CHAPTER XXII.
PROFESSOR SCUDMORE RETURNS.
"We must aid him!" cried Frank.
"Thot's right," agreed Barney.
"It's too late," declared Old Solitary.
"Too late--why?"
"Long before we can get down into the valley the boy will be killed orcaptured."
"And must we remain idle and witness the butchery? It is terrible! Ifeel that I must do something."
"An' Oi fale th' soame, Frankie, me b'y."
"Look again," directed the strange man of the mountains. "The boy hasdiscovered his enemies. See--he has leaped behind some rocks! Graves iswith him. The man is playing his part still. It must be that the boy hascalled on his enemies to halt. They are hiding. See there! one of themis preparing to shoot at the boy. Watch! The boy will be killed! No, hehas changed his position. The man fired too late."
Frank and Barney were intensely excited as they watched what was takingplace in the canyon. Clyde, after leaping to the shelter of the rocks,had changed his position just in time to save himself from being shot.One of the Danites took careful aim, a puff of smoke shot from themuzzle of his rifle, and, some time later, the report of the weaponreached the ears of the trio at the mouth of the cave.
But Providence must have watched over Walter Clyde then, for the boymoved a moment before the rifle sent forth its dead messenger, and heescaped the bullet. Whirling swiftly, he brought the butt of his rifleto his shoulder, and fired straight into the midst of the puff of smoke.
"Hurro!" shouted Barney.
"He nailed the wretch!" cried Frank, with satisfaction.
It was true, Clyde's bullet knocked the man over in a twinkling, and helay writhing amid the rocks.
"He is a brave boy," muttered Old Solitary. "It is a pity he cannotescape! He is but one of hundreds of brave hearts butchered by theDanites."
There was a lull far across the canyon.
"What is coming now?" speculated Frank. "The Danites seem dazed."
"Look, and you shall see what is coming," said Old Solitary, his fingersagain closing on our hero's arm. "You can see Clyde's companion, thetreacherous Graves. Watch; ah! I knew it!"
Graves was seen to rise behind Clyde, uplift some weapon in his hand,and strike the boy prostrate.
Then, with a yell that faintly reached the ears of the watching three,the Danites scrambled over the rocks.
"The tragedy is over," said Old Solitary, solemnly. "The deadly work isdone. Poor boy!"
"Poor boy!" echoed Frank.
"It's dearly th' spalpanes will pay fer this noight!" grated BarneyMulloy. "It's nivver a bit will Oi hesitate about stoppin' wan av th'divvils from b'rathin' av Oi get a chance."
"I do not think my conscience will trouble me much if I am forced tofinish one of them," said Frank, huskily.
"They are beasts--human beasts!" declared Old Solitary. "It is not a sinto place such where they can do no harm to the rest of the world."
"Sin!" exclaimed Barney. "It's a deed av charity!"
The Danites were seen leaning over their victim. In a few moments theylifted Clyde to his feet, and then it was evident that the boy had notbeen slain outright, but had been stunned long enough for them to makehim their captive.
"It were better if they had killed him quickly," said Old Solitary.
"I don't know about that," panted Frank. "Where there is life there ishope."
"All who enter this canyon may leave hope behind."
"Av they let th' poor lad live till to-night, we'll do our bist ferhim," said Barney.
"That we will," nodded Frank.
Clyde seemed to have recovered, and now he was marched along in themidst of his captors, who moved straight toward the pocket where thehomes of the Danites were located.
For all of their situation, Frank Merriwell had not given up hope. Hewas young, and he still believed that all evil things come to an evilend, and all good things eventually triumph. He had not grown cynicaland pessimistic.
Drawing back into the mouth of the cave, the trio watched the Danitesmarch across the canyon with their captive.
Graves was with the men, and he no longer pretended to be friendly tothe boy. At last Clyde knew him for what he actually was.
At length the entire party passed from view on their way to the pocket.
Then Old Solitary led the boys back into the cave, where they atebreakfast, such as it was, and attempted to lay plans for the comingnight.
It was a long, dreary, wretched day they spent in the cave. Many timesthey went to the opening where they could look down into the Danitevillage. Once they saw Uric Dugan, and once they saw Miskel, hisdaughter.
But the day passed on, and, to their intense relief, they saw nothing toindicate that the captives were executed.
Night came at last.
The boys were eager to be astir. Their blood was throbbing hotly intheir veins, and they felt capable of any deed of daring.
They looked to their weapons, making sure everything was ready forbusiness, and then they followed Old Solitary from the cave.
The descent was slow and tedious, fraught with much peril, and long inthe accomplishment. To the eager boys, it seemed that they would neverget down.
The task was finally accomplished, and then they moved onward, with OldSolitary in the lead.
They had not gone far when a gasp of astonishment came from Frank'slips, and he clutched Barney, softly crying:
"Look up there! What do you make of that?"
Barney looked upward, as directed, and, high in the air, he saw a brightlight that was swiftly settling toward the earth.
"It's a shooting shtar, begobs!" exclaimed the Irish lad.
"Not much!" broke from Frank. "That is no star. It looks like a light,with a reflector behind it."
"Well, who knows but thot's th' woay a shtar looks?"
"It is not a star," said Old Solitary; "but what it is I cannot say."
"I know!" cried Frank.
"What is it, then?"
"The _Eagle_."
"What is the _Eagle_?"
"An air ship."
Old Solitary gave a muttered exclamation of incredulity.
"Impossible!"
"It is not impossible," asserted Frank. "It was in the _Eagle_ that wecame here from Blake."
"Thot's roight," agreed Barney.
Then in a few words Frank told the man of their trip from Blake, howProfessor Scudmore had gone mad, and how they had captured the ship fromthe professor, who afterward escaped and got away with the _Eagle_ inthe night.
The boy's apparent sincerity convinced Old Solitary that he spoke thetruth, and by the time Frank had finished, the air ship had settledclose to the earth. They could see its outlines through the darkness,and could see a man in the car.
The _Eagle_ came down gently, and the man stepped out.
"It was somewhere amid these mountains that I left those poor boys," hemurmured. "There is not one chance in ten thousand that I shall everfind them again."
"You have stumbled on that one chance," said Frank, speaking distinctly,and advancing fearlessly toward the man.
"Eh!"
Professor Scudmore seemed on the point of leaping into the air ship andtaking to flight, but he suddenly changed his mind.
"Can't get away quick enough to escape," he said. "Have let off enoughgas so the ballast brought her down, and I could not throw out the restof the ballast and get away. If enemies come, I am lost."
"We are not enemies," assured Frank. "We are the boys you left not manymiles from here."
"It can't be possible!" cried the lank professor, in the greatestsurprise and delight. "Then this is the work of Providence--it mustbe!"
His joy was almost boundless.
"I was mad at the time," he explained; "I must have been. Otherwise, I'dnever done such a thing. I came to my sober senses after a time, andthen I resolved to come back here, hoping to find you, but not expectingto."
"Begorra! ye done a great thrick
thot toime!" put in Barney Mulloy."Frankie, me b'y we'll get away in th' _'Agle_, an' th' Danite thotcatches us will have to have wings."
"That is right," said Frank. "This will provide a means of escape forus, if the professor will take us along."
"I am here to take you along," assured Scudmore.
"But we cannot go till we have done our best to rescue Professor Scotchand Walter Clyde."
"Roight, me lad."
They then explained to Scudmore what had happened to the professor andthe boy.
"If my gas generator is all right, so I can inflate the _Eagle_ to itsfull extent, I shall be able to take four persons with me," said thetall professor. "While you are doing your best to rescue the captives, Iwill remain here and try to put the ship in condition to sail at shortnotice."
He seemed perfectly sane, and there was nothing to do but to trust him,and so this plan was agreed to by the boys.
Old Solitary kept in the background, saying nothing.
When everything was arranged, Frank and Barney left the professor, andonce more followed the strange man of the canyon on their way to thevillage of the Danites.
They urged Old Solitary to lose no time, for they were eager to dotheir best in the effort to save Professor Scotch and Walter Clyde andget away from the canyon.
It was not long before they drew near the pocket, and they advanced withgreat caution, although it was not thought absolutely necessary, asthere was not one chance in a hundred that the Danites would expect themto make such an audacious attempt.
Deep in the canyon the shadows lay thick, which was to their advantage.They succeeded in entering the pocket without being challenged.
Lights twinkled from two or three windows. Somewhere in the village abeautiful but untrained voice was singing the chorus of a love song.
"That is Miskel," whispered Frank.
They lay in the darkness, watching and waiting.
Of a sudden an unexpected thing happened. The door of the very buildinginto which Professor Scotch had been carried was flung wide open,allowing a broad bar of light to shine out. Then, out of this lighteddoorway streamed a dozen men, and a bell began to clang in a dolefulmanner.
"What does it mean?" whispered Frank, wonderingly.
"It means that the tribunal of death has pronounced doom upon thecaptives," answered Old Solitary. "The session has just broken up, andthe captives will be executed without delay."
Frank Merriwell's Bravery Page 22