"We could--if we wanted to," said Dick, coolly. "Please don't touch anything," he added sharply, as he saw the man fingering various levers and switches. "Huh! I didn't mean anything," was the surly response. "Perhaps not, but you don't know when you might do some damage," went on Dick, "and the car's been through enough for one day. Come along, boys," he added to his chums. "We'll get a move on." With thanks to those who had helped them out of their predicament, the boys drove off toward the garage where Dick intended to have the broken brake repaired. CHAPTER XXIV A NIGHT ENCOUNTER "Did you think there was anything queer about that man, Dick?" asked Paul, as the three chums sat about the garage, while the chief mechanician looked over the big auto. "Which man was that? There were so many around us when we got stuck in the creek that I don't remember any special one." "I mean the chap that suggested you could make a trip to 'Frisco." "Oh, him. Well, yes, in a way, I did. At least I didn't think I'd give him the satisfaction of letting him guess where we were going." "I'm glad you didn't." "Why, Paul?" "Because I was a bit suspicious of him. Did you notice what he did after we started away?" "I did not, because I was so busy thinking how lucky we were to get off as we did. What happened?" "Why, that man--the fellow with the droopy eyes, I'll call him, because his eyes were sort of sleepy looking--he pulled out a note book as we started off, and seemed to be making a record in it." "Maybe he was a constable, and he thought we might try to speed up after being delayed. He might be looking to get a share of the fine if we were caught," suggested Innis. "No, he wasn't a constable," declared Paul. "What makes you so sure?" "If he was a constable in a country town he'd be some pumpkins, a sort of a Poo-Bah. Instead, no one paid the least attention to him. He might be a constable from somewhere else, but he didn't belong here. He was a stranger, and yet he seemed mightily interested in your car." "Well, it's a good car--if I do say it myself," responded Dick. "No, it wasn't that," continued his chum. "That man had some object in view. Dick, do you know what I think?" "I give up, Paul. You think so much that you have me guessing. What is it now?" "I think that man was one of Uncle Ezra's spies!" "What!" cried Dick. Paul repeated his words. "Whew!" exclaimed Dick in a whisper, as he pretended to wipe his brow. "This is the limit! Aren't we ever to get away from my Uncle Ezra?" "Don't misunderstand me," said Paul, quickly. "I'm not an alarmist, and I don't want to be a false prophet, but that fellow acted suspiciously to me." "I think so too," added Innis. "Queer I didn't notice it," said Dick, slowly, "but I guess I was so busy thinking about my car that I didn't pay much attention to him. I noticed that he looked in our parlor, so to speak, and----"