The Boy Aviators in Record Flight; Or, The Rival Aeroplane
Page 23
CHAPTER XXIII.
A MYSTERY.
The supplies that had been left on the bridge were hastily loaded intothe auto, and the party once more took their seats. Lathrop had by thistime quite recovered, and, in reply to all the encomiums heaped on himby the others, could only reply:
"That's all right."
With Billy Barnes at the wheel the auto chugged off once more on itserrand of rescue.
Suddenly, leading up a woodland track to their right, Billy Barnes spiedauto tracks.
"That must be Barr and his crowd," shouted Billy, turning the auto upthe track that converged from the main road at this point.
Rapidly and almost silently the auto made its way over the beds of pineneedles that covered the rough roadway. With the reduced speed at whichthey were proceeding the approach of the machine could have been hardlyaudible to a strange group onto which the auto party a second lateremerged.
The persons composing it consisted of Luther Barr and the men to whomBilly had referred as composing "his gang," namely, Hank Higgins, NoggyWilkes, Fred Reade, the red-bearded aviator, and Slade. As the autorolled up behind them so silently that none of them apparently knew ofits approach, Barr was grinning triumphantly at Frank and Harry Chester,whose aeroplane stood at one side of the clearing.
"I thought we'd lure you down here by displaying a flag," he sneered. "Isuppose you thought it was your own party. Well, now, you have found outyour mistake."
"Our friends will soon be here in reply to our message," said Frank,"and they will not allow you to harm us."
"Oh, I suppose you think they could answer that wireless message ofyours," sneered old Barr. "Well, they couldn't, because we'd fixed it sothat they couldn't. Do you think I'd have let you send out a message ifI thought they could have got here? I just fooled you for fun."
"What have you done with them?" demanded Frank.
"Oh, only taken a few planks out of the bridge across the canyon so thatthey couldn't get across. We hold the cards now, so you might as welltell us where Bart Witherbee intends to claim his mine. If you won't, weshall see that you are put somewhere where you will get over yourstubbornness."
"Oh, you will, will you?" exclaimed Bart Witherbee, suddenly steppingforward. "Not yet, Mr. Barr, and now I think as we have the drop on you,you and your friends had better vamoose--git out--run along--fade away."
"What are you doing here," stammered Reade, turning round and seeing theboys in their auto, "I thought----"
"Yes," cried Billy, "you thought you'd fixed the bridge so as wecouldn't get across--well, you hadn't; so now get along and be on yourway before we summon law officers and have you placed under arrest."
"Come on, let's get out," said Hank Higgins sullenly, "the kidscertainly seem to have it on us this time."
Casting glances full of malevolence at the boys, but still not daring tosay anything, Barr and his companions climbed into their machines andsilently made off. To their satisfaction the boys saw in the tonneau ofthe rear machine a lot of boxes which they knew must contain sections ofthe dismantled Slade aeroplane. The _Despatch_ party therefore had notyet been able to effect repairs, which accounted for their desperateanxiety to detain the boys at any cost.
"However, did they come to lure you down here?" asked Billy as soon asthe two autos with their rascally owners had departed.
"Why, we saw a signal waving from this opening in the woods, and thoughtit was you showing us where there was a good landing place. We soonfound out our mistake, however," answered Frank.
"Say, boys," observed Bart suddenly, after he had earnestly scanned thesky for awhile, "we'd better be getting on. I believe we are going tohave one of those storms that we get up in these hills every once in awhile."
"Are they very bad?" asked Billy.
"Bad!" echoed the miner, "why, boy, ef you're wearing all your own hairarter one of 'em you're lucky."
"Well, we can't fly any further to-day," announced Frank.
"Why not?" demanded the others.
"One of our rudder wires got snapped as we came down here. It was anarrow place to land in at best."
"How are we going to get the aeroplane up the trail?" demanded Bart.
"Tow it," was the quiet response.
"Tow it. How in the name of sea-sick catamounts air we goin' ter dothat?" demanded Bart.
"Easy," laughed the boy; "just hitch a rope to it, attach it to the autoand it will tow right along on its wheels."
"Yes, but the wings are too wide to pass along this narrow trail,"objected Bart.
"We can unbolt them and pack them in the auto. Some of us will have towalk, but that will be no great hardship for a short distance."
"Say, Frank, you're a genius. Come on, boys, git busy with them monkeywrenches and we'll be in Calabazos to-night. Then ho--for the lostmine."
As Frank had anticipated, it was not a lengthy work to detach the wingsof the _Golden Eagle_, thanks to their simple construction, and soon thecavalcade was moving forward up the mountain side with the framework ofthe aeroplane in tow. Stripped of her planes, she looked not unlike abutterfly from which the wings have been plucked, but the boys did notmind appearances in the saving of time they effected.
"Say, Frank, though," said Billy suddenly, as they tramped along in therear of the auto which Lathrop was driving, "isn't this breaking therules of the flight? Are you allowed to tow your air craft?"
Frank drew a little book from his pocket.
"In cases of absolute necessity owners and fliers of contesting craftmay accept a tow, provided they do not actually load their machines onrailroad trains or other means of transportation," he read. "This shallbe understood not to apply to circumstances other than where an aviatorfinds it impossible to make an ascent from his landing place."
"I guess we are within the rules all right," said Harry.
"I think so. Of course we shall have to make out a written explanationof the case," rejoined Frank, "but it would have been impossible for usto rise from that wood clump into which Luther Barr lured us."
"Say, boy, I'm afraid we're in for it," suddenly exclaimed BartWitherbee.
"What?" asked Frank.
"Why, the storm I said was coming up. She's going to be a rip-snorter,or my name's not Bart Witherbee."
As he spoke there came a low moaning sound in the tree-tops, and the skybegan to be overcast with dark storm clouds. The dust on the road, too,began to be puffed into little whirlwinds before the breath of theoncoming storm.
Presently a few great drops of rain fell, coming with heavy splashes onthe dry road, and falling with resounding splashes on the planes packedon top of the auto.
"Here she comes, boys; we've got to seek shelter some place," warned theminer.
They looked about them in vain, when all at once, up the hillside to theright of the road, they became aware of a trail leading to aruinous-looking hut that had evidently at one time been occupied by aminer.
"We'll take shelter there, boys," exclaimed Bart, pointing to it. "I'llbet the roof leaks like a sieve, but it's better than the open at that."
Hastily the boys pulled waterproof tarpaulins, provided for such apurpose, over the framework of the aeroplane and over the auto.
"There, not a drop of water will touch them, anyhow," announced Frank,as these preparations to fight the storm were concluded. "Come on, now,for the hut."
They ran up the hillside as fast as they could, for by this time therain was coming down in a torrential downpour, and the lightning flasheswere ripping the sky in every direction. The artillery of the stormrattled awe-inspiringly. Some of the thunder claps seemed to shake thevery ground upon which they stood.
As they ran Bart uttered an exclamation of surprise.
"Why, boys," he cried, "this yere trail ain't so far from my mine. It'sonly under that next ridge there. If a man dug a tunnel he could getthere dry shod."
At the time they paid no attention to Bart's words, in
such haste werethey to get into the hut. They were to recollect them afterward, though,and comment on their strange significance.
Billy was the first to reach the deserted hut. With a whoop he pushed inthe crazy door, but the next minute he staggered back with a cry ofsurprise and a scared look on his face.
"There's someone in there," he cried.