and cried out, “Nancy! There’s a hairy scorpion on you!”
Nancy jumped up instantly, flinging off the creature. It crawled away.
“I guess it’s safer in the car,” George said. “Nancy, let’s get back inside and rest in a safe place.”
Another ten minutes went by. Then the girls heard the sound of a motor. Nancy and George got out. A car was coming up the road. They waved frantically and it stopped. A young man sat at the wheel.
“You having trouble?” he asked, leaning out of his window.
Bess cried out, “Nancy, there’s a hairy scorpion on you. !”
“We sure are,” George responded. “We’re out of gas. We don’t have one drop.”
The young man
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