CHAPTER XVIII.
WHEN FRANK STOOD GUARD.
Pretty soon things began to look fairly cheerful in that lonely gladesituated in the heart of the tropical forest. A fine fire crackled andshot up its red flames, lighting up the opening in which the youngaviators had so luckily alighted.
Andy was bending over the fire making a pot of coffee, for they hadbrought along with them the necessary cooking utensils, including afrying pan, not knowing how long they might be adrift in the wilderness,far from the domicile of any human being.
"How do you find it?" he sang out, for his chum had been examining theaeroplane as well as possible under the circumstances.
"Everything seems to be hunky-dory," came the reply. "I'm going to startup the engine now to see if it works without a hitch."
"Don't I hope so," was what Andy said, as he paused in his task towatch.
A minute afterward he gave a little cheer, as the familiar throbbingsound was heard, making the sweetest music that ever greeted thelistening ear of an aviator.
"That sounds good to me, Frank!" he cried.
"Nothing wrong about it, thank goodness!" came the reply of the other,as he again shut off power, because they could not afford to waste adrop of their valuable supply of gasoline.
"Well, suppose you drop in here and sample this brand of coffee. Whatwith the cold snack we brought, and which still holds out, we ought toget along right decently, Frank."
"I tell you right now," replied the other, as he came up, "I'm hungryenough to eat anything going; yes, even some of our native cook's worstgarlic-scented messes. And that coffee just seems to make me wild. Shovea cup over this way as quick as you know how, brother. Yum, yum, thatgoes straight to the spot. And this cheese and crackers isn't half waybad, even if it is pilot biscuit."
"Well," said Andy, "ain't you a pilot all right, and don't they feedsailors on this hard tack generally? Sure we've got no kick coming.Everything is to the mustard, and if you asked me my opinion right nowI'd say things are coming our way."
"Listen to that chorus, would you?" remarked Frank, as various soundsarose all through the dense timber around them; "they seem to be headingthis way sure enough."
At that Andy reached again for the gun on which he seemed to depend somuch.
"Well, if any of 'em take a sneaking notion to look in on us, why I'mmeaning to use up a few of these flat-nosed cartridges in this six-shotmagazine," he remarked, sturdily, as he glanced cautiously around.
"No fear of that now," said his chum, reassuringly. "The danger willcome, if it does at all, later on, when we have more trouble keeping thefire going. So after we get this supper down we shall have to gatherfuel. It may not be quite so nice to go after it when we see a line ofyellow eyes watching all around."
"Oh, shucks! You're just stringing me now, Frank. If I really thoughtthey'd be as bold as that, why I'd climb a tree, that's what."
"What good would that do, tell me?" jeered the other. "Why, these catsjust live in trees and can leap twenty feet if they can one. Perhaps ifyou found a hollow tree now you might feel safe, but in the branches ofone--never! Why, the monkeys would come and laugh at you. The groundis the best place for us, after all, Andy."
"More coffee in the pot, if you ain't afraid of staying awake,"suggested the cook.
"That would just suit me, for you see I'm more afraid of going to sleepthan anything else while on guard duty," Frank remarked, soberly.
By degrees Andy realized that this business of camping in the heart of atropical forest was no laughing matter. Still, they had escaped so manythreatening perils that he was beginning to believe they must be underthe protecting wing of some favoring god and that success lay justahead.
They sat up and talked for a long time. Neither would admit being atall sleepy, and yet Frank caught his chum yawning ever so many times.
"Here, you, just make up your mind to turn in and get seven winks," hesaid, pretending to be giving orders with all the airs of a commandingofficer.
"I suppose I'll just have to," came the reply, as the other started toroll up close to the fire, for they had no blankets with them thistime. "Do you know I was just thinking about Puss."
"Well, what of him?" asked Frank.
"What if they start to chase us again in the morning? Are we going toput up with that funny business right along? I say no. Let's warn 'emthat we're armed and can bore a hole right through their jolly oldbiplane, upsetting them any time they get close enough. I'm drawing theline on tomorrow, because somehow I feel it in here that it's going tobe the greatest day of my life," and Andy laid his hand on his heart ashe spoke.
"Yes, that would be our best plan," admitted Frank. "We've already stoodquite enough of that funny business, as you call it. They even fired atus. Depend on it, Andy, they won't follow us very far next time."
And Andy, seeing the way his chum's mouth was firmly set, made up hismind that Frank had reached the end of his patience. Contented with theprospects for the morrow he therefore lay down to get some sleep.
"I say, Frank," he called out presently.
"Well, what now?" asked the one on guard, who had possession of therifle and had taken up his position so that he could have a clear viewof the open space all about the camp.
"If one of the prowlers tries to drag me off, remember I've got my legtied to this stake I knocked into the ground. While he's tugging you canhave a bully good chance to knock him over, see?"
"All right," grinned Frank. "I'll remember. But let out a whoop if youfeel yourself going. I might be looking the other way."
"You just bet I will," mumbled Andy, curling himself up as near the fireas he dared creep.
And in three minutes Frank knew from the heavy breathing coming fromthat quarter, that his chum had found no trouble in getting to sleep,regardless of the various sounds welling up from the neighboring forest,and the fears that possessed his boyish soul.
Frank sometimes sat down; and again, feeling cramped in this position,he would rise to his feet, and walk back and forth. But all the time hekept the gun in his possession, with the hammer pulled back, ready forbusiness. And constantly did he maintain a close watch along the nearerborder of the undergrowth that lay there, so dense and filled withmystery.
Time passed on.
It seemed as though a thousand things flitted through the active mind ofthe young aviator as he thus stood guard over the camp. Once again hewas back in good old Bloomsbury, where he had spent so many happydays. He could see the faces of his boyhood friends, Larry, Elephant andothers.
Frequently he would detect a movement here or there among the trees; andat such times he could easily imagine that some animal belonging to theforest was creeping closer in. The question was, whether simplecuriosity urged them to do this thing, or a design upon the occupants ofthe camp.
Frank had been in other situations calling for considerable pluck, andnever failed to meet the emergency, nor did he now.
It must have been some three hours back that Andy lay down tosleep. That had been the limit of time arranged upon; but Frank did notshow any signs of intending to awaken the other.
"Let him sleep," he said to himself, as he walked up and down, for bynow he was beginning to feel very drowsy himself, in spite of thecoffee. "He needs it more than I do. And besides, I'm a little dubiousas to what sort of watch Andy would keep. Anyhow, I can stand it a whilelonger. Hello! what's that mean?"
His attention had been attracted toward a movement in the brush at thenearest point of the forest. It was not thirty feet distant. Could oneof those long-bodied muscular jaguars cover that distance in a wildleap? What if without warning he should see a tawny figure flashingthrough the air, and headed straight for him?
Frank threw the gun up to his shoulder as if to try and see how readilyhe could cover such a flying form. As he did so he heard a low andominous growl, which undoubtedly sprang from the very spot where he hadjust caught that suspicious movement.
He bent his head to look closer
, and as he did so an exclamation fellfrom his lips.
"And that's no owl staring at me, either," he said to himself, as hecaught the singular glow of what seemed like two balls of fire, justunder the lower growth.
Frank knew what they undoubtedly must be. He had seen the orbs of a catshine in this phosphorescent way in the darkness. There could be nodoubt but that he was being surveyed by one of those savage beasts whosewhining he and Andy had heard around the camp for hours.
"And I declare if that purring sound doesn't come from there, too," hemuttered, as he sank down upon one knee, the better to aim hisrifle. "What was that the old senor was telling me about these beasts?Didn't he say they jerked their tail to and fro like a pendulum, andmade a queer noise just before they jumped? If that is so then thisfellow is getting ready to leap over right now. Time I was doingsomething, if I don't want him to drop on my chum like a rubberball. Well, here goes to take him between those yellow eyes. Steady now,my boy, steady!"
Aeroplane Boys on the Wing Page 18