CHAPTER X Uninvited Visitors
Rex did not forget his promise to take Enid to her home at Bay City. Soonafter breakfast the following morning, he swooped down out of the skywith his amphibian, landing a short distance from the yacht as the baywas very rough. The girls had one of the sailors take them out to theplane in the motor boat.
"The old bus is loaded with gas and rarin' to go," Rex declared, helpingthem into the cockpit.
"What do you think about the weather?" Madge inquired somewhat anxiously.
"Oh, we'll make it all right," he returned without concern. "According tothe airport weather report we may run into a storm before we reach BayCity, but it probably won't amount to much."
"You take your storms casually," Madge smiled. "Remember, we're notseasoned to it the way you are."
"There's nothing to be afraid of," he assured her. "We'll not have anytrouble unless it is in taking off. The water is pretty rough thismorning."
As soon as the girls were comfortably settled in the cockpit, heaccelerated the engine and they were off. The amphibian moved slowly atfirst, then with increasing speed. As it planed over the waves, the bowhad a tendency to drop into the following trough and Rex was kept busytrying to prevent it nosing in. Once before flying speed was gained, thewaves threw the plane a little way into the air. While the girls caughttheir breath in fear, Rex acted instinctively. He minimized the stall andas the nose dropped, pulled back the stick to level out.
Madge and Enid breathed easier when the amphibian finally shook her wingsfree from the bay and smoothly climbed. They gazed down over the cockpit,distinguishing The Flora which seemed a mere speck on the water.
It was impossible to talk against the roar of the wind and the motor, sothe girls enjoyed the scenery to the fullest measure. Although theyfollowed a water route, seldom were they out of sight of land.
Before they had been in the air an hour, Madge noticed that they wererunning into heavy clouds. Rex too, studied the sky a trifle anxiouslythough he flashed the girls a reassuring smile. Soon the little plane washemmed in. A sudden gust of wind sent the ship careening to a dizzyangle.
A flash of jagged lightning cracked across the black void beyond thepropeller. Rex put the plane into a steep climb in an attempt to getabove the storm.
For an endless minute it seemed that the clouds were everywhere. Then theplane rose above them into the warm sunlight. The girls looked down,gazing upon a solid floor of clouds. They felt snug in the cockpit andenjoyed watching nature's fireworks from a safe gallery seat.
For a time they flew blind. Presently they saw a break in the clouds andplunged down to find themselves beyond the storm center. The air waschoppy and now and then the ship made dizzy drops. Fortunately, neitherof the girls were troubled with air sickness though Enid was not sorrywhen Bay City was sighted ahead.
Approaching the beach, Rex throttled the motor and sent the amphibianinto a glide. It rapidly lost speed, "stalled" a few inches above thewater and settled upon the surface with scarcely a jolt, skimming slowlytoward shore. Rex held the nose high for the water was still rough.
As the plane came in, two airport attendants waded out and grasped thewings, steadying the ship until Rex brought it to a standstill.Arrangements were made to have the plane refueled, and then the threefriends left the field. A taxicab carried them to the Burnett summer homeat the edge of the city.
They dismissed the driver at the huge iron gate which marked the entranceof the grounds, telling him to return for them in an hour.
"Our caretaker should be around here somewhere," Enid said. "I imaginewe're locked out."
Rex rattled the gate and to his surprise it opened. They entered thegrounds.
"What a beautiful estate!" Madge exclaimed admiringly.
Enid did not share her enthusiasm for she was looking at the untrimmedgrass, the weedy flower beds, the scraggy hedge.
"It doesn't look as though the place has been touched in weeks. Waituntil I find that caretaker! He thinks he can shirk just because we'reaway."
She walked determinedly up the gravel path, Madge and Rex following. Enidrapped firmly on the front door but there was no response.
"He must be somewhere around the grounds," she declared. "I'll use my ownkey."
"Perhaps the door is unlocked," Madge suggested.
Enid turned the knob and to her surprise the door opened. She steppedaside to permit the others to enter.
"Why, look what has happened!" Madge, who was the first to cross thethreshold, cried. "The place is all upset!"
It was obvious that the Burnett living room had been ransacked. Shelveshad been emptied of their contents, furniture moved, objects litteredover the floor.
"It looks as though we've been robbed," Enid said quietly, surveying thewreckage. "It's a foregone conclusion, everything of value is missing,but we may as well look around."
They went from one room to the other. While everything appeared to havebeen disturbed, silverware, valuable paintings and rugs had not beentaken. In fact, Enid could not find that anything actually was missing.
"I'm afraid to go to Father's room," she confessed. "He keeps his mosttreasured art pieces there, and I know they'll be gone."
She led the way upstairs and flung open the door of her father's chamber.
"I knew it!" she exclaimed. "Just look at the place!"
A valuable vase lay upon the floor, smashed into bits. Books had beentorn from the wall cases and various articles of curious design werescattered about.
"At least they didn't take everything," Madge commented. "Can you tellwhat is missing, Enid?"
"Not without taking a complete inventory. Some of Father's most valuedantiques are here though. I can't understand it."
"Perhaps your trusted caretaker has skipped out with some of the thingshe most fancied," Rex suggested.
Enid's face tightened.
"Wait until I find him! He's responsible for this, although I have nothought that he actually took the things. More than likely he simply wentaway and left the house unguarded, thinking that we would never know thedifference."
"Have you employed him long?" Rex asked.
"No, Father engaged him only the week before we left here."
Madge had been moving slowly about the room, examining the many objectsscattered about. She saw old clocks, odd pieces of jewelry, grotesquevases, and articles from nearly every country.
"It's peculiar that all these things were left," she mused aloud. "Iwonder what the thief was after? Enid, where is the Zudi Drum Bowl?"
In the excitement, Enid had entirely forgotten the one object of mostimportance. Her face disclosed her chagrin.
"Why, I expected to find it here in Father's room."
"Then it must be gone. At least I haven't seen anything that resemblesthe description you gave me."
"Oh, if it's been taken, what in the world shall I do?"
"It may be here," Madge comforted. "We haven't thoroughly searched yet."
They hastily straightened the room, returning many of the antiques totheir shelves. While they looked in every conceivable place, the ZudiDrum Bowl was not found. At length, Enid sank down in a chair, buryingher face in her hands.
"Oh, it's no use. I know it's gone! That's why nothing else was taken.The thieves were after the Zudi Drum."
Rex tried to cheer her but with poor success.
"That drum seems to be in great demand," Madge commented thoughtfully."It must be valuable."
"Oh, it is," Enid responded gloomily, "but I doubt if it would bring ashigh a price as some of the things that weren't taken. Of course, it hadto disappear just when it might have bought Father's release."
Madge remained quiet for a few minutes, then suddenly asked:
"Are you certain the Zudi Drum was kept in this room?"
"I don't see where else it could be."
"I should have thought your father would have been afraid of it beingstolen. Doesn'
t he have any other place where he keeps his valuables?"
At Madge's words, a startled expression came into Enid's eyes. She sprangto her feet.
"Why didn't I think of it before? Father may have put that drum in thewall safe!"
"Do you know the combination?" Madge demanded eagerly.
"If I haven't forgotten."
"Then let's have a look."
With one accord, the three friends rushed for the stairs.
"I never once thought of the safe when we were in the library!" Enidcried, leading the way. "I do hope it hasn't been blown open!"
The Deserted Yacht Page 10