The Motor Boys on the Border; Or, Sixty Nuggets of Gold

by Clarence Young

  CHAPTER XV

  OFF IN THE MOTORSHIP

  “Well, Jerry, do you think we can soon give her a trial?” asked Ned.

  “Yes, I think we’ll chance it to-morrow, if the weather is good. Thewinds are pretty high in this region, and I don’t want to run any risksuntil I know I’ve got the _Comet_ well under control. But I guess we’llhave a trial flight to-morrow.”

  It was about a week after their arrival in Kabspell, and the time hadbeen occupied in reassembling their craft. The work had gone on well,and they had not been further annoyed by any visits from the man whoso unexpectedly started the motor that day. True, others had sought togain admission to the shed, but the man on guard had been told to bevery strict, and no more strangers had been admitted.

  “It’s queer we haven’t run across Noddy Nixon, or Bill Berry, since wearrived,” remarked Bob, as he came from the kitchen of the motorship,where he had been getting the electric stove in readiness for cookingmeals when they should be aloft. The craft was still in the shed, butwould soon be ready to be wheeled out and sent skyward.

  “Maybe he didn’t come here after all,” suggested Ned.

  “Oh, I believe he did,” declared Jerry. “Noddy isn’t the kind of afellow to give up when he sees a chance to annoy us. I believe he foundout, in some way, that we were coming here; and he suspects what for.If he hasn’t shown himself it’s because he doesn’t want us to see him.”

  “And there are a lot of strangers in town,” went on Bob. “There havebeen rumors of a rich strike somewhere out this way, and the miners arejust pouring into Kabspell.”

  “I hope none of my old grub-stakers get here,” spoke Harvey Brill. “I’mnot afraid of ’em, but I don’t want to get you boys into trouble if Ican help it.”

  “Well, we’ll be ready for it if it comes,” said Jerry, confidently.“Once we get off in the _Comet_ they’ll have their own troublesfollowing us.”

  They worked hard that day, and spent most of the morning putting thefinishing touches to their craft. Professor Snodgrass went about ashis fancy dictated, making strange and odd captures at intervals. Ifhe did not find the side-stepping toad at least he was hopeful of soonfinding the luminous snakes.

  It was not far to the border valley where the boys hoped to locate notonly the queer serpents, but also the sixty nuggets of gold. Truth totell, they were getting anxious for the real search to begin.

  The last bolts had been screwed into place, the final adjustments made,the tanks were filled with gasoline, the electrical connections wereall made, and the gas machine was in readiness to produce the powerfullifting vapor when needed. The extra mechanics had been paid off, and,true to his prediction, Jerry was ready to give the motorship a trial.

  “Where are you going in her?” asked Ned, as he and his chums made somefinal tests of the mechanism.

  “Oh, nowhere in particular. I just thought we’d go up a way, circleabout, maybe descend on Flathead Lake and then come back here. We mayfind she needs a little tuning up. After we give her that we can stockour lockers, and start for the Border.”

  “Good!” exclaimed Mr. Brill, and Jim Nestor echoed the words.

  A great crowd had assembled, for, somehow, word had gone forth that themotorship was to make a flight. Most of the men--for there were only afew women--were openly incredulous. As the craft was wheeled from theshed a lad in the throng cried:

  “Watch ’em sail--not!”

  “They’ll never get that off the ground!” declared several.

  “That’s right. She’s too heavy. Might as well try to go above theclouds in a wash-tub, or a pair of rubber boots.”

  Indeed the _Comet_ did look rather big and heavy, but the crowd did notknow the power that lay in the great propellers, or in the lifting gas.

  Jerry and his chums went carefully over every bit of machinery. The twoWesterners were in their places, a trifle anxious. Professor Snodgrasshad been induced to give up his bug-hunting long enough to go aboardfor the trial.

  The scientist was now in the main cabin, calmly making notes about hiscaptures, as oblivious of his surroundings and the curious throng inthe field, as if he was in his library at home.

  “All ready?” asked Jerry of Ned, taking his place in the pilot house.

  “All ready,” was the low answer.

  “Then let her go!”

  There was a splutter of sparks, a grinding sound, a series ofexplosions, and then a whirring noise as the great propeller bladesbegan to revolve, slowly at first and then with a speed that made themmere blurs of light.

  The _Comet_ began to move slowly over the smooth ground.

  “Ha! Ha!” laughed many in the crowd. “We knew she wouldn’t go up!”

  But, hardly had they spoken, when Jerry tilted the elevation rudder.With a sweep and a swoop, the great motorship left the earth, shot overthe heads of the crowd--the nearest ones instinctively ducking, thoughthere was no need--and a few seconds later the airship was sailingmajestically toward the clouds.

  “Hurrah!” cried Bob. “We’re off again!”

  For a moment the startled throng was silent, and then, as before theirvery eyes the seemingly impossible feat had been accomplished, they setup a great cheer, which came faintly to the ears of the motor boys.

  “And now for the valley of the sixty nuggets of gold!” exclaimed Mr.Brill, there being none but friends to hear him.

  “Not quite yet,” said Jerry, with a smile; “She needs a littleadjusting before she answers to her rudders perfectly. But we can dothat to-morrow, stock up the next day and set off.”

  Before going back to their improvised “hangar,” however, they went outto Flathead Lake, where they settled down to the surface of the waterto give the hydroplanes a trial. They worked well, the new one being asgood as the others.

  Then back again over the heads of the astonished, waiting throng theysailed, to settle down as gracefully as a bird in front of the shed.

  “Simon’s grandmother!” gasped one of the formerly skeptical men. “Inever thought they could do it! Never!”

  While Jerry spent most of the next day in making some necessarychanges, his chums saw to the stocking of the craft with food andsupplies, for they did not know how long they would be on the Border.

  It was quite windy the morning set for the start, but Jerry, after adubious look at the clouds, decided that they would delay no longer.

  “We may strike a calm zone up above,” he said.

  The last preparations were made, and with the motor boys and theirfriends aboard the _Comet_, Jerry gave the word to start. Once morecame that nerve-thrilling rush across the ground, and then the quickascent into the air. Again the crowd cheered, waving their hats andeven jumping up and down in an ecstasy of wonder at something they hadheard of, but never before seen.

  “Well, they’re off, Ike,” remarked a man with a scar on his face, toanother man in the crowd. “Now I wonder if we can trail ’em?”

  “It isn’t going to be easy on horses, and yet that Nixon chap claims toknow about where they’ll head for.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Oh, he said he wanted to keep under cover,--claimed they’d maketrouble if they saw him. He’ll meet us on the main road just outside oftown.”

  “All right, come on then,” and the man with the scar and hisconfederate leaped on their horses and galloped off, taking as nearlyas they could the course of the airship above them. A little later theywere joined by a third person.

  Bob, in the kitchen of the aircraft, with nothing to do until it cametime to get dinner, took up a pair of field glasses and focussed themon the earth below. They were well away from the crowd now, and Bobcaught sight of three figures on horses, seemingly racing below them.

  “That’s queer,” he murmured. “It looks as if they were trying to followus. And--and--why, if that isn’t Noddy Nixon!”

  He looked eagerly through the glasses and then called to Jerry, who,setting the automatic steering gear, came back to the galley on a
run.

  “Isn’t that Noddy?” demanded Bob, in great excitement.

  “It sure is,” agreed the tall lad, after a look. “And one of the menis that same chap we saw in the depot--the one I suspected of being agrub-staker! Fellows, we’re being followed! But I don’t believe theycan keep it up long!”