CHAPTER VIII.
THE MESSAGE.
Frank Bird could restrain his curiosity no longer.
"What is it, Andy?" he asked, as he laid an affectionate arm across theshoulders of his cousin.
The other turned his eyes upon Frank, and there was something in theirdepths that stirred the other tremendously.
"Is it about your father, Andy?" he demanded, eagerness plainly showingin his whole manner; for he understood what a hold the subject had onhis chum.
Andy nodded, and as soon as he could command his quivering voice, said:
"Yes, nothing more than a letter from the grave, I fear! See, Frank,written in his own dear hand. Oh! to think of it, that at least threemonths ago he was alive, even though a prisoner, the sport of fate."
"A prisoner!" echoed Frank, astonished. "Whatever can you mean? Did hefall into the hands of some of those strange Indians we have beenreading about, who have their homes around the headwaters of the OrinocoRiver in Venezuela?"
This time Andy shook his head in the negative.
"It is stranger than that--almost beyond belief!" he replied. "My poorfather has for months been imprisoned in a great valley, surrounded byimpassable cliffs. Don't you remember something of the sort occurred inone of Captain Mayne Reid's books, where the young plant hunters foundthemselves prisoners in that way? But here, Frank, look for yourself."
"Where does the letter come from, in the beginning?" asked the other,quietly, wishing to advance by slow degrees, so that he could understandeverything.
"A town in Columbia, called Barranquila," replied Andy, readilyenough. "I'm not sure, but I think it lies at the mouth of the bigMagdalena River, and is upon the coast. You know I've just devoured themap of that region for months, and every name is familiar to me."
"Besides this queer communication, which you say is from your father,"Frank went on, "there seems to be another letter?"
"That is from Senor Jose Almirez. Read it, Frank, and you will begin tounderstand."
The letter was in a crabbed hand, apparently unused to writing inEnglish, though grammatically correct. And this was what Frank saw:
"To Senor Andrew Bird:
"I received the enclosed from a correspondent and customer, one CarlosMendoza, located in the vicinity of Manangue, a town about one hundredand fifty miles up-river.
"He is a grower of cocoa in the rich valley. I do not enclose hisletter, because it is written in Spanish. But it simply says that hefound the written communication close to his plantation house onemorning in April of this year. At first he could not understand how itcame there. Then, upon having the writing translated, he noticed thatthe missive was attached to what seemed to be a little parachute, orballoon, made up of a fragment of silk belonging to a balloon. Knowingthat I had spent several years in Washington, in the service of mycountry, he finally concluded to send the same to me. I have the honorto transmit it to the address given in the communication.
"With respect, and expressing a willingness to help you all I may, SenorAndrew Bird, believe me to be most sincerely yours,
"Jose Costilena Almirez."
Frank read this amazing communication, and then turned to stare at hiscousin.
"No, don't stop yet!" exclaimed the trembling Andy. "Read the other, themissive that Carlos Mendoza picked up on his cocoa plantation, in thevalley of the Magdalena River."
And so Frank again turned his attention to the enclosure that had beensent on by the friendly merchant of Columbia.
It seemed to be a sheet of thin but pliable bark from a tree, and insome respects reminded Frank of birch bark, which he had often used inlieu of paper, when in the woods. The juice of some berry had affordedink; and doubtless the college professor had easily made a pen from abird's quill. And this was what Frank read, a small portion of thecommunication being missing, as though it had received rough usagesomewhere, en route:
"Whoever finds this, I pray that it be forwarded to Andrew Bird, in thetown of Bloomsbury, State of New York, U. S. A. In my balloon I wascarried away by a sudden storm while crossing the Isthmus of Panama. Asnear as I can calculate I was swept some three hundred miles, more orless, in a south-easterly direction, much of the time above theclouds. Then something happened, and I felt myself falling. Givingmyself up for lost, I awoke from a swoon to find myself in the branchesof a tree, with the wreck of the balloon near me. A merciful Providencehas saved my life, but I fear only to prolong my agony of soul. Formonths now I have been a prisoner in a remarkable valley, a sink-pit,enclosed by inaccessible cliffs. Many times have I struggled to climb totheir top, but only to meet defeat.
"All this time I have sustained life by means of fruits that grow inabundance in this tropical valley. In the hope that I may manage tocommunicate my horrible condition to the outside world I have madescores of small parachutes, and when the breeze at the top of the cliffsappeared favorable, send them up by means of hot air, each carrying amessage to my son. God in His infinite wisdom only knows if one of thesewill ever reach him. I shall continue to have hope, and sustain life aslong as my mind remains--
"Professor Philip B----"
When he had finished this astonishing document Frank turned to his chum.
"Oh! what a remarkable thing! I never heard its equal in all my life. Tothink that your father has been alive all these months, though aprisoner in that cliff-bordered valley! But Andy, don't you see thatnow nothing is going to keep us from going down there, and finding him?Here is the clue you wanted, only instead of discovering his sad fateyou are going to rescue him, and bring him home again!"
They reached out and gripped hands. There was something in that act tostamp the more than brotherly feeling existing between them.
"Do you think we could do it, Frank?" exclaimed Andy, more than everwilling that his clear-eyed chum should take the lead in this mosteventful moment of his whole young life.
"Sure I do," answered the comforter, readily. "Didn't we conquer onebattery of cliffs that were said to be insurmountable, when we sailed inour dandy little monoplane up to the crown of Old Thunder Top, andsnatched that silver cup for a prize? Make up your mind, my boy, thatthat was just meant to get us in practice for better things. The time'scome for us to show what we're made of. And instead of a silver cup, theprize this time will be--"
"My father's life!" murmured Andy, tears in his eyes, as he againsqueezed that faithful hand which held his so firmly.
"That's right," Frank continued. "We can go straight to this fineSpanish gentleman, Senor Almirez, and get all the points he knows. Fromthere we'll get up-river to this valley town and visit Carlos Mendozo onhis cocoa plantation. Depend on it he'll be able to set us on the track,somehow or other."
"Oh! it seems like a strange dream," said Andy, as he raised the pieceof bark to his young lips, and passionately kissed it, regardless of thefact that some one passing the post office might notice him.
"Well, you want to wake up right away then," remarked Frank, smiling,"because we've just got to get a hustle on us, if we're going to starton this wonderful trip. Here's where our aeroplane is going to help usout. Just imagine how we can pass over regions where it would be nextto impossible for us to navigate on foot--mountainous country, tropicalvalleys where wild beasts roam and poisonous snakes abound; and jungleswhere the natives have to cut a passage foot by foot, I understand, withtheir _machetes_. And to think that we can sail freely over it all,looking for that spot where that bark letter came from."
"Come, let's go home!" exclaimed Andy. "I'm sure Colonel Josiah will betremendously interested in what we've learned. He'll be the mostdisappointed man in the whole U.S. just because he's so crippled that hecan't go along. For many years he's traveled in every country under thesun. Perhaps he might tell us more about the interior of Colombia thanwe know right now."
Accordingly they hurried away. Frank came near forgetting the news hehad been bearing at the time he met his cousin. But then, that washardly to be wondered at. The capture of the escaped robber
was of minorimportance when compared with this wonderful business connected withProfessor Bird.
And just as Andy had said, Colonel Josiah _was_ tremendously interestedwhen he heard about it, and with his own eyes looked upon the letterthat had come from a living tomb.
"Somebody pinch me," he said, looking at the boys almost helplessly. "Isurely must be asleep, and dreaming this. It seems too strange to betrue. Philip alive all these months, and in that terrible situation,while we were enjoying the good things of the world up here. It ismonstrous! You must go down there with as little delay as possible,Andrew. Who knows but what it may be your blessed good fortune to rescueyour dear father, and bring him back with you. Money--all you need; andthe prayers of an old man go with you."
"But think," said Andy, uneasily, "this was written three monthsago. What may not have happened in all that time? There must be beastsin that sunken valley, and doubtless many poisonous reptiles. Perhaps--"
"Hold on!" cried Frank, interrupting him, "don't you go to imagining allsorts of terrible things. He had been there at least nine monthsalready. Nothing had happened to injure him. He does not even hint atsuch a thing; but says he means to sustain his life as long as heretains his proper mind. Your father was not in the least like you,Andy. He possessed a wonderfully well-poised mind, and laid out hisplans with deliberation. Believe me, the chances are ten to one he isstill there, and waiting. We are going to find him. Don't allow anyother idea to take possession of your head. Find him, do you hear?"
Of course that sort of talk had its effect on Andy, and he bracedup. They began to make preparations and plans without delay. Themonoplane was taken apart, and carefully crated. Then Frank ran down tothe city and returned with several duplicate parts, secured at anaeroplane agency he knew of, and which would come in handy in case of anaccident in that strange country, where they must depend entirely onthemselves.
For two days there was a tremendous lot of bustle around bothhomes. Dr. Bird had no longer any valid excuse for refusing Frankpermission to go, since it was a mission of mercy that beckoned the boyson to that South American mountainous region. Besides, he had alwaysbeen very fond of his elder brother, who had done so much to make thename of Bird famous, in college and out; even though the professor hadthought best to make his old friend, Colonel Josiah, his boy's guardianinstead of the physician.
The aeroplane had been shipped to New York, to be put upon a steamersailing for Maracaibo, in Venezuela, and which they expected to takealso. From this port they would have to make their way to the mouth ofthe Magdalena River by means of some smaller craft. But with virtuallyunlimited means to back them, the boys did not fear but that they couldovercome any difficulties that might arise in their path. Indeed, Frankhad a disposition that would never allow anything to balk his plans, ifit were at all within the power of human nature to accomplish results.
The last thing they heard, just before leaving Bloomsbury, was that PussCarberry and his crony, Sandy Hollingshead, had gone away, taking theirbiplane along; and it was said that they expected to do wonderful stuntswith their airship somewhere in the South. But our two boys were toodeeply interested in their own fortunes to give more than a passingthought to the flitting of their rivals. Besides, it would not seemthat there could be one chance in a thousand that they would ever runacross Puss and Sandy in all that great country, lying south of theCaribbean Sea, and north of the mighty Amazon.
And one morning Frank and Andy said goodbye to those whose best wisheswere wafted after them, taking train to New York City, so as to goaboard the steamer, that was scheduled to sail that P.M.
Aeroplane Boys on the Wing Page 8