CHAPTER VII
A TRACE OF MR. BELL
The boys were not long in assuring themselves that their airship hadsuffered no material damage. The lifting gas, which was contained inthe big bag, had simply leaked away, and of course Noddy and JackPender did not know how to make any more. In consequence of this theyhad been obliged to use the craft simply as an aeroplane, the dirigibleballoon feature being eliminated. They were evidently not enoughskilled in aeronautics to keep the craft constantly in motion, and soit had descended in the field, one of the planes, and a deflectingrudder, being broken, but not beyond repair.
"Those fellows certainly lived high while they were aboard," grumbledBob, after a visit to the storeroom. "They have wasted as much stuff asthey ate."
"And I suppose that worries you," suggested Jerry, with a smile. "Nevermind, Chunky, as long as we have our airship back we won't complain."
"Not after the way you licked Noddy," added Ned. "I was wishing I couldhave a hand in it, but you finished him off too quick for me."
"Yes, I fancy he'll remember it for a few hours," put in the chief ofpolice. "Well, boys," he added, "is there anything I can do for you? Doyou want me to make a search for this Nixon fellow and the other one,or for this Mr. Bell? Is he a criminal, too?"
"Oh, no, he is a very good friend of ours," Jerry hastened to say. "Heis an old man, who once was a sort of hermit out West, near a lost lakethat very few persons knew about. We found him and restored a long-lostson to him. But we have not seen him since. Accidentally we learnedthat he was with these two bullies in the airship, though why we don'texactly know. But we certainly don't want him arrested, though he seemsto have disappeared."
There was no doubt of it. Jackson Bell was not in the craft, thoughwhether he had recently left, or had gone some time before the arrivalof the three chums, was impossible to say.
"Well, if I can't do anything for you I think I'll go back to town,"went on the chief.
"Yes," agreed Jerry, "and Ned and Bob had better go with you, inthe auto. I'll stay here," continued the tall youth, "and guard theairship. You and Bob, Ned, can buy the things necessary with which torepair it, and we'll make a flight from here as soon as we can get itin shape."
"To rescue Mr. Bell and his friends?" asked Bob, who was contentedlymunching a sandwich he had made from some canned chicken he found amongthe stores.
"Hardly, unless we can tell where they are," answered Jerry. "We'llgo west to protect our mine, for this looks as if there was anotherconspiracy on foot against us," and he held up the letter that hadfallen from Noddy's pocket. "We'll have to teach Tom Dalsett and thatgang another lesson, I guess. I only hope Jim Nestor will be on hisguard. I think we'd better send him a telegram of warning, and let himknow we are coming. I'll write it, and you fellows can take it to townwhen you go in the auto."
"Don't be in too much of a hurry," advised Bob. "I think I'll makeanother sandwich. Don't you want one?" and he started for the kitchenof the airship.
"Here, you cut that out!" ordered Ned, good-naturedly. "Work first andeat afterward."
Bob looked a little disconsolate, but complied with his friend'sdesire. Jerry had quickly written a telegram, and given it to Ned, who,with Bob and the chief of police, started across the field to where theauto had been left. They were soon speeding toward town.
Left alone in the airship Jerry strolled about it, taking note of thevarious features, and marking with displeasure where the carelessnessof Noddy and Jack had done some slight damage.
The _Comet_ is fully described in the ninth book of this series,entitled "The Motor Boys in the Clouds," but perhaps a brief statementof the wonderful craft may not be out of place here. The airshipconsisted of two sections. There was the big cigar-shaped bag, whichcontained the gas, and which formed the dirigible balloon part ofthe ship. This bag was filled with a strong lifting vapor, of secretcomposition.
Then there was the aeroplane feature, the big wings being fitted atright angles to the gas bag, and strongly braced. Thus the _Comet_could be used as a balloon, or, at the will of the occupants, or incase of accident, could glide along like an aeroplane.
Below the big bag was the body of the ship, consisting of an enclosedframework, divided into several compartments. There was a livingroom, or cabin, a room where several berths provided ample sleepingaccommodations, the motor or engine room, and a cooking galley. Fromthe engine room the big propellers, two of them, could be controlled,as could also the rudders, one designed to send the ship to right orleft, and the other to elevate or depress it. There was a small pilothouse for the steersman, and windows in the cabin affording a view onall sides, while heavy glass ones in the bottom of the car enabled theoccupants to look down on the earth below. There were lockers for thestorage of food, supplies and the necessary materials for making thelifting gas on board, so that, if necessary, the bag could be filledeven while the ship was in motion.
Jerry walked all about the craft, noting every feature. He saw thatcomparatively few repairs would be needed before he and his chums couldset sail in it.
"Then we'll start for the west," Jerry said, talking to himself. "We'llhave to hustle to beat Noddy and that gang, for they evidently expectto get that gold mine away from us if they can. Then there's thismatter of Mr. Bell. I can't understand that at all. Why was he withNoddy? What did he want of an airship? Was he really here at all, orwas it some one who looked like him, and who helped Noddy to steal our_Comet_? I wish I could answer those questions. Maybe it wasn't Mr.Bell, after all. It might have been one of the Dalsett gang, dressed upto represent him."
As he thought of this possibility Jerry became uneasy. He began to wishBob and Ned would return, for he feared Noddy might come back at anyminute, accompanied by some of the scoundrels with whom he associated,and regain possession of the airship. But, as he thought of the brokenplane, and realized that there was scarcely any gas in the bag, Jerryknew that whoever came could not run away with the flying craft.
He walked through the cabin again, and near one of the seats he noticedsome torn pieces of paper. Idly he picked them up, and, as he scannedthem, thinking more of the recent events he had passed through thanof anything else, he saw that the fragments bore writing. One of thepieces contained a name--Thomas Bell--and at the sight of that Jerryuttered a cry:
"Tommy Bell!" he exclaimed. "Why that's the name of Mr. Bell's son--theone we rescued from the Mexicans! This looks like a letter written tohim, and afterward destroyed. I wonder if I can make out anything fromit? I'll try, for maybe he and Mr. Bell are in trouble, and I can helpthem."
With nervous fingers Jerry sought to piece together the fragments ofthe torn letter. But it was not all there. Only disconnected wordscould be made out, but from these the tall lad decided that it was amissive written by Jackson Bell to his son, but, for some reason, tornup before it was sent. And from the words he could decipher Jerry feltthat he held in his hands some clew to the mystery--the mystery of theair, which Mr. Bell had set out to solve with Noddy and Jack, who haddeceived him. For Jerry read such words as "will try to help them,""can now get to the deep valley," "they may yet be alive," "Noddy isfriend of the motor boys----"
"That's where he's wrong," commented Jerry, grimly. Then he found alarger fragment, which he had overlooked. It contained these words:"and so Tommy, my boy, you may soon expect me back in the west, andtogether we will go to the aid of those people, some of whom were myfriends, so long and so mysteriously lost. I feel that we can save themin the airship, which I thought of as a last resort, after reading whatJerry Hopkins and his chums had done in their wonderful craft. I willsoon be with you. JACKSON BELL."
"Jackson Bell!" cried Jerry, springing to his feet, and staring at thesignature on the scrap of paper. "Then Mr. Bell has been here--in thisship--there is no doubt of it! He wrote this letter to his son, but itwas torn up, and never posted. Can there have been foul play here? HaveNoddy and Jack made away with Mr. Bell?" The thought was too terrible.Jerry dismissed it at once, yet h
e could not help adding:
"The mystery is deepening. There are three puzzles now to solve. How tosave our mine, how to rescue the people of the valley, and how to findMr. Bell."
The Motor Boys Over the Rockies; Or, A Mystery of the Air Page 8