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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..29e6698 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50824 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50824) diff --git a/old/50824-0.txt b/old/50824-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 042c1d3..0000000 --- a/old/50824-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7294 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service, by -Frank Walton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service - The Capture in the Air - -Author: Frank Walton - -Release Date: January 1, 2016 [EBook #50824] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON SECRET SERVICE *** - - - - -Produced by Rick Morris and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -[Illustration: - - Jimmie felt his body brushing against the framework of the Ann’s - top wing as he lowered himself from the Louise. -] - - _The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service._ _Page 26._ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - The Flying Machine Boys - on Secret Service - - OR - - The Capture in the Air - - - By FRANK WALTON - - - AUTHOR OF - - “The Flying Machine Boys in the Wilds” - “The Flying Machine Boys on Duty” - “The Flying Machine Boys in Mexico” - -[Illustration: Biplanes over an airfield.] - - A. L. BURT COMPANY - NEW YORK. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Copyright 1913 - BY A. L. BURT COMPANY - - ------- - - THE FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON SECRET SERVICE - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. THE FALL OF THE BEAR. 3 - II. A WOBBLING AEROPLANE. 13 - III. JIMMIE’S DARING FEAT. 23 - IV. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF COLLETON. 33 - V. A MIDNIGHT FLIGHT. 43 - VI. THE LOSS OF THE LOUISE. 53 - VII. THREE HUNGRY MEN. 63 - VIII. “HOME OF THE FORTY THIEVES.” 73 - IX. THE VOYAGE OF THE ANN. 83 - X. AN UNEXPECTED HAPPENING. 93 - XI. JIMMIE OPENS HIS DREAM-BOOK. 103 - XII. THE ENGLISHMAN’S BAG. 113 - XIII. A RACE IN THE AIR. 125 - XIV. THE END OF THE FLIGHT. 134 - XV. THE MAN IN THE STATEROOM. 145 - XVI. STILL ANOTHER GUEST. 155 - XVII. CARL GETS INTO TROUBLE. 167 - XVIII. THE MYSTERIOUS SIGNALS. 178 - XIX. A SURPRISE FOR JIMMIE. 190 - XX. THE SECRET HIDING-PLACE. 202 - XXI. THE BOY AND THE BEAR. 214 - XXII. THE DOG IN THE CAVERN. 225 - XXIII. ARRESTS ARE MADE. 235 - XXIV. CONCLUSION. 244 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - THE FLYING MACHINE BOYS - ON SECRET SERVICE. - - - ------- - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE FALL OF THE BEAR. - - -Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains. -To the east of the basin lay a slope of half a mile or more. At the top -of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent. -Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide. To -the west a broken country stretched to the Pacific. - -The flying machines lying in the valley were the _Louise_ and the -_Bertha_. They had arrived from New York city that day, and the -aviators, weary from their long journey, were lying about a great fire -of dry jack pines and spruce. Thick porterhouse steaks, brought in from -Spokane, were broiling over a nest of coals, and a great coffee-pot was -sending forth its fragrance on the evening air. - -Those who have read the previous books of this series will scarcely need -an introduction to Ben Whitcomb, Jimmie Stuart, or Carl Nichols. Sturdy, -adventurous lads of seventeen, they had entered the employ of Louis -Havens, the noted millionaire aviator, a few months before, and under -his direction had visited the mountains of Mexico, Southern California -and Peru. While on their Peruvian trip they had assisted greatly in the -capture of a cashier who had stolen several million dollars from a New -York trust company. This incident had led to their visit to British -Columbia. - -On the very night of their return from Peru, Mr. Havens had suggested -that they enter the service of the federal government and assist in the -capture of a group of mail-order outlaws who were believed to have -caused the abduction of a post-office inspector who had long been -investigating their peculiar methods of doing business. - -Although Mr. Havens had not at that time given the boys the full details -of the case, they had at once joyfully accepted the mission and almost -immediately taken their departure for the Pacific coast. - -It was believed at the time of their departure that the inspector who -had been abducted had been taken to the mountains of British Columbia -for safekeeping. Just how this information had reached the secret -service department no one outside of the private office of the chief -knew. - -All the papers collected by the inspector, many of them of great -importance as supplying convincing proof against the fraudulent -mail-order operators, had been removed from the inspector’s office at -the time of his abduction. The documents, of course, could not be -replaced. - -The boys had traveled directly from New York to a point in the Rocky -mountains not far north of Crow’s Nest, where they had crossed the great -range. So far as practicable they had traveled nights and at a low -altitude. - -Naturally the passage of two large flying machines over the country had -attracted attention, but the boys had kept away from cities so far as -possible, and it was believed that no one connected with the group of -mail-order operators had any intimation of the purpose of the trip. - -For a portion of the distance the boys had been accompanied on the trip -by Mr. Havens, riding the _Ann_, probably the largest and fastest -aeroplane ever constructed. The millionaire aviator, however, had halted -at Denver for the purpose of receiving definite instructions from the -secret service department at Washington, while the boys had proceeded on -their way. His arrival was momentarily expected. - -While the steak broiled and the coffee bubbled the three boys sat -looking over the great slope above. They spoke little for a time. The -scene was so grand, so near to the very heart of nature, that all the -little things of life seemed inconsequential. For a space they forgot -the mighty skyscrapers and canyons of New York and the level prairies -over which they had journeyed. The mountain scene dominated everything -in their minds. - -Presently Ben Whitcomb, brown-eyed, athletic, and rather inclined at -times to take little troubles to heart, sprang to his feet and pointed -to the north. The others were at his side in a moment. - -“Look there!” he said passing a field-glass to Jimmie. - -Jimmie, red-headed, freckle-faced and shorter in stature than his -companion, looked through the glass for a moment and passed it on to -Carl. - -“Is that an elk?” Jimmie asked in a moment. - -“That’s what it is!” answered Ben. “It’s a full-grown bull elk!” - -Carl, blue-eyed, broad of shoulders, and always ready to meet an -emergency with a joke, handed the glass back to Ben and hastened to the -broiling steaks. - -Somewhat farther up on the slope of the basin where the green timber -halted, crowded down by the rock, an elk walked out into the middle of -an especially inviting patch of grass and looked about. He carried a -good pair of antlers and looked big and beautiful. For about five -minutes he grazed on the tender grass then marched to the edge of the -basin and browsed on green branches. Finally he vanished in the thick -green timber, and was not seen again. - -“Cripes!” exclaimed Jimmie. “Wouldn’t that be a sight for the great -White Way? He’d look fine down at Forty-second street, wouldn’t he?” - -“Huh!” answered Carl. “I guess there’s Elks enough on Broadway now!” - -“More than there are in all these mountains,” Ben suggested. - -Directly Ben took the steak and coffee from the fire and Jimmie and Carl -brought dishes and knives and forks from the flying machines. Then they -spread a white table cloth on the turf not far from the fire and laid -out their meal. Besides the meat and coffee there was plenty of bread, -canned beans and tomatoes. - -“I’m going hunting to-morrow!” Jimmie declared. “I’d like to know what’s -the use of paying fifty dollars apiece for a hunting license and then -bringing beefsteak in from Spokane.” - -Ben took out one of the non-resident hunting licenses and read it over -carefully. - -“This gives me a right,” he said, “to slay three mountain goats; three -mountain sheep rams; three deer; one bull moose, and all the grizzly -bears I can come up with.” - -“Are they all good to eat?” demanded Carl. - -“They’re all good to eat in a way,” replied Ben, “but I don’t think the -people hereabouts feast very much on mountain sheep, or grizzly bears -either, when they can get anything else.” - -“We ate bear in southern California!” cried Jimmie. - -“Yes, and it was all right, too!” Carl declared. - -“What’s the matter of going out hunting to-night?” Jimmie asked in a -moment. “Then we’ll be sure to have something for breakfast.” - -“I think we’d better remain in camp to-night,” Ben replied. “We’ll put -up our oiled silk shelter-tents, and get the blankets and pillows out of -the flying machines, and make ourselves comfortable right here until Mr. -Havens comes. He may not be here for two or three days.” - -“But he said he wouldn’t be ten hours behind us!” argued Carl. - -“When a man’s doing business by wire with the secret service department -at Washington,” Ben explained, “he doesn’t know whether he’ll be ten -hours or ten days finding out what he wants to know!” - -“Why didn’t he find out before he left New York?” asked Jimmie. - -“He did find out all they knew regarding the whereabouts of post-office -inspector Larry Colleton before we left New York!” answered Ben. “He -stopped at Denver to find out if anything new had developed.” - -“Are you sure this is the basin he told us to camp in?” asked Carl. - -“Certain sure!” answered Ben. “He told us to cross the divide at the -Crow’s Nest and keep on north between the Elk river and the mountains -until we came to a large grassy valley.” - -“Then this is the place all right!” Carl agreed. - -After supper the boys set up their shelter-tents and prepared to pass a -comfortable night. They had spent nearly two weeks crossing the -continent, and had been in the air most of the nights, so they looked -forward to a long sleep with pleasant anticipations. - -While the boys were putting the finishing touches on the bed in one of -the shelter-tents, a great rattling of stones was heard and in a moment -rubble from the size of a marble to that of an apple came rattling down -the long slope to the east. Startled by the unexpected shower, which -pelted about the camp like hailstones in a northern blizzard, the lads -rushed from the tent to ascertain the cause of the sudden commotion. - -Twenty rods up the mountain they saw what appeared to be the body of a -great grizzly bear half-sliding, half-tumbling toward the valley. At -times the lumbering animal retarded his fall by clinging with his claws -to the uncertain slope. Again, he rolled over and over for several -yards, until his claws secured another hold. The beast was uttering -savage growls as he came down, and every bump he received appeared to -bring forth snarls more vicious than those which had gone before. - -“Cripes!” exclaimed Jimmie. “Look who’s here!” - -“He’ll be here in a minute, plumb on top of the tent!” Carl declared. - -“Then why don’t you do something to head him off?” asked Jimmie. - -“Yes,” the other argued, “I’d like to get in front of a ton of bear meat -coming down a mountain at the rate of forty miles an hour!” - -It was fortunate for the boys that the descent of the bear was checked -for a little by a narrow shelf which ran along the edge of the slope -close to the bottom. Here the great body landed with a thud which -knocked out what little breath remained. - -“That saved our tents and flying machines, I reckon!” cried Ben, as the -bear tipped from the shelf and landed in the grass only a few feet from -the _Louise_. - -“He certainly would have smashed something if he had gone on at the clip -he was going when we first saw him!” agreed Carl. - -“Speaking about going hunting to-night or to-morrow!” laughed Ben, “it -strikes me that we don’t have to go hunting in this philanthropic -country. Fresh meat seems to rain down from the skies!” - -The three boys now advanced to the side of the animal and looked him -over. He was not quite dead, but it was evident that he had received -injuries from which he could not recover. - -“We may as well put him out of his trouble,” suggested Ben, drawing an -automatic revolver. “He made a fight for life and lost!” - -“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Jimmie, standing now at the bear’s head, -“here’s a fresh bullet wound now!” - -“Do you suppose that’s what made him fall?” asked Ben. - -“Of course!” returned Jimmie. “He was up on the mountain and some one -shot him, and that’s why he came tumbling down in that ridiculous way.” - -“Is the wound still bleeding?” asked Carl. - -“Still bleeding!” replied Jimmie. “It looks like a wound about five -minutes’ old. The bullet is somewhere inside the grizzly’s head, and I -don’t believe he was in his right mind when he was sticking his claws -into the rocks on the way down!” - -The three boys looked at each other with questioning glances. - -“Ask it!” grinned Jimmie. - -“Ask it yourself!” Carl exclaimed. - -“I’ll ask it!” Ben said with a grave face. “Who fired that shot?” - -“The answer is ‘Yes’, so far as I know!” laughed Jimmie. - -“No foolishness now!” Ben continued. “Some one fired that shot, and that -means that some one is prowling around our camp!” - -“The man who fired the shot,” suggested Carl, “may be over on the other -side of the mountain!” - -“Then he’d be more than half a mile away!” scoffed Jimmie. - -“That’s a fact!” Carl admitted. “And, besides,” the lad went on, “a man -high up on the mountain wouldn’t be apt to shoot game lower down, unless -he wanted a good chase after it.” - -“And all this indicates,” Ben said, “that the man who did the shooting -is somewhere near this camp. Also it indicates that he has a Maxim -silencer on his gun, and that’s a thing natives hereabouts don’t have. -Every time we go out on a trip we seem to bunt into a mystery first -thing, and we’ve got one now, all right!” - -“I wish Mr. Havens would come!” Carl cut in. “It may be that some one -out here knows what we’re up to and intends to make trouble.” - -While the boys talked a shout was heard in the distance, and two husky, -roughly-dressed men made their appearance, heading directly for the -camp-fire. The boys laid their hands on their automatics. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - A WOBBLING AEROPLANE. - - -The boys stepped back from the bear as the men came up. It was growing -dusk now, and as the men drew nearer their faces were seen only by the -dancing flames of the fire. They were not prepossessing faces, and the -boys wondered if it was the illumination which produced the shifty and -suspicious glances they caught. - -The two bent over the bear for an instant, and then one aimed his rifle -slowly and fired a bullet into the animal’s head. No report followed the -shot, and then it was observed that the weapon carried a Maxim silencer. -This doubtless accounted for the fact that the shot which had brought -the bear down had not been heard at the camp. - -After talking together in whispers for a moment, as the acrid smell of -powder drifted out into the sweet air of the valley, the men turned -questioning looks toward the boys. From the youthful faces their eyes -soon roved to the two aeroplanes not far away. - -There was more whispered talk, and then the two stepped over to the -_Louise_ and began a careful and rather impertinent inspection of the -motors. The boys looked on angrily but said nothing. - -“Rather fine machines you have there,” one of the fellows said, after -the deliberate examination had been completed. - -“We think so!” Ben answered shortly. - -“Where are you from?” asked the other intruder. - -Ben gave Jimmie and Carl a sly nudge to remain silent and answered the -question in a manner which, while the exact truth, did not reveal the -starting place. - -“Denver,” he said. - -The fellow bent down and read the names of the machines from little -silver plates screwed to the frames. - -“The _Louise_ and the _Bertha_,” he said. “It appears to me that I have -heard something of these aeroplanes before.” - -“The names are common enough,” Ben answered. - -“The machines I refer to,” the visitor went on, “belong in New York. Are -you sure you didn’t bring these machines from a hangar on Long Island?” - -Jimmie could restrain himself no longer. From the first he had felt a -feeling of aversion for the men, and he had inwardly resented not only -the question asked but the impudent and uncalled-for examination of the -aeroplanes. In spite of a warning hand from Ben he blurted out: - -“What do you care where we came from?” - -The two intruders eyed the boy sharply for a moment, as if trying to -look him out of countenance, and then one of them said: - -“None of your lip, now, youngster!” - -“Well!” exclaimed Jimmie. “You’ve got your nerve with you!” - -The man who had spoken before seemed about to make an angry reply, but -his companion drew him away, and again they talked together in whispers. - -“What are you fellows doing here, anyhow?” Jimmie demanded. “If you -think you’re going to work the third degree on us, you’ve got another -think coming! You’re too fresh, anyway!” - -Presently the men turned back to the boys again, and the light of the -fire on their bearded faces showed that they were about to adopt a new -course of conduct. The fellow who spoke smiled as he did so. - -“I can’t blame you for resenting our supposedly unwarranted -interference,” he said. “We should have informed you at first that we -are in the employ of the Canadian government as mounted policemen.” - -“Where’s your horses?” demanded Jimmie. - -“At the other end of the valley.” - -“Where’s your uniforms?” - -“We rarely wear uniforms in rough mountain work.” - -The fellow answered the two questions with apparent frankness, but there -was a set expression on his face which showed that he was restraining a -naturally vicious temper by great effort. - -Ben now stepped forward and extended a hand in greeting. - -“We’re glad to see you, I’m sure!” he said. “Still, I hardly think you -will blame us for resenting apparently impertinent questions.” - -“That’s all right, boy!” replied the other, trying his best to bring a -conciliatory expression to his sullen face. “It’s part of our duty, you -understand, to visit camps in the mountains and make inquiries as to the -intentions of strangers.” - -“We understand that, of course,” Ben answered. “We are willing to answer -any questions you care to ask, now that we know who you are.” - -“I hope you’ll answer my first question in a manner entirely -satisfactory to myself!” laughed the other. - -“I shall try,” answered Ben, “what is it?” - -“Have you any coffee left?” - -“You bet we have!” replied the boy. “And if you’ll sit down here by the -fire, we’ll make you a quart inside of ten minutes.” - -Jimmie turned away to the provision box of the _Louise_ to bring out -fresh coffee with apparent willingness, but both his companions saw an -angry expression on his face. - -Carl followed him back to the aeroplane and whispered as they bent over -the coffee sack together: - -“You don’t like ’em, eh?” - -“They’re snakes!” was the reply. - -“But they belong to the mounted police!” - -“I don’t believe it!” - -“Anyway,” warned Carl, “you’ve got to keep a civil tongue in your head -and not let them know that you think they’re lying.” - -“You don’t believe that mounted police story yourself!” declared Jimmie. -“They don’t look like mounted policemen, either!” - -“I hardly know what to believe,” Carl replied, “but I’ve got sense -enough not to let them know that I’m still guessing.” - -Jimmie returned to the fire with the coffee and sat down on the grass -not far from the visitors. While Ben prepared supper one of the men -walked out to the carcass of the grizzly and began removing the hide. - -Carl rushed up to his side and stood looking down at the clumsy manner -in which the fellow was operating. - -“Say,” the boy proposed in a moment, “why can’t we all have bear steak -for supper? We boys had supper not long ago, but I think I could eat a -bear steak right now!” - -The man looked up with a puzzled expression. - -“Bear steak for supper?” he repeated. “You don’t eat bear meat, do you?” - -“Would a duck take to the water?” asked Carl. “Of course we eat bear -meat! Sometimes it’s a little tough, unless you know exactly how to cook -it, but I can broil a bear steak so it’ll melt in your mouth!” - -“Then do so by all means!” the visitor answered. - -Carl removed several tender steaks, took them back to the fire and then -called Jimmie to one side. - -“You’re all right, kiddo,” he said, as the two seated themselves in the -shadows some distance from the blaze. - -“Have you just found that out?” demanded Jimmie. - -“I mean about those imitation mounted policemen,” Carl went on. “They’re -no more mounted policemen than I am!” - -“Then they’re a long ways from it!” Jimmie laughed. “But why this sudden -conversion to my view of the case?” - -“They don’t know about eating bear meat!” was the scornful reply. “One -of them just told me that he didn’t know that they ever ate bear steak!” - -“That does settle it!” cried Jimmie. - -“Of course, it settles it!” agreed Carl. “And now the question,” he -continued, “is this: What are they doing here, and why are they posing -as mounted policemen? You don’t suppose they’ve got word from New York, -do you?” - -“Word from New York about what?” - -“About our being out looking for the post-office inspector the -mail-order brigands abducted not long ago.” - -“Of course not!” was the reply. “These fellows are just plain mountain -bums! They came here principally to get supper!” - -“Or to steal the machines!” suggested Carl. - -“We’ll see that they don’t steal the machines!” Jimmie declared. - -“Well, I wish Mr. Havens would come,” Carl put in, with rather a longing -expression in his voice. “We don’t know anything about the case we’re -handling, and we don’t know whether we’re going to remain in this camp -an hour or a month. For all we know the men we are trying to find may be -in Mexico before this!” - -“If they’re in Mexico,” Jimmie suggested, “the United States government -can go chase itself for all of me. If you don’t remember what a -beautiful time we had in Mexico, I do, and I don’t want any more of it!” - -Those who have read the previous volumes of this series will doubtless -remember the adventures of the Flying Machine Boys at the burning -mountain. During that trip, it will be understood, they suffered the -loss of some of their machines, and Jimmie came near meeting his death -in a mountain lake known as the Devil’s Pool. - -“I’m going wherever Mr. Havens sends me,” Carl answered, “and I’m going -to get all the fun out of it there is to get. What’s puzzling me now is -to know exactly what we ought to do with these bums.” - -“Aw, we can’t do anything with them,” Jimmie grunted. “We’ve just got to -feed them and see them hanging around here, trying to steal our -machines, and sit peaceful, like a wooden Indian in front of a Bowery -cigar store. It makes me sick!” - -However, the boys were not called upon to take action of any kind at -that time. Ben broiled bear steak enough for the whole party, made some -excellent coffee, and brought out a couple of loaves of bread. At the -conclusion of this second meal, at least on the part of the boys, the -two intruders arose, threw their rifles over their shoulders, and turned -away. However, one of them stepped back in a moment. - -“We haven’t seen you do any shooting yet,” he said with a smile on his -face which Ben regarded as most insincere, “but we don’t know when you -will be hunting big game, so you may as well show us your licenses.” - -“There!” Jimmie whispered to Carl as Ben produced the three licenses -from an inside pocket. “They’ve saved their important question for the -last moment!” - -“What do you mean by that?” asked Carl. - -“Why, those fellows are not mounted policemen!” the boy answered. - -“We had made up our minds to that before!” - -“Then why should they want to see our licenses?” - -“I know!” exclaimed Carl. “I know just why they want to see our -licenses! They want to get our names!” - -“That’s it!” Jimmie answered. “They never asked to see the licenses in -order to make good their bluff about being officers!” - -After examining the papers the two visitors left the camp and proceeded -down the valley to the west. Upon their departure the boys gathered -closer about the fire and seriously discussed the situation. - -At first Ben was inclined to argue that the men were actually Canadian -officials, but Jimmie and Carl soon reasoned him out of this. - -“Why,” Jimmie said, “a mounted policeman would know how to skin a bear -without cutting the hide full of holes, and he’d also know that bear -steak is considered quite a luxury in British Columbia. They’re frauds -all right,” and this view of the case was finally accepted by all. - -Throughout the evening the boys kept their eyes open for the return of -the unwelcome guests, but nothing was seen of them. At ten o’clock, when -the lads were thinking of drawing lots to see who should remain on guard -through the night, Jimmie caught sight of a strong light far up in the -sky. Ben had his field-glass out in a moment. - -“That’s the _Ann_, all right,” he decided after a long inspection. -“There’s no other aeroplane in the world carries a light like that!” - -“I’m glad Mr. Havens is coming,” Jimmie said with a sigh of relief. - -“I said it was the _Ann_!” Ben returned after another long look. “I -didn’t say Mr. Havens was flying her! It seems to me that the man on -board doesn’t know as much about the aviation game as Mr. Havens does. -She’s wobbling about something frightful!” - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - JIMMIE’S DARING FEAT. - - -In ten minutes all doubts as to the identity of the aviator were -dissipated by a signal from the sky which the boys all understood. -Besides informing the boys of his presence, the signal also conveyed the -intelligence that he was in need of assistance. - -“I wish I had a ladder long enough to reach him!” Jimmie grumbled. - -“We’ve got a ladder long enough to reach him!” insisted Carl. - -Almost before the words were out of his chum’s mouth, Jimmie was -whirling the wheels of the _Louise_ down the valley so as to get a good -running ground, the machine having been drawn close to the fire after -lighting. Understanding the boy’s purpose, Carl lent a hand, and the -aeroplane was soon facing a clear field. - -“What are you boys going to do?” asked Ben. - -“We’re going up in the _Louise_ to see what we can do for Mr. Havens!” -Jimmie answered. “Didn’t he say he needed help?” - -“You can’t help him after you get up there!” declared Ben. - -“We can tell better about that after we get to him.” - -“All right, go it!” replied the other. “I’ll remain here and watch the -_Bertha_ and the camp while you’re gone. But look here,” he continued, -“if Mr. Havens is in bad shape, don’t either one of you boys try to -shift over to the _Ann_. If you do, you’ll break your neck.” - -The next moment the _Louise_ was in the air, her lights burning -brilliantly. The _Ann_ was still approaching, but staggering as if the -aviator had lost all control. Below the boys saw Ben piling dry pine on -the fire so as to provide a broadly-lighted landing-place for the -oncoming machine. - -“I don’t know what we’re going to do when we get up there,” Jimmie -shouted in Carl’s ear, “but there’s one thing sure, and that is that if -we don’t do something Mr. Havens will soon go crashing to the ground!” - -The boys were now obliged to give over conversation, for the motors were -in swift motion and the roar of an express train could hardly have been -heard above the sparking. - -When at last they came close to the _Ann_ and swung about so as to move -with her, they saw Mr. Havens sitting limply in the aviator’s seat. His -chin was lowered upon his breast, and he appeared to be too weak or too -dazed in mind to look up as the _Louise_ swept past him, whirled and -moved along directly above him. - -The boys saw that the great machine was rapidly getting beyond his -control. Had he understood the nature of the ground below, he might have -shut off his motors and volplaned down, but they understood, of course, -that the dark surface below was unknown territory to him. - -For some reason, probably because the disabled aviator had realized that -he was fast reaching his objective point and shut the motors down to -half power, the _Ann_ was not making good speed. The _Louise_ slowed -down so as to keep exact step with her and Jimmie bent over in his seat -and looked past the edge of the upper plane to the framework and -propeller of the _Ann_. Directly he sent the _Louise_ faster for a -second and looked under the edge of the _Ann’s_ upper wing to the vacant -seat at the left of the aviator. - -“Do you think,” he shrilled into Carl’s ear, “that I could get down into -that seat?” - -“Of course you can’t!” answered Carl. - -“I could if I had a rope!” insisted Jimmie. - -“There’s a rope in the box under your seat,” Carl replied, “but there’s -no need of your attempting suicide!” - -“Now, look here!” Jimmie argued, speaking very slowly and shouting to -the full capacity of his lungs in order to make his chum hear his words, -“if you can hold this machine steadily above the _Ann_, without varying -half an inch in her pace, I can drop past the upper plane of the lower -machine, light on the framework, and climb into that seat.” - -“No one ever heard of such a thing being done!” declared Carl. - -Before the words were out of Carl’s mouth, Jimmie had the rope in his -hands. He fastened it securely to the framework of the _Louise_ and -dropped one end down. - -“Now,” he called to Carl, “unless you hold the _Louise_ exactly right, -you’ll get the rope tangled in the _Ann’s_ propeller, and then it will -be all up with all of us!” - -The boy’s face was pale as death as, motioning Carl to shift his weight -as much as possible so as to prevent the _Louise_ swaying when he -changed his position, the boy took hold of the rope and lowered himself. - -In a second he felt his body brushing against the framework of the -_Ann’s_ top wing. Then the rope began twisting and untwisting under his -weight, and he whirled round and round like a top, until he became -possessed by a feeling of dizziness. - -He could see the ground, red with firelight, where the tents were and -nothing else. He sensed that both machines were passing over the camp. -At last, after what seemed to him an eternity, the twisting rope brought -him face to the vacant seat and to the disabled aviator, whose hands -were limply touching the levers. - -When at last the boy’s feet touched the framework and he let go of the -rope to cling to the edge of the plane, it seemed that the swaying of -the machine must certainly throw him to the ground. However, he steadied -himself for an instant, lowered himself at the knees and half fell -forward clutching the seat when his outstretched hands came to it. - -For a moment it did not seem possible that he was ever to recover his -faculties again. Everything was in a whirl. The stars in the sky, the -red light of the camp-fire on the cliff to the east, the dark bulk of -the mountains farther away, all seemed mixed in a great jumble, in which -nothing was distinct and everything seemed to be mixed with everything -else. - -When his mind cleared he saw that Mr. Havens’ hands were dropping from -the levers. Another instant of indecision or inactivity would have -brought death to them both. He seized the levers, and the _Ann_ swung -upward again, steady as the hands on the dial under his confident touch. - -The rope which he had used still hung down from the _Louise_ and, -reaching forward, he gave it several quick jerks to indicate that he was -safe. Then he saw the _Louise_ shoot ahead, and knew that Carl was -looking back toward him. The rope had been drawn up as soon as his -signals had been received. The warning against permitting it to become -entangled in the propellers of the _Ann_ had been remembered by Carl. - -Both machines were now some distance west of the camp-fire, but the boys -came slowly around and dropped. During the last few yards of the -slanting journey through the dark air, Jimmie was obliged to steady Mr. -Havens in his seat. When at last the strain was over and the great -flying machines lay on the rich grass below, the millionaire aviator -fairly fell from his seat. - -When Carl and Ben came forward to greet Jimmie, their faces were as -white as snow. Their hands trembled as they extended them to the boy. - -“He would do it!” Carl exclaimed. “I tried to get him not to!” - -“Some one had to do it!” declared Jimmie, pointing significantly to the -huddled figure on the ground by the side of the _Ann_. - -“It’s a wonder you didn’t kill yourself and Mr. Havens and Carl also,” -exclaimed Ben. “Why, look here, boys,” he went on with a trembling -voice, “if that rope had swung out a few inches farther, you would have -been ground to pieces in the propellers, and the _Ann_ would have -dropped to the ground like a stone! The rope you held would have drawn -the _Louise_ down with you! It was an awful risk to take!” - -“If I hadn’t taken it,” Jimmie answered, “Mr. Havens would have fallen -from his seat. His hands were dropping from the levers when I reached -his side. Five seconds more and he would have gone down.” - -“In all the history of aviation,” Ben declared, “nothing of that kind -was ever done before! The wildest imagination cannot conceive of a -person leaving one machine and taking a position on another while in the -air! It is an unheard-of thing.” - -“Well, it’s been done once!” declared Jimmie. “And it may be done again. -And now, if you’ve got all the kinks out of your system, perhaps you’d -better help me take Mr. Havens into one of the tents.” - -“I can’t lift a pound!” declared Carl. “I thought for a second that -Jimmie had been obliged to let go of the rope and drop!” - -Ben and Jimmie lifted the millionaire aviator, now almost unconscious, -and carried him into one of the shelter-tents. His face was very pale -and his breathing was uncertain. - -“I don’t see what’s the matter with him,” Jimmie exclaimed after -examining the man’s head and breast. “There is no wound here that I can -find!” - -Then Ben pointed to the aviator’s feet. - -“Strange we didn’t notice those before!” he said. - -“What’s the matter?” demanded Jimmie with a shudder. “Have his feet been -cut off?” - -The aviator wore no shoes, and his feet were closely wrapped in bandages -which had evidently been made from one of the blankets carried in the -store-box of the _Ann_. The bandages were stiff with congealed blood. - -Ben began to remove the cords which held the bandages in place, but -Jimmie motioned him away. - -“We’ll have to get hot water before we can get those off!” the boy said. -“We’ll need plenty of hot water, anyway, so you’d better go and tell -Carl to put on the big kettle.” - -While Ben was gone, Mr. Havens opened his eyes. He glanced around the -tent and smiled when his eyes encountered those of his companions. - -“Did I fall?” he asked faintly. - -“I should say not!” was the reply. “I guess if you’d had a tumble out of -the air, you wouldn’t be lying here in this tent, able to talk, would -you? You’d be all smashed up on the rocks!” - -“I felt myself falling!” insisted the aviator. - -“That was after the machine landed,” Jimmie explained. - -“Did some one get into the seat with me?” the voice went on weakly. - -“Why, sure!” replied Jimmie. “I dropped over into the seat and we came -down together. Don’t you remember that?” - -“I do not!” smiled the aviator. - -“We saw something was the matter with you,” Jimmie went on, “and so Carl -and I went up to see what caused the _Ann_ to reel along like a drunken -sailor. We got there just in time!” - -“I was weak from loss of blood,” replied Mr. Havens. “I camped last -night in a valley occupied by hosts of yellow-haired porcupines.” - -“I’ve heard of ’em,” Jimmie grinned. - -“In the night,” the injured man went on, “I got out of my sleeping bag -to mend the fire and stepped on a whole host of the fellows, cutting my -feet into ribbons, almost.” - -“Wouldn’t they get out of the way?” asked the boy. - -“They never get out of the way!” was the answer. “Instead, they will -walk in a man’s path, like a pet kitten, and refuse to turn aside.” - -“Did you get the quills all out of your feet?” - -“I don’t know whether I did or not. They bled terribly, and I am now in -great pain with them. You boys will have to find out about that later -on! I’m too tired now to talk.” - -Ben now brought a kettle of blood-warm water while Carl appeared with a -cup of strong coffee. After the aviator had swallowed the coffee, the -bandages were removed and his feet carefully examined. There were many -quills still in the flesh, they having worked in instead of out, as is -usual in such cases. These had caused the bleeding to continue, and this -in a measure accounted for Mr. Havens’ weakened condition. - -By midnight the aviator was able to sit up and listen to the story of -the two visitors. - -“I quite agree with you,” he said, after Ben had concluded the recital, -“there is no doubt in my mind that the men are simply mountain bums. And -I’m afraid that we’ll have trouble with them in future. These machines -must be guarded night and day!” - -“How long are we going to stay in this blooming old valley?” asked -Jimmie. “I’d rather be sailing over the mountains!” - -“You can go sailing over the mountains to-night if you want to,” Carl -chuckled, pointing, “there seems to be a beacon fire waiting for you!” - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - THE DISAPPEARANCE OF COLLETON. - - -“I’m glad the fellows took the trouble of building a fire of their own -instead of wanting to lounge around ours all night,” Jimmie observed, as -the boys looked at the leaping flames toward the north end of the slope. -“I should think they’d freeze up there!” - -“I hope they do!” cried Carl. - -“I wish we had some way of finding out what they are doing here,” Ben -said. “They don’t look like mountain men to me.” - -“There are probably a great many such characters in the mountains,” Mr. -Havens explained. “Perhaps they’ll let us alone if we let them alone.” - -“Is there any chance of their being here to interfere with our work?” -asked Carl. “It really seems that way to me.” - -“I don’t think so,” the millionaire aviator replied. - -“What did you learn at Denver?” asked Ben. “Was there any indication in -the messages received from Washington that the mail-order frauds were -turning their attention to the west?” - -“Not a word!” replied Mr. Havens. “We have a clear field here, and all -we’ve got to do is to locate this Larry Colleton. I shall probably be -laid up with sore feet for a number of days, but that won’t prevent you -boys flying over the country in the machines looking for camps.” - -“Huh!” grinned Jimmie. “They won’t keep Colleton in no camp! They’ll -keep him in some damp old hole in the ground.” - -“I presume that’s right, too,” Mr. Havens replied. “But you boys mustn’t -look for camps entirely. Whenever you see people moving about, it’s up -to you to investigate, find out who they are and where they are -stopping. You’ll find that all this will keep you busy.” - -“We’re likely to be kept busy if there are a lot of tramps in the -hills!” Ben answered, “for the reason that it may take two or three days -to chase down each party we discover.” - -“I haven’t told you much about the case yet,” Mr. Havens continued, “and -I may as well do so now. About six months ago, letters began coming to -the post-office department at Washington complaining that a certain -patent medicine concern which was advertising an alleged remedy, Kuro, -was defrauding its customers by sending about one cent’s worth of -quinine and water in return for two dollars in money.” - -“Keen, level-headed business men!” exclaimed Jimmie. - -“Larry Colleton, one of the best inspectors in the department, was given -the case. For a long time, after the investigation began, this Kuro -company manufactured a remedy which really worked some of the cures -described in the advertising. This was expensive, however, and at times -the shipments fell back to the one-cent bottle of quinine water.” - -“More thrift!” laughed Ben. - -“Another fraud-charge was that the Kuro company often failed to make any -shipment whatever in return for money received. Colleton bought hundreds -of bottles of their remedy, but the difficult point was to establish the -fact that the company was not at the time of the investigation -manufacturing the honest medicine. The officers of the company claimed -that they were perfecting their medicine every day, and admitted that -some of the bottles sent out at first were not what they should have -been.” - -“Why didn’t he pinch the whole bunch?” demanded Jimmie. - -“He did!” answered Mr. Havens. “But time after time they escaped -punishment by being discharged on examination by United States district -court commissioners, or by having their cases flatly turned down by men -employed in the laboratories at Washington.” - -Mr. Havens was about to continue when Ben motioned him to look in the -direction of the blaze, still showing on a shelf of the slope to the -north. The fire was burning green. - -“What does that mean?” the boy asked. - -“It means that they are talking to some person on the other side of the -valley or in the valley,” Mr. Havens answered. “It struck me, when the -fire was first pointed out, that no man in his right mind would be apt -to set up a camp in that exposed position.” - -“Just before I called your attention to the fire,” Ben remarked, “it was -showing red. There, you see,” he added, in a moment, “it is turning red -right now! Of course the lights mean something to some one.” - -“That busts your theory about the fellows being mountain tramps!” -exclaimed Jimmie. “Such wouldn’t be carrying red and green fire and -rifles with Maxim silencers!” - -“They may be mounted policemen after all!” suggested Mr. Havens. - -“Not on your whiskers!” exclaimed Carl. “Do you think mounted policemen -wouldn’t know how to skin a bear, or know how to broil a bear steak? You -just bet your life these fellows know more about riding on the elevated -or in the subway than they do about traveling on horseback!” - -“Well,” Mr. Havens went on, “one of you boys watch the lights and the -others listen to the story of how the crooks got Colleton. It may be -necessary in the future that you should know exactly how the trick was -turned. After a long investigation, and after bribing several men in the -factory where the alleged remedy was manufactured, Mr. Colleton secured -the exact formula in use during the current week. He also secured a long -list of names of persons to whom the bogus remedy manufactured that week -had been shipped.” - -“Then, why didn’t he drop down on the concern?” asked Carl. - -“He did!” was the answer. “He arrested the officers of the company and -subpœnaed scores of witnesses. He also secured proof that men in the -employ of the government had been bribed by the Kuro concern to retard -the work of the inspector and to assist in the destruction of any proof -submitted to the commissioner by him.” - -“Why didn’t you say that before?” asked Jimmie. “If you’d just said that -Colleton was fighting the department at Washington as well as the patent -medicine concern, we would have understood what kind of a case we were -getting into.” - -“Well, you know it now!” laughed Mr. Havens. “At last,” he continued, -“Colleton had his case ready for the grand jury, the district -commissioner having placed the respondents under heavy bail to await -such action.” - -“And what happened then?” asked Carl. - -“He lost his proof and he lost himself,” smiled the aviator. “Colleton -expected a long fight before the grand jury, a fight in the district -court, a fight in the circuit court, a fight in the court of appeals, -and a final fight before the United States Supreme court, for he knew -that the Kuro people had plenty of money and the kind of influence which -counts in an emergency.” - -“And then what happened?” - -“Colleton knew that he had a legal fight on his hands, but he never -suspected that he had a personal fight. One day he disappeared from his -office in the post-office department at Washington, and his proof -disappeared with him. He has never been seen by his friends since that -day.” - -“And now we’ve got to find him!” exclaimed Jimmie. - -“That’s what we’ve got to do!” echoed Carl. - -“But, I don’t understand how they got him out of his own room, and got -his proof out of the building without attracting attention!” Ben -suggested. “They must have had several operatives at work.” - -“They certainly did!” was the reply. “Colleton was sitting in his office -at three:fifteen one Monday afternoon. The safe in which his papers were -kept was locked. The desk in which his memoranda were stored was also -locked. When last seen sitting at his desk, he was making memoranda -concerning a case not at all connected with the Kuro matter. These -papers were not taken.” - -“That was bad editing!” Ben laughed. “They should have taken all the -papers in sight in order not to disclose the real object of the robbery. -The rascals slipped a cog there!” - -“The first error in the whole case,” Mr. Havens went on. “Only for the -fact that Kuro papers were taken exclusively, it might have been claimed -that the respondents in some of the other criminal cases being handled -by Colleton had committed the outrage.” - -“Where did Colleton go when he left his office?” asked Ben. - -“That’s exactly what we don’t know.” - -“Who saw him leave his office?” - -“No one.” - -“Well, then, who saw any one enter his office?” - -“No one.” - -“Well,” laughed Ben, “how could Colleton get out of his office without -being seen? Perhaps he went out unobserved and took the proof with him! -You haven’t said whether the safe and desk were opened.” - -“They were opened,” was the reply, “by some one knowing the combination -to the safe, and some one having a key to the desk. All the proof -collected by Colleton disappeared that day.” - -“And the patent medicine men finally got up to his price!” grinned -Jimmie. “I guess it’s the old story!” - -“That’s what makes it so provoking,” said Mr. Havens, impatiently. “A -good many people in Washington are saying the same thing. It is unjust -to the inspector and very annoying to his friends.” - -“And no one went into his office that afternoon?” asked Carl. - -“Not that we know of.” - -“And no one went near his office door?” asked Jimmie. - -“I didn’t say that!” replied Mr. Havens. “His office door opens on a -wide corridor, at that time being used as desk space by an overflow of -clerks. At three:ten that afternoon two men stopped at Colleton’s door, -but did not enter.” - -“How do you know they didn’t enter?” Carl broke in. - -“No one saw them enter or come out. No one heard the door open or close. -One of the men, a heavily-built, bearded fellow, seemed to be urging the -other to enter Colleton’s room. The man who was being urged was younger, -thinner, and appeared to be greatly excited.” - -“Were they the only men seen at that door about that time?” asked Ben. - -“So it is said,” was the reply. - -“And Colleton was at his desk just before the men were seen at his -door?” asked Jimmie. - -“Five minutes before!” - -“And the person who entered his room after the two men departed found it -vacant?” - -“That’s the idea exactly!” - -“Did you say the young thin man was excited?” - -“Perhaps excited is not the correct word,” was Mr. Havens’ reply. “He -seemed to be dazed with fear. The clerk sitting near the door received -the idea that the man had nerved himself up to the point of confessing a -crime or a dereliction of duty, and had lost his courage when he reached -the door of the inspector’s room.” - -“Did this young man look like Colleton?” asked Ben. - -“Not at all. Colleton wore a light moustache only. This man wore a full -beard. Colleton’s eyes are bright, snappy, far-seeing. This man’s eyes -looked dull and lifeless under the glasses he wore. Colleton is -straight, alert, confident. This man dragged his feet as he walked and -his shoulders hunched together.” - -“Where did the two men go after they left Colleton’s door?” asked Ben. -“Did no one watch them?” - -“No further attention was paid to them.” - -“Would any of the clerks in the corridor know the big fellow again?” - -“I don’t think so. I don’t think they paid enough attention to know -whether his eyes were blue or black or brown.” - -“Then they didn’t notice the other fellow very particularly, did they?” - -“No, in fact, except for his dazed and dejected manner and his odd dress -they probably wouldn’t have noticed the young man particularly. But why -are you asking these questions,” Mr. Havens answered with a laugh. “Are -you boys going to solve, off-hand, a mystery over which Washington -detectives have been puzzling for many weeks?” - -“No,” Ben answered, “but I know when Colleton left his room.” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - A MIDNIGHT FLIGHT. - - -“Then you know more about the case than the detectives at Washington!” -smiled Mr. Havens. “When do you think he left his room?” - -“I don’t think, I know!” - -“Well, get it out of your system!” exclaimed Jimmie. - -“He left his room,” Ben chuckled, “about one second before those two men -appeared in the corridor outside his door!” - -“I suppose you happened to be coming out of another office, just across -the corridor, and happened to see him coming out, didn’t you?” jeered -Carl. “You always were the wise little boy!” - -“Now, look here,” Ben said, more seriously, “me for the Brainy Bowers -act in this little play. In time the truth of the matter will be known, -and when that time comes you just remember your Uncle Dudley’s -forecast.” - -“You haven’t made any forecast yet!” - -“I’ll make a guess then,” Ben answered. “I’ll just call it a guess. I’ll -guess that Colleton came out of his room with the big man, and that he -was doped stiff, and that he had the proofs in his inside pocket, and -that the big man got him away under the eyes of a dozen clerks, and -probably passed a score of detectives before he got out of the -building.” - -“But look here,” Mr. Havens began. - -“Please, Mr. Havens,” Jimmie broke in, “don’t wake him up. Let him go on -dreaming! He’ll feel all the better for it in the morning!” - -“I don’t care what you say!” Ben argued. “The big man took Colleton out -of his room. If you want to know whom to look for in this case, just you -look for the big man. And if you want to get a sure case against him, -find some one of the clerks who can identify him as the man who stood at -Colleton’s door that afternoon.” - -“I half believe you are right!” Havens declared. - -“It listens good to me,” Jimmie agreed. - -“I want to withdraw everything I said against the theory,” Carl cut in. - -“Look here!” Ben said rather excitedly. “Those fellows who claimed to be -mounted policemen are both big men, and they both wear full beards. Now -it seems to me that the man who took Colleton out of his office would be -the man to keep him under duress until the excitement of the case dies -down.” - -“For the love of Mike!” Jimmie exclaimed. “Don’t go to materializing the -man with the alfalfa on his face right here in the mountains.” - -“That’s the man we’re looking for,” suggested Ben. - -“Well, let’s don’t find him until we’ve had a little more fun flying -over British Columbia!” - -“Say, Mr. Havens,” Ben proposed. “You ought to send word to Washington -to have one or two of the most intelligent of those clerks sent out -here. When we get the man with the full beard we’ll want some one to -tell us whether we’re right or not.” - -“I’ll do that the first time I reach a telegraph office,” the aviator -replied. “That ought to have been thought of long ago.” - -“It strikes me that you won’t get to a telegraph office very soon!” -laughed Jimmie. “You’ll have a mess of feet that look like bread dough -by morning! Those porcupine quills often poison as well as wound.” - -“Well, you boys can send the message then,” returned Mr. Havens. - -“And you can watch camp!” laughed Carl. - -“I’m afraid that’s what I’ll have to do.” - -“What has been done with the case against the Kuro company?” Ben asked -after a short silence. - -“Still pending in the courts. Of course, the government can’t proceed to -trial in the absence of inspector Colleton.” - -“Then if Colleton should be murdered, the case might never be tried?” - -“It certainly never would be tried!” - -“Then we’ve got to get a move on!” cried Jimmie. “If these fellows know -that special effort is being made to locate him, they won’t take any -chances. The nearer we get to Colleton, the nearer he will be to his -death. At least that’s the way I look at it.” - -“That’s the way it looks to me, too,” Ben agreed. - -Carl now caught Jimmie by the arm and pointed to the fire burning on the -mountain to the north. - -“It burns green now,” he said. - -While they looked the flame turned red again. - -“I wouldn’t mind going over there to-night!” Jimmie declared. - -“Then let’s go,” advised Carl. - -“Huh! I didn’t say anything about your going!” - -“You know very well you always have to have me with you,” Carl chuckled. -“You get into trouble when you go alone.” - -“Here,” Ben called from the tent where Mr. Havens lay, “what are you -boys planning now? No one leaves the camp to-night, understand!” - -“Of course not,” grinned Jimmie. - -“I should say not!” echoed Carl. - -“Now, this is on the level,” Ben argued. “If you boys are planning -anything for to-night, you want to quit it, right now! If those fellows -around that other fire are watching us, you couldn’t do a thing that -would please them more than to wander off in the darkness.” - -“Who said anything about wandering off in the darkness?” demanded -Jimmie. “You’re always seeing things that are not present.” - -“Anyway,” Carl said with a yawn, “it’s time we were all in bed!” - -“I’ll watch to-night,” Ben proposed, with a significant glance in the -direction of the aviator. - -“And look here,” Jimmie suggested, “suppose you keep a record of the -changes of color over on the mountain. I believe those people are saying -something with those green and red lights!” - -“All right,” Ben replied, “I’ll do that.” - -“I don’t suppose I’ll sleep very much to-night, anyway,” Mr. Havens -said, after a pause, “so you may as well go to bed, every one of you, -and I’ll wake you if anything unusual occurs.” - -“I think I’d better keep awake,” Ben insisted. - -Jimmie and Carl stepped to one side, ostensibly in search of dry pine -for use during the night, but really to discuss this unexpected -opposition to the excursion they had planned. - -“We can’t go if they make such a noise about it!” Carl complained. - -“Sure we can!” returned Jimmie. - -“I don’t know how!” Carl grumbled. - -“I can fix up a scheme to get away in the machine with the advice and -consent of the multitude,” laughed the other. - -“In your mind!” returned Carl. - -“Watch me!” advised Jimmie. - -The boys went back to the camp-fire and stood for some moments watching -the changing lights on the mountain. - -“I’d like to know if some one is really talking back to that fellow,” -Jimmie said, turning to Mr. Havens. - -“I presume some one is answering the signals,” the millionaire answered, -“only we can’t see the answers given.” - -“Perhaps we could learn what they’re saying if we could see the answers. -They may be talking in a code we could get next to.” - -“Well, you don’t see anything that looks like a return signal, do you?” -asked Ben. “They’ll take good care that we don’t see both ends of the -conversation.” - -“Look here,” proposed Jimmie, “why don’t we send Ben up in a machine to -look over the landscape. The return signals may come from some point not -to be seen from this end of the valley.” - -“That’s the idea!” exclaimed Carl, understanding in a minute why his -chum had suggested that Ben make the midnight flight. - -“Not for me!” answered Ben. “I don’t care about going up into the sky -refrigerator this time of night!” - -“Then you go, Carl,” Jimmie said turning to the other. - -“Not so you could notice it!” Carl declared. - -“All right!” Jimmie said with an injured air. “I made one exhausting -flight to-night and I suppose I could make another. We certainly ought -to know whether those people are signaling to others in the mountains. -Don’t you think so, Mr. Havens?” he added turning to the millionaire. - -“It would enable us to understand the situation better,” was the reply. - -“Then I’ll go,” Jimmie said, putting on an unwilling manner. “I’ll go up -far enough to see what’s doing and come right back. While I’m gone you -fellows get up a supper. It’s most daylight and we haven’t had anything -to eat since last night.” - -“You had only two suppers last night!” Ben laughed. - -“I don’t care if I had nine,” Jimmie answered, “I’m hungry just the -same, and when I come back from my little trip, I’ll be about famished!” - -“I guess I’ll go with you,” suggested Carl. - -“No, you don’t,” declared Jimmie, with a sly wink. “You wouldn’t go when -I wanted you to, and now you can’t go with me!” - -“Do you think they ought to go, Mr. Havens?” asked Ben. - -“If they can go without getting into any scrape, yes!” - -“But they’ll be sure to get into trouble,” Ben complained. - -“Trouble yourself!” cried Jimmie. “I guess we can swing around this -little old valley without it being necessary for you to send out a -relief expedition! You act like I never saw a flying machine before!” - -“Perhaps they’ll be good to-night,” Mr. Havens laughed. - -The millionaire saw how set the boys were on taking the trip in the -aeroplane. He rather suspected that Jimmie had mapped out the exact -course to be pursued in getting permission, and laughed at the tact -displayed by the little fellow. He remembered, however, the great risk -the boy had taken in order to be of service to him that very night, and -so decided in his favor. - -“Do I go?” demanded Carl. - -“Well, come along if you want to,” Jimmie answered, with apparent -reluctance. “If you break your neck, don’t blame me!” - -The boys passed out of the circle of light about the fire and drew the -_Louise_ out to level ground. Jimmie could hear his chum chuckling -softly as they pushed and pulled together. - -“Didn’t I tell you I could fix it up all right?” the boy asked. - -“You’re the foxy little kid!” exclaimed Carl. “What are we going to do -when we get up in the air?” he continued. - -“We’re going to circle the valley,” Jimmie answered, “and see if we can -catch sight of another camp-fire. Then we’re going to climb up until we -can look over the ridges in this vicinity. If there is a collection of -mail-order pirates anywhere in this country we want to know it -to-night.” - -“Then we want to put on lots of warm clothing,” Carl suggested, “and -take automatics and searchlights with us.” - -“Of course!” answered Jimmie. “We want to go prepared for zero weather. -It’s always cold up on the top of the Continental Divide!” - -“And that’s all you’re going to do?” asked Carl. “Just fly around the -camp and locate the other camp-fires and then go to bed?” - -“Well, of course,” Jimmie said hesitatingly, “if we find a camp that -looks in any way suspicious, we ought to investigate it a little. We -can’t get very close with the motors, you know, without attracting a -whole lot of attention, so we may have to land and sneak up to find out -what’s going on. We can’t learn much by sailing a thousand feet over a -camp!” - -“That’s just what I thought!” laughed Carl. “Just as quick as you get -away in a machine you want to take a lot of risks that no one else would -think of taking.” - -Jimmie’s only reply was a confident chuckle, and the boys were soon in -the air. As the pneumatic tires left the ground Ben waved them -“Good-bye” and shouted for them to be careful if they couldn’t be good. - -In ten minutes the _Louise_ was over the camp-fire, which had been -observed all night. Nothing was to be seen but the springing flames. -There was no human being in sight. - -“Well,” Jimmie said, as they circled the spot for the second time and -darted away to the east, “we’ll have to light and creep up!” - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE LOSS OF THE LOUISE. - - -“I’d like to see you find a place where you can land,” Carl shouted in -his chum’s ear. “There’s nothing here but ridges and canyons, and rocks -and rivers at the bottom!” - -“Oh, we can find a place all right,” Jimmie answered. - -It was some time before the boy found a spot which appeared to be in any -way suitable for a landing. This was some distance to the east of the -ridge which shut in the valley. The shelf he selected was rather high -up, and that suited his purpose well, for, as he explained to Carl, they -would have less mountain to climb in order to get a look into the camp. - -The aeroplane landed with a bump which nearly threw the boys out of -their seats, and when Jimmie sprang off and looked about he saw that one -of the wheels was actually whirling round and round in the air, having -passed off the rock. Below, five hundred feet down, the murmur of -running water could be heard. - -“Gee-whiz!” exclaimed Carl, when the position of the wheel was pointed -out to him. “That was a close call! If the other wheel had run two feet -farther, we’d have been dumped into the canyon.” - -“But it didn’t run two feet farther!” Jimmie insisted. “I never saw any -advantage in raising a mess of ifs,” he went on. “If the sun should drop -down some night, the world would drop, too. But it doesn’t, so what’s -the use?” - -“What next?” asked Carl. - -“You stay here and watch the machine and I’ll sneak over the ridge and -crawl down to the camp. I’m curious to know why those fellows are -showing those colored lights.” - -“If you get too close to them, you may find out things that won’t do you -any good.” - -“Don’t croak!” advised Jimmie. “I’ll just go down there and see how many -there are in the camp, and what they’re doing, and what they’re saying, -and come right back!” - -“I’ve got a picture of your doing that! Now look here,” Carl went on, -“you want to remember that I’m staying here by this machine in zero -weather, or worse, so you don’t want to go poking about until daylight. -My fingers are frozen stiff now!” - -“Run up and down and keep warm, little one!” laughed Jimmie. - -Before Carl could reply the boy was off, scrambling up the rocky face of -the slope which led to the summit. It was stinging cold, and the boy -needed all the exercise he was getting in order to keep his blood in -circulation. Although not on the main ridge of the Great Divide, the boy -was pretty high up. - -Before he came to a position from which the valley to the west might be -seen, Jimmie found that he was wading in snow. There was no moon, but -stars shone down from a clear sky. - -When he reached the crest he saw the camp-fire two or three hundred feet -below, built on a shelf of rock which seemed to afford no protection -whatever from the cold winds swirling around the peaks. - -“I don’t believe that’s any camp at all!” the boy mused. “It’s just a -signal station, and the operator is probably wrapped up in fur overcoats -a foot thick. I guess about all I can do here,” he went on, “is to see -if there is another fire in sight.” - -The western slope of the ridge was much steeper than the one he had -already ascended, so at times the lad approached the hostile camp-fire a -great deal faster than he wanted to. He tried to proceed cautiously, -without making any noise, but now and then when his feet slipped and he -rolled half a dozen paces, to be caught at last by a little crevice or a -narrow shelf, small rocks became dislodged and went thundering down. - -“Might just as well take a band,” Jimmie mused disgustedly. - -When the boy came to within a few yards of the fire he saw that only one -figure was in sight. As he had predicted he would be, the lone guardian -of the fire was well bundled up in furs. If the motors had attracted his -attention his manner gave no indication of the fact. - -“Looks like a wooden Indian,” chuckled Jimmie. - -There was no place for the boy to secrete himself in the vicinity of the -fire, so he crouched down on the slope and looked over the landscape -beyond. He could see his own camp-fire quite distinctly, but no other -light was in sight for several moments. - -Then what seemed like the blood-red light of an early August moon showed -on a level of rock far off on the west side of the valley. - -“They’re burning red fire over there, too,” he mused as the situation -became clearer in his mind. - -The boy climbed back up the slope for a few yards and looked again, but -the fire itself was not in sight and only the reflection showed on a -slender surface of rock beyond. While he looked the color changed to -green, which showed indistinctly under the stars. - -From his new position Jimmie could see his own camp to better advantage -than from the one lower down. He sat watching it for some moments, -wondering why Ben was moving around the blaze so actively and why Mr. -Havens had left the tent. - -There certainly were two figures outlined against the blaze. The lad -studied the puzzle intently for a moment and then started back. He -understood that it would be of no use for him to try to get nearer to -the fire below. The man on watch there would be conscious of his -approach before he was within a hundred feet. - -From the ridge the boy looked back to his camp again. There were now -four figures outlined against the blaze, and all appeared to be moving -about as if acting under great excitement. - -Jimmie tried his best to discover whether any of the figures were those -of Mr. Havens and Ben, but the distance was too great. He could only see -the figures moving about. As he looked and studied over the proposition -he blamed himself for not bringing his field-glass, but his -self-reproach was, of course, unavailing. - -Knowing that he ought to be making his way back to the camp, the boy -still remained gazing downward as if fascinated. He had no reason to -believe that the visitors he saw were at the camp with friendly intent. -He knew that his friends might be in great danger. Still, he sat and -watched the fire like one dazed. - -There had been no sound of motors, yet the intruders at the camp had -penetrated the valley since nightfall. Or had they been hiding there at -the time the boys landed? While the boy puzzled over the situation a -mass of rocks left the summit not far to the north and went racing down -the slope, making sufficient noise, as Jimmie believed, to incite a riot -a hundred miles away! - -“Now there’s some one sleuthing in that direction,” the boy mused. “Of -course, he was at the camp-fire when he heard the motors and ducked. Now -he’s up there watching me, I presume.” - -The lad turned toward the snow-capped summit once more, resolved to get -away to his own camp as soon as possible. When he reached the top the -clatter of motors came to his ears. He looked down in dismay to see the -_Louise_ lifting into the air. - -“Now, what’s that fool Carl doing?” he muttered. - -The aeroplane left the shelf with a little dip over the precipice and -struck out for the west, passing nearly over the wondering boy’s head. -The acetylene lamp which had been arranged on the forward framework was -burning brightly, and Jimmie could see that both seats were occupied. -The lamp had been turned low just before his departure. - -The boy paused at the summit and looked back into the valley. There was -no need now for him to cross to the eastern slope. He had no doubt that -the _Louise_ had been stolen, and that Carl was driving her away under -duress. In order to reach the camp he would be obliged to pass down the -steep slope which led to the bottom of the valley. - -Blaming himself for leaving the machine even for a moment, yet by no -means disheartened at the calamity which had overtaken him, the boy -turned his face to the south resolved to pass along the broken summit -until he had passed the vicinity of the camp below and then work his way -diagonally down the slope. As he took his first step downward he heard a -voice softly calling his name. - -“Jimmie!” the voice said. “Hello, Jimmie.” - -Jimmie stopped and looked back. A figure was approaching him from the -north, crouching down close to the slope of the rocks. - -“Carl!” he called. “Is that you?” - -“Sure!” was the reply. “I thought you had gone off in the machine.” - -“Then you went away and left her, did you?” demanded Jimmie. - -“Of course I did. I wanted to see what was going on!” - -“Did you see the people who took the machine away?” asked Jimmie. - -“I saw two figures—no faces,” was the reply. - -“Well,” Jimmie grunted, “we’ve got a nice little walk back to camp!” - -“I hope we don’t freeze to death on the way down,” Carl cut in. - -The boys walked steadily for a few moments, and then Jimmie stopped and -regarded his companion with a questioning look. - -“Are you game?” he finally asked. - -“I’m game!” Carl answered. “We’ve lost the machine, and it doesn’t make -any difference what happens now.” - -“That’s the way I look at it!” Jimmie returned. - -“What do you want to do?” - -“Now, look here,” Jimmie explained. “There’s only one person at the fire -from which the signals were sent. He sits there like a wooden Indian, -probably three-fourths asleep. The two men who went away on the _Louise_ -probably left the camp about the time we left the machine and went over -the ridge to seize it. Now, suppose we go down there where that fellow -sits alone and hold him up!” - -“Hold him up for what?” chuckled Carl, immensely pleased at the idea. - -“Information!” answered Jimmie. - -“Yes, and I suppose you’d believe anything he told you, wouldn’t you?” - -“Indeed, I wouldn’t! But, by going to the camp, we can doubtless learn -something regarding the situation.” - -Carl hesitated a moment and then asked: - -“Did you see our camp from where you lay?” - -Jimmie nodded. - -“So you saw the commotion down there, too, did you?” he asked. - -“Yes,” answered Carl, “and I’m for getting down there just as quick as -possible. I’m so scared about what I saw around our fire that I’m not -thinking very seriously of the loss of the _Louise_.” - -In a moment the boys came out of a slight wrinkle which they had been -traveling and looked down on the camp they had left not long before. -Four figures were still moving in front of the blaze. - -“Now, don’t you think we ought to hustle down there?” demanded Carl. “If -we get down there without being discovered and find out that something -is wrong, we can plug every one of those ginks in the back of the head -before they know we’re within a mile of them.” - -“That wouldn’t help much,” Jimmie answered. “We might drive those -fellows away, if we were lucky enough to do so, but others might take -their places. I’m stuck on finding out what they want and how they -expect to get it. That’s the thing that will count.” - -“Then run along and ask them,” Carl suggested, with an impatience which -was not usual with the boy. - -“Honest, now,” Jimmie said in a conciliatory tone, “I believe we can go -down to this hostile camp and hold that fellow up for information. If we -get it, we will know just what to do when we get to our own camp.” - -“If we ever get there!” - -“Are you going?” asked Jimmie. - -“Sure, I’m going!” was the reply. “I’m game to go anywhere you’ll go. -And we can’t get down there too quick, either.” - -The boys started down the declivity and then halted abruptly. The -_Louise_ was swinging back to the east, and seemed about to settle down -upon the shelf where the alien camp had been pitched. - -“That’s good!” Jimmie chuckled. “If they bring that machine down here, I -can give a good guess as to who will take it away.” - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THREE HUNGRY MEN. - - -After the departure of Jimmie and Carl, Ben sat in the shelter-tent by -the side of the injured man until he was half asleep. Mr. Havens had -fallen into a light slumber, and there was no one to talk to. He finally -arose and walked out to the fire, looking about for some sign of the -flying machine as he did so. - -The _Louise_ was not in sight, being at that time beyond the ridge to -the east, but the boy saw something which contributed wonderfully to his -wakefulness. A great mountain rat was creeping out of the long grass -toward the spot where the refuse of the meals which had been served -offered a tempting repast. - -As much to keep awake as anything else, he watched the nimble-footed, -sharp-eyed rodent advancing inch by inch toward its supper. Whenever he -moved a hand or foot the rat darted back and was lost to view. While he -watched, Mr. Havens called softly from the tent. - -“Shoot all the rats you see, Ben,” the aviator said. “If he gets a -bellyful here every rat in the Rocky mountains will know it before -daybreak. We may stay here several days, and can’t afford to fight rats -every hour of the day and night!” - -Ben drew his revolver and when the rat appeared again, fired. He missed -at the first shot and fired again and again, until the rodent lay dead -halfway between his hiding-place and the tempting bait. - -“That looks wicked to me,” Ben declared as he reloaded his automatic. - -“Self-preservation, you know,” Mr. Havens explained. “The rats would eat -us alive in less than a week if we let one get away well-fed.” - -Ben went back to the tent and sat down, but, at the suggestion of the -aviator, left almost immediately to bury the body of the rat and the -garbage which had drawn him to the camp. While engaged in this -occupation, he heard a call from the grass to the south. - -“Don’t shoot!” the voice said, in what seemed to be a tremor of alarm. - -Ben sprang back to the tent and lifted his automatic from the blanket -where he had laid it. Mr. Havens motioned toward another weapon and Ben -placed it in his hand. Then the two stood waiting. - -“Don’t shoot!” the voice from the darkness repeated. “We mean you no -harm! We are lost in the mountains!” - -“Who are you?” asked Ben, as footsteps advanced and three figures became -distinguishable under the light of the fire. - -“Campers who have lost our way,” was the answer. - -The three men came on until their faces as well as their figures were -under the glow of the blaze. They held their hands out to show that they -were not carrying weapons. - -“The shots you heard were directed at a mountain rat,” Ben explained, as -the men came up to where he stood. - -The men revealed by the light of the camp-fire appeared at first sight -to be entirely unfamiliar with the usages of the mountains. They were -dressed in tailor-made clothes of good material, but their faces were -blackened by smoke and bore scraggly beards of a week’s growth. - -“Beg pardon,” one of the men said briskly as he stepped closer to the -fire. “Our intrusion is entirely unpremeditated.” - -“We left our camp early this morning,” another member of the little -group cut in, “and lost our way. We have been chased by grizzlies and -have fallen into gulches and canyons until we are about used up.” - -“You are hungry?” asked Ben. - -“Hungry?” repeated one of the visitors. “I never was so hungry in my -life. To tell the truth, we never expected to see a camp-fire or a -square meal again. Of all the blasted countries on the face of the -earth, this mountain district of British Columbia takes the lead!” - -“Where’s your camp?” asked Ben. - -“I wish I knew,” answered one of the others. “We came in here a week ago -for a month’s shooting and we’ve been trying to keep track of our camp -ever since. It seems to me that it shifts about from point to point -whenever we leave it!” - -“Now, look here, Dick,” one of the other men interrupted, “Steve and I -know what kind of a liar you are, but this stranger doesn’t. First thing -you know, you’ll give him the impression that we’re all candidates for -the foolish house. If you want to draw on your imagination, jest tell -him how hungry you are.” - -“I’m so hungry,” Dick answered, “that I could eat grass like the old -king who was turned out to pasture a good many hundred years ago. I’ve -been thinking for several hours of slicing down a couple of these peaks -and making a grass sandwich. I should have done it, too, only I was -afraid of finding a nest of rattlers in the grass.” - -“Well,” Ben said with a chuckle at the fellow’s exaggeration, “if you -want a fine bear steak, you can get one at the foot of the slope. A -grizzly dropped down from the upper regions late this afternoon and -we’ve been feeding off him ever since.” - -“Is the meat good yet?” asked Dick. - -“I think so,” replied Ben. “You can tell by bringing in a few slices and -putting them over the coals to broil.” - -“As a rule,” Dick went on, “I don’t eat meat of any kind, but to-night I -think I could handle a couple of steaks cut off a horse.” - -Without waiting for any more explanations the two men who had been -called Steve and Joe hastened out to the carcass of the grizzly and soon -returned with large slices of bear steak. Ben brought the broiler out of -one of the tents and the men set to work cooking their suppers. They -seemed rather handy at the task for city men. - -While the steak was cooking, Ben made an extra large and extra strong -supply of coffee and brought out tin dishes from the box where they kept -their table furniture. The visitors eyed preparations for supper -eagerly. Now and then one of them turned his eyes in the direction of -the aeroplanes but made no comment. - -“My, but that steak smells good!” exclaimed Dick. “I don’t believe I can -wait for it to cook through, Joe,” he added, “so you just smoke up a -piece, giving an imitation of a restaurant steak, and I’ll eat it raw.” - -“It won’t be long now,” Joe answered with a laugh. - -“Long?” repeated the other. “A quarter of a second seems longer to me -now than all the time that has elapsed since Noah marched his menagerie -out of the ark!” - -“How long have you been in the valley?” asked Ben. - -“All night, I think,” Dick replied. “We saw the slope on the east and -mistook it for the one at the foot of which our camp is situated. The -farther we walked the farther the cliff looked to be. Honest,” the man -went on, with a whimsical smile, “I believe the cliff can travel faster -than we can. Most remarkable country, this!” - -Long before the steaks were thoroughly cooked the men fell to, eating -like persons who had been deprived of food for many days. - -“You’re the second party of hungry men we met to-night,” Ben said. - -The three looked up instantly with something more than interest showing -in their faces. Then, as if by common consent they turned toward the -aeroplanes. - -“Who are the others?” asked Dick. - -“I don’t know,” replied Ben. “They were husky-looking fellows who -claimed to be mounted policemen. One of them killed the bear.” - -“Those are the fellows!” Dick exclaimed. - -“You’ve seen them, have you?” - -“Not to-day,” Dick replied. “Yesterday, two men answering the -description came to our camp and asked all sorts of questions about the -object of our visit. They asked where we came from, and how long we were -going to stay, and if we had seen other strangers in the mountains.” - -“Did they claim to belong to the mounted police?” - -“They did not, but they appeared so everlastingly curious to know all -about us that somehow I got the idea that they did belong to the -Canadian force. They were hungry when they came to our camp, too.” - -“Did they say anything about aeroplanes?” asked Ben. - -“Not a word!” was the reply. - -“And, look here,” Dick observed, cutting an extra large piece of steak -from the slice which lay on his plate, “I think I saw the camp-fire of -our visitors to-night. It’s up on the slope to the north.” - -“You don’t suppose they’re train robbers, do you?” asked Steve, rather -excitedly. “I have heard,” he continued, “that train robbers and other -criminals come here to hide away from officers of the law.” - -“I’ve been guessing about them ever since they were here,” Ben replied. - -“If I thought they were train robbers,” Dick put in, “I’d take a jump -for the nearest railroad without waiting for daylight! If you want to -scare me stiff, just mention train robbers or grizzly bears! After those -fellows left our tent yesterday, I was so frightened that I couldn’t eat -more than half a supper. Honest,” he continued, “if I had seen this bear -come tumbling down the slope, I would have let out a yell that would -have alarmed the people at Spokane!” - -“You’re a great coward, if we leave it to you,” laughed Joe. - -Dick grunted and applied himself with greater energy to the bear steak. - -After the men had eaten their fill Dick moved over to the machines. He -stood for some moments by the _Ann_ without touching her and then walked -back to the fire. His companions looked at him inquiringly. - -“That’s a pretty good machine you have there,” he said. “Did you bring -it over the mountains?” - -“Yes,” answered Ben, “we brought in three aeroplanes. Two of our boys -are out now with the third one.” - -“That’s a fact,” Dick exclaimed as the clamor of motors came through the -still air. “And they’re doing a pretty good job, flying in the night, at -that! Looks as if they understood the game!” - -The _Louise_ lifted above the spot where the colored lights had been -displayed and whirled straight across the valley. - -“What’s she going off in that direction for?” asked Dick. “Did you -notice that she came from the camp I mentioned a short time ago?” - -“I did notice that,” answered Ben, “and I’m wondering why.” - -The _Louise_ swept along at amazing speed and was soon lost to sight -behind the summit to the west. Ben arose and entered the tent where Mr. -Havens lay. - -“You saw the _Louise_?” the boy asked. - -“Are you sure that was the _Louise_?” - -“There’s no doubt of it,” Ben replied. “The ordinary aeroplane doesn’t -carry a light like that. It’s the _Louise_, all right, and I was -wondering what the boys are going toward the coast for.” - -“I wish I knew that the boys are in charge of her,” Mr. Havens said, -after a moment’s thought. “I’m always afraid something will happen when -those boys get off together. If I hadn’t walked all over those -porcupines last night, I’d mount the _Ann_ and make an investigation.” - -“If you think it’s safe for you to remain here with these visitors,” Ben -suggested, “I’ll go up in one of the machines and see what they’re -doing. I’m rather nervous over the matter myself.” - -“I heard the talk going on by the fire,” the aviator explained, “and my -impression is that these men are all right. Still, it’s rather a risky -thing to do, to leave the camp and one machine in the custody of a man -incapable of defending them.” - -“Perhaps we’d better wait a short time and see if the _Louise_ doesn’t -return. I don’t like to take chances,” added Ben. - -Presently the three visitors were invited into the tent where Mr. Havens -lay and the four talked together for some minutes, then the aviator -beckoned to Ben and whispered in his ear. - -“I think it’s all right for you to take the _Ann_ out. These men seem to -be honest fellows. They’re from Chicago, and know as little about -mountain work as a cat that has lived all its life in Gamblers’ alley.” - -This was exactly according to Ben’s inclinations, and the boy lost no -time in getting the _Ann_ ready for the air. The three visitors came out -to assist, and when Ben took his seat Dick suggested significantly that -he had never had the pleasure of riding in a flying machine. - -“Jump in then,” Ben said with a smile. “I’ll show you how it seems to -fly over mountains in the night.” - -At that moment the _Louise_ lifted over the valley once more. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - “HOME OF THE FORTY THIEVES.” - - -Jimmie and Carl were now in a shallow wrinkle or gully which reached -from the summit of the mountain to the shelf upon which the mysterious -camp-fire had been seen. From their position they could not secure a -view of their own camp, which was much lower down. - -They could see the fire from which the mysterious signals had been -given, and also the _Louise_ winging her way toward them, but they could -not see the _Ann_ lifting under the stars. She was still much too low -for that. - -The increasing clatter of the approaching motors of the stolen machine, -now not far away, effectually drowned the noise made by the _Ann_. In -fact the sparking of the oncoming machine made conversation on the part -of the boys rather difficult, obliging them to almost shout into each -other’s ears when conferring together. - -It was decidedly uncomfortable for the boys in the gully. A chill wind -blew down from the snow-capped tops. They were glad that they had -brought their warmest clothing, and only wished they had more of it. - -“I wish we knew exactly where the fellows intend to land,” Jimmie said -as the boys paused in their progress toward the camp-fire. - -“Yes,” Carl answered, shouting until he was red in the face, “we ought -to be right on the spot in order to give them an appropriate reception.” - -“They’ve got their nerve, anyway!” Jimmie exclaimed. “They steal our -machine and then they bring it right back!” - -“Perhaps they just borrowed it for a joy-ride!” chuckled Carl. - -“These fellows don’t look like joy-riders,” Jimmie argued. “They look -like men who are here for some definite purpose.” - -“They must think they’ve got us backed off the board,” Carl suggested, -“or they wouldn’t think of bringing the machine back to the place from -which they stole it.” - -The _Louise_ came steadily on, flying rather close to the ground. As it -came nearer the boys saw that the seats were occupied by three men. - -“That accounts for their keeping in the heavy air next to the ground,” -Jimmie explained. “I don’t believe they can make the summit with that -load! They must have thrown off a lot of supplies in order to coax the -old machine into carrying three.” - -The machine passed over the camp-fire and proceeded toward the summit, -passing almost directly over the boys as they crouched down in the -gully. - -This gully was little better than a wrinkle on the slope of the -mountain. It began at the summit and terminated at the shelf where the -camp-fire had been built. At some distant day a great boulder or a -glacier had started at the top and cut this trail to the shelf. - -The sides of the gully were quite steep; in fact, almost perpendicular -in places. Only at rare intervals were the walls in such shape as to -render egress possible. Wherever the rocks were nearly perpendicular -there were little shallow caves half-concealed under beetling crags. - -It seemed an ideal place for unlawful operations, and the boys wondered, -as they sat waiting for some indication of the purpose of the men in the -machine, whether they had not come upon one of the resorts of men who -make a business of smuggling whiskey across the border. - -Presently the _Louise_ disappeared from view, and in a short time -following the vanishing of the lights the sparking of the motors ceased. - -“It strikes me,” Jimmie said, speaking lower now, “that the old machine -has landed on the shelf where we left her. Now, what do you think the -thieves mean by such conduct? I think if I stole an aeroplane, or a cow, -or a bulldog, I’d keep it away from the vicinity of the owner.” - -“Aw, they think they’ve got a couple of boys to deal with,” Carl -answered. “But they’ll find we’ve got good automatics and know how to -use them if they get gay with us.” - -“I’d like to go on a trip before I die,” Jimmie grumbled, “where I -wouldn’t have to carry an automatic in my hand every minute of the time -day and night! We butted into shooters in Mexico, in southern -California, and in Peru, and now we’ve got into the game here.” - -“I don’t like the automatic incidents myself,” chuckled Carl. “Whenever -I pick up a book, now, and catch the hero drawing a pistol and pointing -with deliberate aim, I chuck the story into the garbage box.” - -The boys did not dare advance to the camp-fire, now, for should they do -so their figures would be plainly discernible from the summit, to which -the men from the _Louise_ would undoubtedly make their way. Before long, -exclamations of annoyance were heard far up the gully, and now and then -a sharp, round light made its appearance. - -“That’s one of the electrics they stole from the _Louise_!” exclaimed -Carl. “And they’re coming down here, too,” he went on, “right into this -gully!” - -“Yes,” Jimmie answered, “and there are two at the fire now, instead of -one. Reckon the other must have been asleep.” - -“They’re coming up the gully!” exclaimed Carl. - -“And the others are coming down!” - -“It’s a blooming trap!” Carl cried. “They knew we’d make for the -camp-fire when they stole our machine. They knew we’d be so cold on the -shelf near the summit that we’d freeze to death if we didn’t. So they -waited until we got into the trap and started out from both ends to meet -us. No wonder they brought the machine back to the old place with a -combination like that working!” - -“We might hide in one of these openings between the rocks,” Jimmie -suggested. “They probably know every one of ’em as well as we know every -burr and bolt in the _Louise_, but even if they do it will take them a -long time to find which one we’re hiding in.” - -They could see the two men who had left the fire scrambling up the -gully, still some distance away. The men who were coming down were -faintly outlined against the brilliant sky, and occasionally against the -white surface of the summit. This party was also some distance away. - -The boys searched about industriously for a hiding-place, rejecting -several breaks in the rocks as being too shallow, and finally came to a -cavern which seemed to extend a considerable distance under the slope. - -“I’d like to know what kind of a hole this is,” Carl whispered as the -two moved backward in absolute darkness. - -“I brought my searchlight from the machine,” Jimmie whispered back, “and -when we get in a little farther, so the light won’t be seen from -outside, I’ll turn it loose.” - -“You’d better do it now!” urged Carl. “When they get exactly in front -they can see the light, no matter how much we try to shield it.” - -“That’s a good idea, too!” Jimmie declared. - -When the light was turned on it revealed a cavern at least twenty feet -in width, extending back farther than the finger of light reached. The -floor was level and smooth, apparently worn so by the passing of feet, -and the walls held many shelves and openings, undoubtedly made by the -hand of man. - -“You see,” Jimmie whispered, “we’ve struck a robbers’ den, all right.” - -“Had we better go in farther?” asked Carl. - -“Of course!” answered Jimmie. “We’ll go in as far as we can. They’ll -search the place, of course, and probably capture us in the end, but -we’ll find out all we can about their nest before they get hold of us.” - -“That’s a bet!” exclaimed Carl. - -For a moment the boys argued as to whether they ought to visit the -entrance before passing farther in, in order to ascertain exactly what -the others were doing, but they finally decided not to do so. Had they -followed Jimmie’s suggestion and looked out, they would have seen the -_Ann_ hovering over the valley just beyond the shelf where the camp-fire -blazed. - -The boys did not understand as they passed in why they were not followed -by the others without loss of time. As the minutes passed and no lights -or footsteps came from the entrance, they grew bolder and advanced by -the light of the electric. - -Had the boys known that the _Ann_ was hovering over the scene they would -have understood why their pursuers were too much interested to give them -much of their attention at that time. - -Perhaps fifty paces from the entrance the cavern was divided into two -sections by a wall of rock which sprang up almost exactly in the center. -The boys entered the one at the right and soon came upon a collection of -barrels, casks and boxes. - -“This must be the home of the Forty Thieves,” chuckled Jimmie. - -“Yes,” Carl answered, “and we’re likely to meet old Ali Baba at any -minute! I wish we could put the old rascal into a stone jar and fill it -with boiling oil,” the boy added with a grin. - -“I guess we’ll be the boilees of anything of that kind takes place here -to-night,” Jimmie argued. “They’ll simply be red-headed when they find -out that we’ve penetrated their treasure cave.” - -“We’re always butting into something that makes our death desirable,” -complained Carl. “Don’t you hear those fellows coming in?” - -“I don’t hear anything, do you?” - -“Not a thing!” - -“They don’t have to come in here after us, anyway!” Jimmie argued. “They -can just sit by the entrance with a little automatic and catch us when -we get starved out!” - -“Perhaps there’s something in here in the way of provisions,” suggested -Carl. “If there is, it’ll take them a long time to freeze us out. And -while they’re doing it, the boys will come up to investigate and get us -out. Let’s look and see what there is here.” - -Jimmie turned his electric on one of the casks and read the letters -burned into the head. - -“Whiskey!” he said turning up his nose in disgust. - -“But they must have provisions here if they keep a bonded warehouse like -this,” urged Carl. “Let’s keep looking.” - -A long search revealed nothing more substantial than whiskey, brandy and -liquors of various kinds. The boys sat down on a barrel and discussed -the situation soberly. - -“What a snap this would be for some of the hoboes we meet on the Bowery -occasionally,” snickered Carl, after the possibilities of escape had -been thoroughly gone over. “You take a real native-born Boweryite and -he’d feel insulted if you suggested that he ought to get out.” - -“Well, I don’t see any sustenance in whiskey!” Jimmie answered, -gloomily, “and I think we’d better be moving up toward the front in -order to watch our chance to sneak out.” - -“Say,” Carl suggested in a moment, “how’d you like to get another look -at those husky fellows who contributed the bear to our supper?” - -“I don’t care about meeting them just at this time!” Jimmie replied. - -“But see here,” Carl continued. “You remember what Mr. Havens said about -the two men who were seen at Colleton’s office door in the Washington -building. You remember the big fellow with the spinach on his map, don’t -you?” - -“I remember what he said about him.” - -“Well, as has already been surmised, that big fellow is keeping company -with Colleton. The man who got the inspector away from his desk is still -keeping track of him, you may be sure of that!” - -“And you think one of the men we saw at our camp may be the identical -person, eh?” questioned Jimmie. - -“Oh, it’s only a guess,” Carl answered, “but one of them may be the man -who got Colleton out of the building, just the same.” - -“We don’t know that Colleton was taken out of the building by the big -man!” declared Jimmie. “Ben insists that the slim man at the office door -was Colleton, drugged and disguised, but it’s no sure thing that he’s -right! I think he is, but he may be mistaken for all that!” - -“Wouldn’t it be a snap if we could seize one of those big fellows and -have him turn out to be the right one? We’d take him down to the camp -and put him through the third degree, and then he’d tell us where -Colleton is hidden, and where the stolen proofs are, and who hired him -to do the job, and a whole lot of other stuff calculated to put the -mail-order thieves in bad with the jury.” - -“Wake up, boy, wake up!” - -“Aw, let me dream. And then,” he went on, “we could go to Washington and -get the reward and bring it back to New York in bags and barrels——” - -“Cut it out,” whispered Jimmie. “There’s some one moving just behind us! -Wouldn’t it be a joke on us if many of these barrels should contain -brigands instead of brandy?” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - THE VOYAGE OF THE ANN. - - -“I wouldn’t call that much of a joke!” Carl replied. “Turn out the light -and perhaps they won’t see us!” - -“What’s the use?” the boy answered. “They’ve seen our light before this, -and they’ve heard us talking.” - -“That’s right, kiddo!” a voice said in the darkness. “We’ve seen your -light and we’ve heard you talking. Now, if you’ll lay your revolvers on -the head of the barrel where you are standing, you’ll save us mussing up -the floor.” - -“You win!” exclaimed Jimmie. - -The boys deposited their automatics on the barrel and stood waiting for -the speaker to advance out of the darkness. When at last he made his -appearance the boys noted that he was exactly the type of the man who -had visited the camp on the previous day. - -“We didn’t expect company here to-night!” the fellow said, taking the -electric from Jimmie’s hand and directing the circle of light on the -boy’s face. “Why didn’t you send in your cards?” - -“Wasn’t any one to take them in!” grinned Carl. - -The big fellow chuckled softly to himself and pointed to two casks not -far away. Following the motion the boys seated themselves. - -“Where are your machines?” was asked. - -“Say,” Jimmie broke in without answering the question. “Are you the man -who shot the bear yesterday?” - -“I’m the man who shot the bear!” was the reply. - -“I thought so!” answered the boy. - -“You didn’t tell me where you left the machines,” insisted the other. - -Jimmie explained that two were at the camp and one somewhere near the -peak unless the thieves had again removed it. - -“What did you boys come over here for?” was the next question. - -“To look up the red and green signals.” - -The captor laughed softly to himself for a moment and then asked: - -“Did you look them up?” - -“We didn’t get a chance!” was the reply. - -“What did you come into the country for?” asked the captor. - -“To have a good time hunting.” - -“You said something like that yesterday,” the man continued, “but I -didn’t believe it! I’ve less reason to believe in the truth of it now! -Boys out on hunting trips don’t travel in expensive aeroplanes, nor do -they wander about in the night, trying to read signals not intended for -them to understand. You’ll have to come again, boys!” he added. - -“That’s all there is to it!” Jimmie returned. “We came here hunting.” - -“For smuggled goods?” asked the other with a laugh. - -“Never heard of smuggled goods in this section of the country!” - -“I’m sorry you blundered in here, lads,” the man said, after a short -silence. “You’ve made us a lot of trouble. We’ve got to do one of two -things. Either get rid of you boys for good and all, or change our -entire system of operation.” - -“I should advise the change!” grinned Jimmie. - -“Look here!” Carl demanded whimsically, resolved to mislead the man if -it were possible to do so, “can you give us a line on a country where -there’s nothing but mountains and rivers and blue sky? This is the -fourth mountain trip we’ve made, and every time we’ve run into a lot of -people where none were supposed to exist.” - -“That’s right!” Jimmie cut in. “When we landed in the valley we thought -we’d have the whole place to ourselves. Then you come along and rolled -the bear down on us, and asked a lot of impertinent questions. Then -three men steal our aeroplane so we can’t return to camp from our -midnight joy-ride. Then we see two men in front of a fire and hear -others coming down the gully. How many people are there around here, -anyway?” - -“Quite a few!” laughed the captor. “In fact,” he went on, “I don’t think -you can find any spot on the American continent where you won’t find -more or less human beings.” - -“What are you going to do with us?” asked Carl. - -“Tell you what,” Jimmie cut in before the man could answer the question, -“if you’ll get the _Louise_ away from the thieves and go back to camp -with us, we’ll cook you the biggest bear steak you ever saw, and cook -you a cup of coffee that will hold up an iron wedge!” - -“If you only hadn’t entered this storehouse,” the man said thoughtfully, -“your proposition might be worthy of consideration.” - -“We’ll never say a word about the smuggled goods,” said Carl. - -The man seemed inclined to consider this statement, but in a moment the -two figures who had been seen before the fire came into the cavern on a -run. They conferred with the big fellow for a few moments and then went -out. - -“Now, boys,” said the man, who appeared to be custodian of the cavern, -“there’s trouble outside, and we’ve got to take you into the other arm -of the cavern and make sure that you don’t get away from us.” - -“I don’t know who could be making you trouble,” Jimmie retorted. “You -mounted police fellows seem to have everything your own way up in this -country. Only,” he went on with a whimsical smile, “I never knew that -mounted policemen stood guard over caves full of smuggled whiskey.” - -“That story about being mounted policemen did sound rather thin, didn’t -it?” asked the fellow. - -“It was too thin for us to take stock in,” replied Carl. - -“Well, come on, boys!” the captor said. “We may as well be moving back -to your private suite. You’ll be well taken care of for the next few -days. You fed me well and I’ll feed you well!” - -“Are our friends outside?” asked Jimmie. - -“That’s just it!” cried Carl. “I thought a short time ago that I heard -the motors of the _Ann_.” - -“The sparking you heard probably came from the _Louise_,” suggested the -man. “All motors sing the same song.” - -“Not much!” exclaimed Carl. “I can recognize the song of the _Ann_ as -far as I can hear it!” - -“Well, come on!” the man exclaimed rather gruffly, “I’ve got to get you -boys out of sight! You’ll be safer farther in, anyway, for there may be -shooting. I’ll see you a little later on.” - -The boys were conducted to a low, tunnel-like place leading out of the -south arm of the cavern. It was not a desirable apartment, by any means, -but the boys stepped inside without expressing the disgust they felt. -The walls were damp as if underground springs existed not far away. - -“Now,” the big fellow said, “I’m going to leave a man here to guard you -boys. You’ll find he’s a pretty good sort of a chap, if you don’t try -any funny business with him. If you try to get away, you’ll probably -make the acquaintance of a clip of bullets!” - -The guard referred to made his appearance in a moment. The boys saw -little except his face by the flashlight, and they were not at all -pleased with that. He motioned them farther back and sat down at the -entrance. - -“Cripes!” whispered Jimmie. “He looks like he’d been eating something -that had caused a misery in his tummy!” - -“Looks mad enough to bite nails!” agreed Carl. - -The guard, sitting with the finger of light from the electric pointing -down the passage, turned it for an instant on the boys’ faces and -favored them with a most malignant scowl. - -“Keep still, now, you fellows,” he demanded. - -“All right,” laughed Jimmie, “we’ll be good!” - -“I know what’s the matter with that fellow!” Carl declared in a moment. -“He’s got a hangover! He was probably spiflicated last night, and he’ll -be picking bumble-bees out of the wall in a minute if he don’t get a -couple of drinks. Do you see anything significant in that, kid?” he -added giving his chum a nudge with his elbow. - -“He’s a tank, all right!” Jimmie agreed. “And he’ll be looking for the -joy water in about ten minutes. When he gets good and gay, we’ll make a -sneak! What do you think of our being down here in a hole like this, -anyhow, when we came out to ride on flying machines?” the boy added, in -a tone of disgust. “It’s just rotten, that’s what it is!” - -“And we’ll get the razzle-dazzle from Ben, too!” complained Carl. - -“Do you really think it was the _Ann’s_ motors you heard?” asked Jimmie, -in a moment. “If the boys are up in the machine, they ought to soon find -out what’s going on here.” - -“If Ben is up in the machine, you mean. Mr. Havens isn’t able to take a -trip in the air and won’t be for several days.” - -“That’s a fact,” Jimmie answered gravely, “and I’m afraid Ben can’t do -very much alone.” - -In ten minutes the boys heard footsteps proceeding stealthily down the -cavern. The searchlight still showed at the entrance to the dungeon-like -place where the boys sat, but Jimmie seemed to think its round eye -remained too steadily on one point. - -“Look here,” he said in a whisper to Carl, “this lovely guard of ours -has propped up the electric so as to make us think he’s holding it and -gone out after some of the funny stuff in the barrels!” - -“Then we don’t need any one to tell us what to do!” Carl answered. - -The boys moved forward and looked out into the passage. The electric was -propped against the wall and the retreating figure of the guard could be -seen at the point where the cavern was divided by the wall of rock. - -“Put out the light and we’ll sneak along!” whispered Carl. - -“Nix!” answered Jimmie. “We’ve got to let it burn until he turns into -the passage where the whiskey is. If he sees there’s no light where he -left one, he’ll come chasing back on the run.” - -Directly the man turned into the north passage and then Jimmie shut off -the light. Together the boys moved softly toward the entrance. They -passed the junction of the two corridors with extreme caution for they -had no means of knowing how far into the interior the guard had -wandered. - -When they came nearer to the entrance they saw a mist of daylight. They -moved faster now, for they knew very well that their figures were -outlined against the dawn. Should the guard suddenly make his appearance -he would not need to travel back to the dungeon in order to inform -himself of their escape. - -“Do you hear the motors of the _Ann_ now?” whispered Jimmie. - -“Not a sound!” was the answer. - -“If we only had our automatics,” Jimmie wailed, “we could step out into -the gully with some confidence.” - -“I don’t believe there’s any one out there!” declared Carl. - -The boys, however, were not permitted to remain long in doubt as to the -situation in the gully outside the cavern. While they waited the guard -came running down the cavern shooting wildly as he advanced. - -“Me for daylight!” shouted Jimmie. - -When the lads reached the gully, they saw the _Ann_ hovering over the -mountainside. Her planes glistened in the sunlight, and she seemed to -the anxious boys to represent everything that was desirable, freedom, -breakfast, and the chance to sleep! - -While they looked, however, the aeroplane shot away toward the valley. A -moment later the _Louise_ rose over the summit to the east and followed. - -The report of a revolver brought the boys’ eyes back to earth again and -they saw three men rushing down the gully toward the camp-fire, which -still blazed dimly in the light of the morning sun. As they came nearer -to the boys, they leveled their weapons as if determined to prevent -further escape. Then additional shots came from somewhere. The boys -hardly realized the exact location of the shooters, and two of the men -crumpled down and rolled along the bottom of the gully. - -The third man threw up his hands and faced about. The two aeroplanes -again circled over the gully and the boys saw Ben looking down from the -seat of the _Ann_. They could not distinguish the face or figure of the -aviator on the _Louise_ for she was now making for the summit. - -What followed took place so unexpectedly and with such rapidity that the -boys hardly knew what was going on until three men sprang out of a -shallow depression on the east side of the gully and moved toward the -burly fellow who had been their captor a short time before. - -They saw one of the men slip a pair of handcuffs over the wrists of the -man they had talked with in the whiskey cavern and point toward the -summit, over which the aeroplanes were now moving. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - AN UNEXPECTED HAPPENING. - - -“Hit me a clip on the wrist and wake me up!” exclaimed Jimmie. - -The three men were entire strangers to the boys, and yet they appeared -to be friendly. They had expected only hostile meetings in the gully. -The men smiled at the evident surprise of the boys and pushed the burly -prisoner on in advance. - -“Who rubbed the lamp?” asked Carl, as he clambered laboriously up toward -the summit. “I never saw anything exactly like this!” - -“Say, Mr. Policeman,” Jimmie called out to a man in citizen’s dress -whose smutty face disclosed a week’s growth of beard, “me friend here -wants to know who rubbed the lamp for this last scene.” - -“You’ll find out when you get to the top of the summit,” replied the -other. “You’ll find friends up there!” - -“This comes out of a dream-book, all right!” Jimmie declared. - -“Say,” Carl exclaimed, “can’t we go back into the cavern and get our -automatics? They’re perfectly good guns!” - -“I’ve got your guns, boys!” said the prisoner. “I thought I might get a -chance to use them, but it seems I didn’t. I didn’t expect to meet Dick -Sherman in this neck of the woods.” - -“Dick Sherman?” repeated Jimmie. - -“Is that the Canadian revenue officer we’ve heard so much about?” asked -Carl. “I wouldn’t mind meeting Dick Sherman.” - -“Well, there he is!” snarled the prisoner pointing to the man who had -spoken to the boys before, the man who had so used his imagination at -the camp sometime before! - -The party toiled on up the gully until they reached the snowy summit. -Off to the east they saw the great planes of the _Ann_ tilting in the -morning sunlight. Just beyond her, and veering to the south, raced the -_Louise_. While the three men started down the declivity with their -prisoner the boys stood at the cold summit and watched the two machines. - -“That’s a race all right!” Jimmie exclaimed. - -“Of course!” answered Carl. “Ben is chasing up the fellow who stole the -_Louise_. I’d just like to know how the kid got wise to the fact that we -needed help, and how these three men happened to come here just in the -nick of time.” - -“I presume it will all be explained before many hours,” Jimmie answered. -“What I’m most interested in now is this race. Suppose Ben catches the -_Louise_. How’s he going to get the machine down without shooting the -aviator? And that wouldn’t be good for the machine!” - -“He’s got some scheme on foot,” Carl answered. “Just watch him whirl -around the _Louise_. There! Now, don’t you see he’s got the other -aviator buffaloed? I’ll bet he’s holding a gun on him!” - -The two machines came back side by side. The _Ann_ landed on the ledge -and the two boys were hustled into the seat by the side of their chum -who sat grinning at their bewildered faces. - -Before they could ask any questions the _Ann_ shot away and in an -incredibly short space of time Jimmie and Carl were landed by their own -fire! - -“Get a move on, now!” Ben cried, as he again sprang into the seat of the -aeroplane. “Mr. Havens will be wanting breakfast, and I’ve got a date -with Dick Sherman!” - -The boys stood watching the _Ann_ lift into the air and make toward the -summit. Their faces expressed both wonder and impatience. - -“Now, what do you think of that?” demanded Jimmie. - -“This is one of the mysteries you read about in books but never see in -real life!” laughed Carl. “I wish we’d choked the story out of Ben. He’s -laughing in his sleeve this minute, I know he is!” - -“Boys!” Mr. Havens called from the tent. - -Jimmie and Carl hastened forward and looked in. - -“Perhaps you can tell us what’s been going on here?” asked Jimmie. - -“If you’ll go and fix up a big breakfast, I’ll tell you all about it!” -laughed the millionaire. - -“We’ll cook you some steak,” replied Carl, “and make you some coffee.” - -“I think,” smiled the millionaire, “that you’d better bury that bear.” - -The boys made an onslaught on the store boxes, which had been brought -from the aeroplanes to the vicinity of the fire, and soon had ham and -eggs frying over the ruddy coals. Potatoes were boiling in a great -kettle before many minutes, and coffee was bubbling not far away. - -Jimmie snatched a loaf of bread from the box and began eating, while -Carl opened a tin of pork and beans and began searching for a spoon. - -“Hungry, boys?” asked Mr. Havens. - -“Hungry?” repeated Jimmie. “We’ve been frozen to death, and shot to -death, and held captive in a mountain dungeon, and had several other -disagreeable things happen to us, but the worst of the whole business is -that we haven’t had anything to eat since last night!” - -“Tell us what’s been going on,” requested Carl. - -“After you went away,” Mr. Havens began, “three men came into camp -declaring that they had been lost in the mountains. Ben prepared supper -for them and then proposed going out after the _Louise_. At the last -moment one of the men sprang into the seat beside him and they went away -together. - -“The next I knew Ben came swinging back in the _Ann_ alone. He talked -with the two men who had been left here for a moment and then they all -went away together, flying like mad in the aeroplane.” - -“Didn’t Ben explain the situation to you?” asked Jimmie. - -“He said that the three men who had represented themselves as hunters -lost in the hills were Canadian revenue officers in search of smuggled -whiskey, and that their leader, the man who had gone away with him, was -the famous Dick Sherman. - -“He said, too, that Sherman had discovered a nest of outlaws and a -cavern which he believed to be the storehouse of the gang. At that time -we knew little regarding the whereabouts of the two rattle-brained boys -who had gone away in the _Louise_.” - -“They stole it while we were watching the camp-fire,” Jimmie explained -in a hesitating way. - -“What’s Ben gone back for, now?” asked Carl. - -“I suspect from what he said to me,” laughed Mr. Havens, “that he’s gone -back after the revenue officers and the prisoners.” - -“Then perhaps I’d better be getting more breakfast ready,” suggested -Carl. “We’ll be running a hotel next, just like we always do when we get -out into the mountains.” - -In less than an hour the _Ann_ and _Louise_ lay on level ground near the -fire, two prisoners sat handcuffed together not far away, and the three -revenue officers were enjoying a plentiful breakfast supplied by the -lads. Ben and Jimmie sat with Mr. Havens in his tent. - -“There goes my dream!” exclaimed Ben pointing to the two prisoners. - -“I don’t understand,” said Mr. Havens. - -“Why, I had it all doped out that the men Dick Sherman captured were the -men who abducted Colleton.” - -“That’s just the way I had it figured!” exclaimed Jimmie. - -“And now they turn out to be just whiskey smugglers!” exclaimed Ben in -disgust. “They probably never saw Washington, nor heard of Colleton, nor -even read one of the lying advertisements of the Kuro company.” - -“We’ve been through a rotten bad night,” Jimmie agreed, “without getting -anywhere! Say, Ben,” he added, “how did you induce the aviator on the -_Louise_ to swing back to the landing and give himself up?” - -“I got the drop on him!” laughed Ben. - -“But didn’t he have just as good a chance to get the drop on you?” - -“He emptied his automatic before I did mine,” was the modest reply. - -“Did you look after the men who were shot in the gulch?” Carl inquired -in a moment. - -“When I made the last trip,” Ben explained, “I found a drunken man -sitting by the fire. He said the men were dead and that he would give -them burial.” - -“What’s this Sherman fellow going to do now?” asked Jimmie. - -“He’s going to try to get this smuggled whiskey into a government -warehouse somewhere,” answered Mr. Havens. “I don’t know just how he’ll -do it, but it’s got to be done.” - -“What do we get out of it?” asked Jimmie. - -“You’re the merry little savings bank boy!” laughed Ben. - -“I didn’t mean money!” retorted Jimmie scornfully. “What I meant was how -does all this smuggled whiskey business help us find this post-office -inspector?” - -“It doesn’t,” replied Ben. “Ask something hard.” - -“You don’t know that yet,” advised Mr. Havens. - -“Come to think of it, of course we don’t!” cried Ben. “The abductors -would be apt to bring Colleton into just such a hole as this, wouldn’t -they? The outlaws would, in a measure, protect them from hunters, who -are said to give a wide berth to any region known to contain outlaws.” - -“Well,” Jimmie cut in in a moment, “I’m going to go and get Carl, and -romp merrily off to the hay. We didn’t have any sleep last night and I -guess we can get in a few lines of slumber to pretty good purpose.” - -“Then you’ll be ready for another crazy midnight trip,” smiled Ben. - -“I guess it wasn’t so very crazy after all,” replied Jimmie. “If we -hadn’t gone out to look into those signals, the smugglers wouldn’t have -been captured.” - -“Have it your own way,” laughed Ben. - -Jimmie and Carl went away to the other tent and were soon sound asleep. -When they lay down the camp-fire was surrounded by the revenue officers -and prisoners. Ben was making arrangements to sleep on a roll of -blankets in the Havens’ tent. When they awoke, twilight was settling -over the valley and Ben was rolling them about on their blankets. - -“Get up!” the boy said. “You’ve slept all day!” - -Jimmie sat up and rubbed his eyes. Carl aimed a kick at the boy who had -aroused him and then lay back on the blankets. - -“Where are the others?” asked Jimmie tumbling out of the tent. - -“They went away in the machines,” answered Ben. - -“You never let them take the _Ann_ and the _Louise_!” almost shouted -Jimmie. “They’ll be sure to break ’em!” - -“Don’t get excited, now,” laughed Ben. “I took them over the ridge in -the _Ann_ and came back more than an hour ago. Since then I’ve been -getting supper and helping Mr. Havens fix up his porcupine feet.” - -“Can he walk yet?” asked Jimmie sleepily. - -“He won’t be able to walk for a week!” was the reply. - -“Say,” Jimmie said to Ben in a moment, as they approached the fire, “did -you see that pirate with the package when you went back after the -prisoners?” - -“Of course, I saw him!” answered Ben. - -“What was he talking about?” - -“I don’t know what he was trying to say,” replied Ben, “but I got the -impression that before long he would be umpiring a fight between a green -rattlesnake and a pink lion with a red tail.” - -“It’s a wonder this Dick Sheman left him there alone with all that -whiskey,” commented Jimmie. “If he had my disposition, he’d set fire to -the whole bunch of it!” - -“Sherman won him over to the side of law and order,” laughed Ben, “by -promising him immunity and a position in the government service. He’ll -be there when they came back for the whiskey, all right. Sherman seemed -to know something about the fellow. At least, he told me that Crooked -Terry, as they call him, has been in crooked games all his life. He told -me, too, that the old fellow knows this country better than any person -in the world. He’s got a map of it in his head.” - -“That’s just what I wanted to know!” cried Jimmie. “If you don’t mind, -Ben,” he added with a sly wink, “we’ll go up there to-night and get a -copy of that map! I’ll just bet you,” he went on, “that our little scrap -with the smugglers will get us somewhere in the game we’re playing, -after all! What do you think about it?” - -“That seems to me to be the very thing to do!” replied Ben. “If Crooked -Terry knows all about this country, he’s the man we’ve got to do -business with. If we find Colleton, we’ve got to know where to look!” - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - JIMMIE OPENS HIS DREAM-BOOK. - - -“Now, don’t be too sure about finding Colleton in British Columbia,” Mr. -Havens warned, when the boys consulted him regarding the point they had -been discussing. “We are out here on the faintest kind of a hint, and it -is just possible that the hint was contributed by friends of the -mail-order people in order to draw our attention from the real point of -interest. Such things are often done.” - -“I don’t believe the secret service department would send us on such a -journey because of a mere hint,” Ben argued. “There’s something back of -it all that we don’t know anything about!” - -“I have an idea that we know nearly as much as the department does,” -smiled Mr. Havens, “except in one regard. We don’t know where the hint -came from and they do. We never shall know!” - -“Is there a record anywhere which shows how the two men were dressed? -Meaning, of course, the two men who were seen in the corridor in front -of Colleton’s door?” asked Ben. - -“One of the girls working at a desk not far from the door is on record -as saying that the heavy man was dressed entirely in brown, including -hat and gaiters, and that the slender man was dressed in a sporty coat -with large checks, and a pocket or roller felt hat. He wore a wing -collar, a hard-bosomed shirt, and a red necktie.” - -“Quite a sporty looking guy!” laughed Jimmie. - -“Did any one ever see Colleton dressed like that?” asked Ben. - -“Colleton was very particular about his wardrobe,” replied Mr. Havens. -“On the day in question, he wore a neat suit of blue serge, a new derby -hat, and a soft silk shirt with a Byronic collar. His tie was a mixture -of white and blue. Half a dozen girls remembered exactly how he looked -as he stepped into his office that morning.” - -“Now, look here,” Ben chuckled, “if Colleton was to be abducted, and a -man was to do the disguise stunt for him, wouldn’t the villain of the -play attempt to make the disguise a strong contrast to the usual dress -of the victim? Colleton was quiet and refined in his dress, as you -describe it, and it seems to me that a disguise intended for him would -naturally partake of the sporty style.” - -“That’s good argument, Ben!” Mr. Havens answered. - -“That’s only plain common-sense,” laughed the boy. - -“Gee!” exclaimed Jimmie, turning to Ben. “I’m going to write a detective -story about you some day, and have it printed in one of the leading -magazines on the back page next to the soap advertisements!” - -“Now, here’s another point,” Ben went on. “The man who went to -Colleton’s room that day to take him away carried the articles he used -in disguising the man there with him. Now, here’s the question: What was -done with the coat, and hat, and shirt, and tie usually worn by -Colleton?” - -“That’s easy!” Jimmie laughed. “The villain carried the coat and hat -away with him, and put on a starched shirt or a dickey over the silk -one. The correct course for the fellow to take would be to fasten a -dickey around Colleton’s neck, showing a false front, a wing collar, and -a red tie. That would be the easiest way to do the job!” - -“Go on!” laughed the millionaire. “I like to hear you boys talk.” - -“Now, what I want to know is this,” Ben went on, “has any effort been -made to find the coat and hat Colleton wore that morning?” - -“I don’t think so,” replied Mr. Havens. “It is my opinion, however,” the -aviator went on, “that the villain, as you call him, would take the coat -and hat with him.” - -“Did he carry a hand-bag when seen at the door?” asked Jimmie. - -“Come to think of it, he did not!” was the reply. - -“There you are!” exclaimed Ben. “You’ve all regarded my theory of the -case as possible, but imaginative. Now, let me ask you a question, Mr. -Havens. If the coat and hat should be found in or about that room in the -post-office building the finding would establish our theory of the case, -wouldn’t it?” - -“It certainly would!” was the answer. - -“Well, then,” Ben continued, “I want you to find out at the earliest -possible moment whether the coat and hat are hidden in that apartment.” - -“They might have been thrown out of the window!” suggested Jimmie. - -“Hardly,” Mr. Havens suggested. “Colleton had an inside room. Anything -thrown out of his window would land on the skylight which arches over -the mail division on the ground floor. The coat and hat would have been -discovered within five minutes, and even if they chanced to be -overlooked during that day, they would have been discovered by the -sweepers the next morning.” - -“That’s just what I wanted to know!” Ben laughed. - -“Now, if the garments are not in the room, they must have been carried -away!” Jimmie cut in. “Perhaps the villain put them under his clothes. -That’s an old trick with criminals.” - -“Just one more question,” Ben began as Mr. Havens nodded for him to -proceed. “How did the villain get the papers out of the locked drawer of -the desk and the closed safe?” - -“That’s another mystery,” Mr. Havens continued. - -“Don’t you think he buffaloed Colleton after he drugged him and forced -him to open the safe and the desk and take the papers out?” - -“That is very probable,” was the reply. - -“In that case,” Ben went on, “where would the villain naturally throw -the coat and hat?” - -“In the safe!” shouted Jimmie springing to his feet. “Has the safe been -opened yet, Mr. Havens?” the boy continued. - -“An expert was at work on it when I left New York,” was the reply. - -“Well, when they get it open,” Ben asserted confidently, “they’ll find -Colleton’s hat and coat inside.” - -“Say, but it’s easy to solve this case as long as we establish all the -facts to suit ourselves!” laughed Jimmie. - -“I believe this little thinking machine,” said Mr. Havens nodding to -Ben, “really has the right view of it!” - -“He thinks so, too,” grinned Jimmie wrinkling his freckled nose. - -“Yes, and so do you!” declared Ben. - -“If you know all about the case, then,” Jimmie went on, “why don’t you -tell us how this burly ruffian got Colleton out of Washington? Mr. -Havens says the alarm was given within half an hour of the disappearance -of the inspector. It seems to me that the cops might have dragged in a -hundred sporty looking men with red neckties and slouch hats for the -inspector’s friends to look over for the purpose of identification.” - -“If you talk with the Washington officials to-night,” Mr. Havens said, -“they will insist that the two men who were seen at the door of Mr. -Colleton’s room had nothing to do with the disappearance of the -inspector.” - -“Has the theory ever been advanced that the thin, doped-looking fellow -might have been Colleton?” asked Ben. - -“Not until advanced by you that I know of!” - -“So they didn’t look for the man in the sporty coat and red tie?” - -“I am certain that they did not.” - -“Well,” reiterated Ben, “when they find him, they’ll find Colleton!” - -“Now, go on and tell us how they got the inspector out of Washington,” -said Jimmie, with a provoking wink in the direction of Mr. Havens. - -“You can answer that question yourself, Jimmie,” replied Ben. - -“Of course I can!” answered the boy. “They had a taxi at the Eleventh -street entrance with a man inside. From the building they drove directly -to the Union station. There they took a stateroom for Frisco. I don’t -know what time the train left, because I haven’t got any railroad -time-table in my dream-book, but I can tell you what they did after they -got to the depot,” he added with a sly wink at the millionaire. - -“Go to it!” laughed Ben. “This beats the Arabian Nights!” - -“When they got to the depot they found the stateroom already engaged on -a train leaving that night for the Pacific coast. They stripped the -inspector, put him in pajamas and tucked him into bed.” - -“What’d they do that for?” asked Ben. - -“So they could tell the porter not to be intruding into the room and -waking a sick man!” said Jimmie. “So they could give a good excuse for -having meals sent in to the inspector.” - -“Go on,” grinned Ben, “turn another page of your dream-book and see what -you find there.” - -“On the way across the continent,” Jimmie chuckled, “they kept the -inspector under the influence of dope sixteen hours and a half out of -the twenty-four. The other seven hours and a half they devoted to the -third degree. You see, the spirit of the little Indian maiden which now -controls me,” the boy grinned, “whispers in my ear that they offered him -a good many thousand dollars if he’d quit the game.” - -“Jimmie,” Ben said with a superior look, “if you keep on exercising your -imagination you’re likely to bring up in the back room on the top floor -of the foolish house!” - -“All right!” laughed Jimmie. “You just see if they didn’t get him out of -Washington in that way!” - -“Suppose you look in your dream-book again,” smiled Mr. Havens, “and -tell us what became of the sporty coat, the dickey and red tie, and also -the slouch hat. Also the beard! The slender man wore a beard!” - -“I don’t have to look in the dream-book to find that,” replied the boy. -“The villains dumped the stuff into the first river they came to.” - -“There’s been nothing like this since The Sign of the Four was written,” -laughed Mr. Havens. “You boys would consider yourselves abused if it -should be discovered that Colleton disguised himself and disappeared -because he had decided, for financial reasons, not to appear against the -mail-order people.” - -“Sure we would!” declared Jimmie. - -“Or if it should be discovered that he walked out of his office -unattended that day and was abducted from the buffet of the Raleigh -Hotel. That would twist your theory some, wouldn’t it?” - -“Oh, yes,” laughed Jimmie. “If a shovel-nosed pike from the Potomac -river should crawl into a back yard and set up life as a hen, that would -be remarkable, too, wouldn’t it?” - -“That’s right!” Mr. Havens advised. “Stick to your theories. I half -believe they are right!” - -“Now, about this proposed visit to Crooked Terry,” asked Jimmie. “Do you -think we’d better take the _Louise_ out and have a talk with him -to-night?” - -“Keep on, Jimmie!” Ben grinned. “You’ve landed Colleton in a stateroom -on the Pacific coast, so what’s the use of looking for him in a -smugglers’ den on the Continental Divide?” - -“I didn’t say what they did with him after they got him to the coast!” -Jimmie replied. “My private opinion is that they brought him up here and -hid him! They wouldn’t check him for safekeeping with the smugglers, -would they? Of course they wouldn’t, but Crooked Terry might know of -some likely hiding-place in this section!” - -“It won’t do any harm to go and talk with the fellow, anyhow,” Ben -suggested. “We can fly up there to the camp, get what information he -possesses and be back in a couple of hours.” - -Leaving Carl to his slumbers, the boys prepared a hasty supper for -themselves and Mr. Havens and started away in the _Louise_. - -The night was clear and they had no difficulty in making their way to -the landing which they had discovered on the previous night. - -“I don’t think we ought to leave this machine alone,” Ben said as he -alighted. “Why don’t you go up again and fly about until I signal with -my electric for you to come down?” he asked Jimmie. - -“I’d like to talk with this old boozer,” Jimmie argued. - -“Well, one must stay with the machine!” Ben insisted. “If it’s all the -same to you, I’ll talk with this Crooked Terry and you come down when I -signal.” - -“You’re on!” declared the boy. “I’ll fly over the summit and watch you -rolling down the gully.” - -When Ben reached the place where the fire had blazed on the previous -night, he was surprised to see a bed of coals remaining. Drawing nearer, -and flashing his light he saw a well-dressed young man lying unconscious -on the shelf, his silk hat scorching on the embers, and a small -traveling-bag blistering under the heat. Over the figure, knife in hand, -stood Terry. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE ENGLISHMAN’S BAG. - - -Terry lifted the hand holding the knife as Ben approached. Doubting if -the drunken man would heed his words, and realizing that it would be -impossible to reach his side in time to prevent the meditated crime, the -boy fired at the uplifted arm. Instead of finding a lodging in flesh and -muscle the bullet struck the blade of the knife and broke it off short -at the handle. - -His hand and arm temporarily paralyzed by the force of the impact, Terry -caught hold of his wrist with his left hand and looked about with a -snarl on his bloated face. - -When Ben stepped within the circle of light about the fire he drew back -still, clutching his benumbed wrist. - -“What’d you do that for?” he demanded. - -“I didn’t want you to kill the man,” replied Ben. “Who is he, and where -did he come from?” - -“He butted in!” answered Terry shortly. “He wanted to take my provisions -and my drink by force. He was too fresh, and I knocked him down. I guess -he isn’t hurt much.” - -“How’d he get here?” asked Ben. - -“I don’t know, and I don’t care!” was the sullen reply. “I might ask the -same about you. What do you want here, anyway?” - -“Dick Sherman sent me!” was the reply. - -“All right,” answered the other. “I know Dick Sherman. He’s good people! -Why didn’t he come himself?” - -“He’ll be here to-morrow,” replied Ben, drawing slightly on his -imagination. “He’ll tell you all about it then.” - -Ben was angry at the impertinent manner of the fellow, but he understood -that he was there to placate him if possible, so he refrained from -further conversation at that time. Turning to the man lying by the fire, -he lifted him in his arms and carried him to a more comfortable -position. - -“If you’ll fetch me some whiskey,” he said, “I’ll bring this man back to -life. I guess the fellow needs something to eat more than anything -else!” - -Grumbling that he had no liquor to give away, Terry reluctantly produced -a flask from his pocket, and Ben applied the same to the mouth of the -unconscious man. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up as the fiery -liquid scorched his throat. - -“I say, don’t do that, you know!” he gasped. - -“That’s for your own good!” Ben chuckled. - -“But, I say, you know, the blawsted thing is burning clear down to me -boots, don’t ye know!” - -“I’m glad of that,” Ben grinned. “It seems to be having the desired -effect! How’d you like to have something to eat about now?” - -“I’m that hungry,” was the answer, “that I could eat a cat, don’t ye -know! I’ve been long without food or drink.” - -Ben turned to Terry to ask if anything in the line of provisions could -be had there, but the fellow was seen wandering off in the direction of -the cavern. After assisting the stranger to an easier position, Ben -followed on after the guardian of the smuggled goods. - -When he reached the cavern he found Terry lying flat on his face an -empty whiskey flask in his hand. Kicks and cuffs did no good whatever, -so the boy was obliged to leave him there to sleep off his debauch. When -he went back to the fire he found the stranger retrieving his silk hat -and hand-bag. He appeared much annoyed at the condition of both! - -“The bloomin’ idiot!” he cried, “burned me luggage and mutilated me hat! -Do you happen to know,” he went on with a pleading expression, “how one -can get out of this blawsted country?” - -“If you can walk about half a mile up and down hill,” Ben returned, “I -can take you out in a flying machine.” - -The stranger eyed Ben dubiously. - -“You’re a school-boy,” he said. “You can’t run a flying machine!” - -“Do you want to go?” asked Ben impatiently. - -The stranger admitted that he wanted to go, but still expressed doubts -as to Ben’s ability to handle an aeroplane. - -“All right, stay here if you want to,” Ben said. “But perhaps you’d -better tell me your name so I can make a report to your friends if I’m -asked any questions.” - -“My name,” answered the other, “is Claude Mercer DuBois, and I’m from -London, England. I came to this blawsted country after big game and I’ve -been made game of myself.” - -“Well, Claude Mercer DuBois,” Ben went on with a grin, “if you want to -get down to camp where you can get plenty to eat and drink, you’d better -be hiking toward the machine. I came up here to talk with Terry, but -he’s pickled and I can’t get any satisfaction out of him so I’ll have to -come back some other time.” - -It took a long time for Claude Mercer DuBois to climb the steep gully, -wade through the snow on the summit, and pass down to the landing where -the _Louise_ was expected to pick the two up. The journey was completed -at length, however, and soon Ben saw the aeroplane off to the south. He -signaled with his electric and directly the machine dropped down almost -at the feet of the disgusted Englishman. - -“I say,” he said, “this is quite remarkable, you know. Here I find -school-boys running machines our army officers fail to handle.” - -“We do a good many things on this side of the pond,” laughed Ben, “which -you Englishmen will never be able to accomplish!” - -“If you want to get down to our camp, hop in,” Jimmie urged. - -As the Englishman took his seat, Jimmie leaned over and whispered in the -ear of his chum: - -“Where did you find it, and what are you going to do with it?” - -“Just at present,” Ben answered, “I’m a life saving station. I’m taking -this fellow down where he can get something to eat and drink. There’s no -telling how long he’s been wandering about the mountains, but there’s no -doubt that he’s about all in!” - -Ben handed DuBois his bag and climbed into the seat with Jimmie. When -the machine was well under way, cutting the freezing air of the -mountaintop like a knife, the Englishman began begging to be lowered to -the earth. He actually trembled every time the machine tipped in a -current of air. Once or twice Ben steadied him with his hand. - -“Let me out!” DuBois pleaded, his voice rising shrill above the din of -the motors. “If I fall when I’m walking, don’t you know,” he went on, -“I’m there on the ground, but if I fall when I’m riding on one of these -blawsted airships, I’m there in the ground, don’t you know!” - -“You’ll be all right as soon as you get your second wind!” exclaimed -Ben. “It’s always a little shock at first!” - -“Me second wind?” demanded the Englishman. “I got more than me second -wind climbing the slope when I saw the embers of the fire you picked me -out of.” - -“Well, you’ll soon be at the camp,” Ben consoled, “and then you can tell -us the story of your life if you want to.” - -Carl and Mr. Havens were rather astonished at seeing the boys return -with another stranger, a man who appeared to be both weak and -discouraged. - -“Now, I wonder what bush they picked that off from?” asked Carl as -DuBois almost fell out of the seat. “Looks to me like they went and -picked it before it was ripe.” - -“I never saw anything like it,” replied Mr. Havens. “You boys find -strangers at every turn of the road. You’ll go above clouds some day and -find a couple of boys sitting on a fog bank!” - -“Come, get a move on, here!” cried Ben, giving DuBois a seat on a -blanket by the fire. “My friend is hungry and wants a few dozen eggs and -about a quart of coffee!” - -As Ben spoke he lifted the hand-bag from the place where it had fallen -and started toward the tent with it. - -“Here, you cawn’t take that away, don’t you know,” DuBois exclaimed. -“That’s me luggage!” - -“All right, wear it for a watch-charm if you want to,” Ben declared, -throwing the hand-bag down by the Englishman’s side. - -In the meantime Jimmie and Carl busied themselves preparing a meal for -the wanderer. When it was quite ready he insisted on going to the stream -which ran through the valley not far away and bathing his hands and face -in the clear water. When he returned he took the key to the hand-bag -from his pocket and threw back the bolt. - -“There’s a bawth towel in here,” he said in a moment, “and I’ll be -obliged to use it until I get to me boxes, don’t ye know! Do you think,” -he went on with a wistful look, “that we’ll soon come to a place where I -can get me morning tub?” - -“You can get a tub in the brook!” laughed Jimmie. “There’s plenty of -rattlesnakes and lizards along the edges of the stream, but after you -get out into the middle you won’t find anything more dangerous than -alligators!” - -“Don’t ye know,” grinned the Englishman, “I think you’re spoofing me!” - -“He’s great fun, ain’t he?” whispered Jimmie, as DuBois shot back the -bolt and opened his hand-bag. He took out first a comb, a brush, and a -hand mirror. Then followed a bath towel of goodly size. - -“And me ’andkerchiefs,” mused the Englishman. “I don’t see anything of -the blawsted ’andkerchiefs!” - -He kept digging away at the hand-bag, drawing out one article after -another, until at last he came to a garment which brought something more -than surprise and excitement to the faces of the boys. It was a sporty -sack coat, the pattern being according to latest Bowery cut, the -material coarse, and the markings of the cloth loud in the extreme. - -DuBois poked the coat over and over on the ground with one disdainful -finger. He seemed surprised at finding it in his bag. - -“Now, where did you come from?” he asked, addressing the garment. - -“Holy Mackinaw!” exclaimed Jimmie. “Don’t you know where you got the -coat? You surely must know where you got it!” - -“I got it out of the bag!” was the answer. - -“But who put it in the bag?” demanded Ben. - -“Believe me,” replied the Englishman, “I never saw the blawsted thing -before this minute! It’s the most unaccountable thing, don’t you know!” - -“Go on!” advised Jimmie. “Go on digging into the bag and see what else -you find. You might find a bushel of pearls!” - -While the Englishman continued his investigation of the bag, Jimmie -nudged Ben in the side and whispered, pointing at the coat: - -“That’s just about the kind of a garment the doped man wore out of -Colleton’s room, isn’t it?” - -“You just wait a minute!” exclaimed Ben. “I want to know how that -Englishman got hold of that coat!” - -The next moment the boys’ amazement changed to actual unbelief in the -accuracy of their vision. DuBois drew from the bag a false beard, and a -crumpled white dickey topped by a wing collar and a sporty red tie. - -“Say!” Ben exclaimed. “You’ve got to tell us where you got that bag! We -want to know where that coat, those whiskers, and that dickey came -from!” - -“That’s what I want to know meself!” exclaimed the Englishman. - -“That’s your bag, isn’t it?” demanded Carl. - -“It’s my bag, right enough, don’t you know, but I never saw these things -before! Some one must have stuffed them in!” - -“Come on in here and tell us where you got the bag, and who packed it, -and how many hands it has passed through since you owned it,” suggested -Ben, leading the way to Mr. Havens’ tent. - -With the sporty coat, the beard, and dickey lying on the blanket at his -side, Mr. Havens turned to Jimmie with a sly smile. - -“Was it you,” he asked, “who told us just how the villains in the Kuro -case disposed of the disguise, or was it Ben?” - -“You just wait,” Jimmie exclaimed. “Let’s find out about this hand-bag -before we reach any conclusions.” - -“Well,” the Englishman began, seeing that an explanation was expected, -“I bought this hand-bag of a Pullman porter on a limited train which -left Washington for San Francisco three weeks ago. I lost me own bag -with most of me toilet articles out of the window, and the porter sold -me this for a sovereign. He didn’t tell me that it had anything in it.” - -“Where’d the porter get it?” asked Jimmie. - -“He didn’t say, don’t you know.” - -“Where was the train when you bought the bag?” - -“Nearing the Pacific coast.” - -“I presume,” Mr. Havens suggested, “that you occupied a stateroom on -that Pullman train? You never traveled in the day-coach!” - -“The stateroom in my car was occupied by a sick man!” was the reply. - -Jimmie bounded into the air with a loud whoop. - -“Talk about dream-books!” he cried. “I’m going to get out a new edition -with my name on the title page. This sick man didn’t appear during the -trip, did he?” he asked of the Englishman. - -“He did not!” was the reply. “And no one on board the train saw him -except the man who had charge of him.” - -Jimmie gave another whoop and sat down flat on the ground. - -“And you lost your bag, and bought one of the porter, and he brought you -this? That’s all there is to it, is it?” - -“What’s the mystery about the garments in the bag?” asked the Englishman -without answering the question. - -“Look here,” Ben explained, “if we should climb that peak to the east at -sunrise to-morrow morning, and find Noah’s ark resting there, with all -the animals wearing white aprons and cooking breakfasts for each other, -and Noah listening to a talking machine which was invented only last -year, that wouldn’t be any stranger than is the appearance of that coat, -those whiskers, and the dickey in this camp!” - -The Englishman eyed the boy as if rather inclined to doubt his sanity. - -“I don’t understand what you’re talking about, don’t you know,” he said. - -Before Ben could make any explanation, Carl, who had passed out of the -tent to look after the supper, came rushing in, declaring that a strange -flying machine was hovering over the valley. - -“She’s headed toward the shelf where the signals were shown last night,” -the boy added, “and she’s making signals of some kind herself!” - -“Perhaps they’ve got Colleton up in the air!” grinned Jimmie. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - A RACE IN THE AIR. - - -“Don’t read any more chapters from your dream-book!” warned Ben. “We’ve -materialized the coat, the whiskers, the dickey, the wing collar, the -red tie, and the felt hat Colleton wore away from his office that day, -and I think that’s about enough!” - -“Materialized ’em through three thousand miles of space, at that!” -laughed Jimmie. “If we could materialize Colleton as easily, we might -have a little time for hunting on this trip.” - -The aeroplane which had been reported by Carl was still quite a distance -to the west. It carried a light which appeared not much larger than a -good-sized planet from where the boys stood. The hum of the motors -sounded faintly from the distance. - -“It’s pears to potatoes,” exclaimed Carl, “that she’s going up to that -old camp!” - -“If she does, she’ll find a man drunk in the cavern, and that’s all!” - -“And a lot of whiskey and brandy!” suggested Jimmie. - -The aeroplane moved slowly to the north and west, and presently the boys -were able to see something more than the dancing light. - -“She’s going to the old camp all right!” Ben announced, after looking at -the machine through his field-glass for some minutes. “At least, she is -headed in that direction now.” - -“And why shouldn’t she be going to the camp?” asked the Englishman. - -“Because only two classes of people are now much interested in that -locality!” cried Ben. “The class most interested is the criminal class. -The other is the official class. I have a notion that the criminals are -pretty well disposed of to-night,” the boy continued, “and it isn’t time -for the officers to return. Besides,” he went on, “they wouldn’t be apt -to return in an aeroplane.” - -“I’ll tell you how we can soon find out all about it!” suggested Jimmie. -“I know how we can find out all about that machine!” - -“No, you don’t,” laughed Mr. Havens. “You don’t get away in any machine -to-night! It spells trouble when you get away after dark!” - -“Je-rusalem!” exclaimed Jimmie, in a disgusted tone. “I might have known -I’d need my knitting when I came out on this trip! If I listened to all -the advice I get from you fellows, I’d sit down here and knit myself a -pair of socks, or a cream-colored necktie, just like a perfect little -lady. What’s the matter with a game of checkers? Wouldn’t that be too -exciting for you?” he added, with a grin. - -“I don’t think there’s been any lack of excitement up to date,” laughed -Mr. Havens. - -“Say,” Ben exclaimed, directly, “we really ought to go and see what that -Crooked Terry is doing. You know I set out once to get a duplicate copy -of the map of this country which he is supposed to carry in his head.” - -“Is this a conspiracy to get away from camp again?” demanded the -millionaire. “Do you want to leave me here alone all the time?” - -“We’ll leave Carl and Mr. Claude Mercer Du Bois to keep you company,” -suggested Jimmie. - -“If you don’t mind,” the Englishman cut in, “I’d like to have me dinner -now, don’t you know.” - -“I’ll bet it’s all scorched to coals!” cried Carl, rushing to the fire. - -In a moment he called back that the ham and eggs and coffee were just as -they should be, and the Englishman was soon eating heartily. - -The strange aeroplane was still in sight. In fact a great deal closer -than when it had first been discovered. It was now over the center of -the valley, still pointing toward the shelf from which the signals had -been given the night before. - -While the boys watched and waited, undecided as to the correct course to -pursue, the machine passed over the snow-tipped summit and disappeared. - -“Some aviator out for a view of the mountains, probably,” Mr. Havens -suggested. “He seems to be keeping on his way pretty well.” - -“I’ve got a hunch,” Jimmie insisted, “that that aeroplane has something -to do with this Kuro case!” - -“Aw, cut out the dream-book!” advised Ben. - -“Didn’t my dreams come true?” demanded the boy. - -“You’ll have to show me!” declared Carl. “Don’t you suppose there’s more -than one false beard, more than one sporty coat, and more than one -dickey with wing collars and a red necktie in the world?” - -Jimmie ran out to the _Louise_, showing by his manner that he considered -the question too trivial to be answered. - -“Come on, Ben,” he called. “We’ll go up high enough to see where that -aeroplane went. If she’s still on her way east, we’ll come down and go -to bed, like good little boys. If she’s hovering around the other side -of the summit, we’ll catch the aviator and put him through the third -degree. We’ll have a good ride, anyway!” - -No further objections were offered, and the _Louise_ was soon in the -air. The boys kept her down so that her lights could not be seen from -the other side of the ridge until they came to the vicinity of the -gully, then they lifted suddenly and crossed the summit, shivering in -the icy air of the mountaintop. - -The aeroplane lay just below on the ledge which had been occupied by the -_Louise_ on the previous night. - -Three lights were in sight. The lamp on the forward framework of the -machine was burning brightly, and two men were walking along the ledge -with electric searchlights in their hands. They did not appear to be -surprised at the appearance of the _Louise_. - -“I wonder what they’ve lost,” said Jimmie, his teeth fairly chattering -with the cold. “Suppose we go down and ask.” - -Ben circled the _Louise_ into the warmer air of the valley on the other -side of the summit, and then moved slowly to the west. - -As he did so, the strange aeroplane leaped into the air and darted off -to the south. She seemed to be a speedy machine, for she swept away from -the _Louise_ with wonderful ease. - -“You just wait till I get turned around and get the motors on,” Ben -muttered, “and I’ll show you that we can go some!” - -The stranger was some distance in the lead before the _Louise_ was well -under way. After that it seemed to the boys that they gained, although -very slowly. The machines both kept as low down as possible and ran to -the full power of their motors. - -The rush of wind and the clatter of the motors effectually checked -verbal communication, but Jimmie pointed significantly to the machine -ahead and then nodded determinedly. - -“Let her go,” muttered Jimmie under his breath. “We had a race something -like this in Old Mexico, and the other machine brought up in the Pacific -ocean. That was a race that ought to have been written up!” - -In the meantime, those watching from the camp saw the strange aeroplane -dart swiftly over the ridge and head into the succession of valleys -running to the west of the range. A few moments later she was followed -by the _Louise_. - -“I’d like to know what those crazy boys are doing!” exclaimed Mr. -Havens, rather impatiently. - -“They’re trying to catch that machine!” laughed Carl. - -“But why should they take the chance of an accident by running at such -speed in the night-time?” asked the millionaire. “There are holes in the -air just as there are holes in the surface of the earth, and the first -thing they know they’ll drop down about a thousand feet and tip over! -It’s a risky proposition!” - -“That’s what it is!” returned Carl shaking his head gravely. “It’s a -risky proposition, and if you say the word I’ll jump on the _Ann_ and go -and tell them to come back!” - -The aviator laughed at the innocent manner of the boy, and the -Englishman regarded the two with a stare of wonder. - -“I never saw anything like it, don’t you know!” the latter said. - -“You’re likely to see something like it several times before you get out -of the mountains!” laughed Carl. “Say, Mr. Havens,” the boy went on, “we -don’t want that strange machine to come here and beat us in a race, do -we? I don’t think the _Louise_ is making much of a show, and so, if you -don’t mind, I’ll take out the _Ann_ and run ’em both down. It would be a -lovely race!” - -“I wouldn’t mind going with the lad, don’t you know!” exclaimed DuBois -showing great excitement. - -“If you do go,” replied Mr. Havens, “you’ll get fined a year’s salary if -you don’t catch both machines!” - -“Oh, I’ll catch ’em all right!” Carl exclaimed. “The _Ann_ can run -around both those old ice wagons, and then have plenty of time to -spare!” - -“The _Ann_ can beat any aeroplane that was ever built!” replied Mr. -Havens. “She was built for a record-breaker.” - -To tell the truth, the aviator was not exactly pleased at the idea of -remaining alone in the camp while the two engaged in the race, but the -sporting strain was strong in the man’s blood, and he was proud of his -matchless machine, so he consented, principally because he wanted the -_Ann_ to win in a race which promised to be a hot one! - -“I wish the other machines would keep in sight so I could watch the -struggle,” he said as Carl sprang toward the _Ann_. - -“Do you know,” the Englishman observed, “I rather like the spirit of the -lad!” - -“He’s all right,” replied the millionaire. “But,” he added, “I didn’t -think you had the courage to get into such a game.” - -“To tell you the truth,” DuBois replied, “I was tolerably well -frightened during my ride here, but I think I can now trust myself in -any place that lad is willing to go.” - -Mr. Havens saw the _Ann_ rise swiftly into the air; rise to a height -which must have chilled the blood of those on board, and then flash off -to the south. The two aeroplanes were still in view although their -lights showed dimly. - -From his position in the tent the aviator could not determine whether or -not the _Louise_ was gaining. He saw that the great light of the _Ann_ -was rapidly closing the gap between the nearest lamp and herself, and -had no doubt of the outcome of the race. - -While he gazed one of the lights ahead dropped. Without knowing which -machine had fallen, he crept to a corner of the tent on his hands and -knees and brought out a night glass. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - THE END OF THE FLIGHT. - - -When the _Ann_ rose above the valley Carl saw the _Louise_ some distance -to the south. The strange machine was still in the lead, but the boys -appeared to be gaining on her. Both were going fast. - -The sky was now tolerably clear, although a brisk wind driving in from -the west was bringing fleecy clouds from the Pacific coast. There would -be a moon sometime between midnight and morning, but the prospects were -that there would be a bank of driving clouds stretched over the earth -before she showed herself. - -The Englishman, unfamiliar with aeroplaning, began asking questions of -the boy as soon as they were in the air, but, as the racing of the -motors and the rush of the air drowned his voice, he soon lapsed into -silence and contented himself with such views of the distant summit as -he could secure. Several times he flung out an arm—including the shining -stars, the drifting clouds, the wide stretch of mountain and valley in -the sweep of it—and Carl understood that he was saying in the only -language available there how much he loved the wild beauty and the -majesty of it all. - -After a time the strange aeroplane began to seek the higher levels. She -climbed up, up, up until the summit showed white and sparkling under her -flying planes. - -Carl saw the _Louise_ following the stranger into the snow zone and -wondered at it. To the boy it seemed that the distance traveled upward -might better be gained in level flight. Every unnecessary foot of -altitude seemed to him to be a foot lost in the race. - -“Ben doesn’t have to follow the stranger in the air,” he mused as he -shot the _Ann_ ahead on the same level he had been traveling. “All he -has to do in order to overtake her is to keep her in sight and go faster -than she does. He lost several yards by following her up to the summit.” - -After a time the stranger changed her tactics turning to the west and -seeking the valley again. The _Louise_ followed in her wake as before -and seemed to be gaining. The _Ann_ was traveling much faster than -either of the others and would soon be within striking distance. - -That was a mad race under the stars. The stranger seemed to develop new -speed possibilities as she swept along. The _Louise_ appeared to be -losing ground. The _Ann_ swept forward relentlessly and was soon close -to the rear machine. - -Then a remarkable thing happened. The aeroplane in advance dropped like -a plummet. It seemed to Carl, watching her light eagerly from his seat -on the _Ann_, that she ceased her forward motion and lost her buoyancy -at the same moment. He could not, of course, see the bulk of the machine -but he could see her light. - -The light seemed to be down to the surface of the earth in a minute. The -_Louise_, following on, dropped, too. To the watching boy the falling of -the two aeroplanes seemed as if they had dropped over a precipice. - -Although not a very old or experienced aviator, Carl sensed what had -taken place. The machines had dropped into a hole in the air! As is -well-known to those conversant with the navigation of the air, there are -actually “holes” in the atmosphere—holes into which machines drop as -they would drop into a pit on the surface of the earth. There are also -cross currents which tug at the planes in a wholly unaccountable manner. - -These holes in the air result, of course, from conditions of -temperature. They are dreaded by all aviators, and one of the first -things taught in schools of aviation is to keep such control of his -machine as will enable him to handle her successfully when such pitfalls -and cross currents are encountered. - -Carl had learned this lesson well under the tuition of Mr. Havens, and -his first act when the _Louise_ fell was to shift the _Ann_ far away to -the north of the place of descent. - -He dropped down, too, in a moment in order to see what had happened to -the other machines. The stranger lay a wreck in a rocky valley below and -the _Louise_, some distance in the rear, was fluttering down. It seemed -to Carl that some of her guy wires had been broken during the strain of -the fall, and that she was almost beyond control of his chum. - -Circling about the wrecked machine and the one which appeared to be in -danger of being wrecked, Carl dropped lower and lower until at last his -light disclosed a level bank at the side of a stream where he believed a -landing might be effected. - -By this time the _Louise_ lay on the ground. He could not tell whether -she had fallen with a crash or had gradually settled down. However, her -lights were still burning, and he could see one of the boys moving -about. The lights of the other machine were out. - -The _Ann_ came very near tipping over into the stream as Carl landed and -a growth of bushes at the water’s edge scraped the ends of the planes -cruelly as she settled down. Without stopping to inspect any damage that -might have been done to the aeroplane, Carl dashed over to the _Louise_. - -The boys were at that moment leaving their machine, turning their -footsteps in the direction of the stranger. It was quite dark in the -valley, as the timber line extended far up on the easy slope, and the -boys were using their electrics as they moved along. - -“Are you boys all right?” asked Carl, as he came panting to their side. -“I thought I heard one of you groaning!” - -“We’re all right!” exclaimed Jimmie. “The _Louise_ strained her guy -wires when we struck that hole in the air, but we managed to flutter -down. Except for the broken guy wires the machine is as good as ever she -was. We can fix the guy wires right here!” - -“But the other machine fell!” Ben added. “When she went into the hole -the driver wasn’t attending to his business, so she twisted sideways and -turned turtle a hundred feet from the ground. We’re going over there now -to see if the man is dead.” - -“This ends my after-dark journeys in the air!” declared Carl. - -“There’s no sense in it!” added Ben. - -DuBois, the Englishman, now came stumbling through the darkness and -paused in the circle of light made by the electrics. He was still -shivering with cold, although the _Ann_ had not mounted to a high level. - -“What’s the bloody trouble?” he asked. - -“You’re right about the trouble being a bloody one!” Jimmie replied. -“The man we were chasing wrecked his machine.” - -DuBois looked the _Louise_ over critically. - -“This one fell, too, don’t you know,” he said. - -“Oh, we always come down like that!” declared Jimmie. - -The Englishman stood leaning against the _Louise_ when the boys left for -the wrecked machine. It was all new to him, but he seemed to be taking -in the situation slowly. - -When the boys reached the wreck the aviator who had driven the machine -lay on the ground, a dozen or more feet away from the seat he had -occupied. He appeared to be quite dead. The body had the appearance of -having fallen free of the machine some distance up in the air and -crushed down upon the soft grass of the valley. - -Ben stooped over the still figure for a moment and then turned to his -chums with a queer look on his face. - -“Do you remember the heavy man in brown who stood in the corridor at the -door of Colleton’s room?” he asked. - -“We certainly do!” answered Jimmie. “I’ve been thinking about that husky -man in brown ever since Mr. Havens told us the story.” - -“What brings that to your mind now?” asked Carl. - -“Look at this body!” answered Ben. “Look at the heavily-bearded face. -Look at the brown suit. Look at the refined and yet business-like makeup -of the man. Even in death he seems domineering and forceful.” - -“That man was no aviator!” Jimmie exclaimed. - -“His handling of the machine showed that!” Carl put in. - -“And do you think?” asked Jimmie in a moment, “that——” - -The boy was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Englishman, who -came out of the darkness with his hands pushed far into his pockets and -his teeth rattling with the cold. The boys stepped aside as he drew near -the body on the ground and waited for him to speak. - -“Don’t you remember,” Jimmie whispered to Ben, “that DuBois bought that -hand-bag of a porter on the Pullman-car which carried a sick man in a -private stateroom across the continent?” - -“What’s that got to do with it?” demanded Carl. - -“Wait a moment!” advised Jimmie. “Watch the Englishman’s face to see if -he recognizes the dead man.” - -“Is this another page out of your dream-book?” asked Carl. - -“How do we know” demanded Jimmie impatiently, “that DuBois didn’t see a -score of times on that trip the man who occupied the stateroom with the -man who was sick?” - -“Oh, I see!” Carl said. “You think this man lying here dead is the man -who stood at the corridor door that day?” - -“I didn’t say so!” whispered Jimmie. “I said to watch for some sign of -recognition in the Englishman’s face.” - -The Englishman bent over the dead man, searching outline of face and -figure under the dim light of the stars. The boys heard a little -exclamation of impatience, and then DuBois motioned to Ben to advance -his searchlight so as to bring the dead face under its rays. - -Ben did so immediately and the Englishman stood for what seemed to be a -long time looking downward with a puzzled face. He brought his hand to -his brow several times as if seeking to urge his slow brain into action -and finally turned away without saying a word. - -“That was a bad fall!” Ben said, seeking to engage the Englishman in -conversation. “We came near lying where he does this minute.” - -“A bad fall!” repeated the Englishman. “Do you know who the man is?” - -“Never saw him before to-night!” replied Ben. - -“You might look in his pockets, don’t you know!” suggested DuBois. - -“That’s a good suggestion!” cried Jimmie who had been listening to the -conversation. “I’ll see what I can find right now, if you’ll hold the -light, Carl,” he added. - -Carl advanced with the light and a thorough search was made of the dead -man’s clothing. The pockets were entirely empty save for a watch, a -pocket-knife, a fountain pen and a collapsible tube of adhesive -material. The underclothing, shirt, collar and cuffs were new and bore -no name or laundry mark. The collar of the coat bore the trade mark of a -well-known firm of manufacturers dealing only in ready-to-wear clothing. -On the inside of the right sleeve was the union label of the garment -workers. The serial number of the label was blurred and could not be -read. - -Ben opened the watch case eagerly but found no initials on the inside. -There was nothing whatever about the man to give information as to his -name, occupation, or place of residence. That he had been a business man -and not a professional aviator was clear to the boys but their -information went no farther. - -The Englishman stood by while the articles taken from the dead man -accumulated on the grass but said nothing. Now and then he stepped -closer and looked down into the white face. - -“Don’t you know,” he said presently, “I think I’ve seen that man -before!” - -Jimmie nudged Carl impulsively but said nothing. - -“You might have seen him in Washington,” suggested Ben. - -“No,” answered the Englishman. “The man is not associated in my mind -with anything that took place in your capital city.” - -“On the boat coming over?” suggested Carl with a wink at Jimmie. - -“No-o,” hesitated the Englishman. “I can’t associate that face with -anything on board the steamer. It might have been on the train coming -across the continent,” he went on in a musing tone. “It might have been -in the Pullman on the way over.” - -“If your recollection is so indistinct,” Jimmie put in, “it must be -because you didn’t see much of him on the train. Perhaps he remained in -his stateroom most of the time.” - -“That’s clever of you, don’t you know!” the Englishman drawled. “Your -suggestion of the stateroom brings it all back. This dead man, don’t you -know, often passed in and out of the stateroom door and we noticed his -goings and comings because he never permitted any one to see inside the -door, don’t you know.” - -“Did the man lose anything on the train?” asked Jimmie. - -“Yes, he told the porter he had lost his bag.” - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - THE MAN IN THE STATEROOM. - - -“Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie. - -“No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had -accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the -passes. The fellow seemed glad to know that it was gone!” - -“How could it get lost from the vestibule?” - -“The fellow admitted leaving it somewhere outside the stateroom after -taking it to the toilet with him.” - -“Did it ever occur to you,” asked Jimmie, “that you bought the hand-bag -the porter stole from the man lying here dead?” - -“That’s a queer suggestion, don’t you know!” said the Englishman. - -“Well, how did the porter come to have the bag to sell if he hadn’t -picked it up somewhere on the train?” - -“That’s a clever question!” asserted the Englishman. “But look here,” he -went on, “why should a man like this one have a false shirt front and a -false beard in his luggage?” - -“I think I could tell you why if I tried very hard,” answered Jimmie, -“but we’d better pass that up for the present.” - -“Yes,” Ben said, “I think we’d better give this man decent burial, -repair the _Louise_ as far as possible, and start back to camp.” - -“I don’t see how we’re going to open a grave,” Carl said. - -“We can make a shallow one, I guess,” Ben answered, “and then use plenty -of stones for covering. Of course we’ll notify the mounted police as -soon as we get to a station, and they will undoubtedly take the body -out. Somewhere, undoubtedly, this man had relatives and friends, and -they ought to know the manner of his death.” - -It was not very difficult making a shallow grave in the soft soil, -although the boys had no suitable tools to work with. When at last the -body was wrapped in a canvas shroud, composed of material taken from the -planes of the wrecked machine, and laid into the grave it was covered to -a considerable height with heavy rocks taken from the slope. - -This task completed, the boys took guy wires from the now useless -aeroplane and repaired the breakage on the _Louise_. The tanks of the -_Louise_ being about half empty, the gasoline was drawn from the -disabled motors of the wreck and added to the supply. - -“It seems lonesome, don’t you know,” the Englishman said, as he took his -seat on the _Ann_, “to go away and leave that poor fellow all alone in -the valley, with no companionship save that of the stars and the wind!” - -“It gives me a shiver to think of it!” declared Ben. - -“Well,” Jimmie said in a tone far more serious than was usual with the -boy, “every step he has taken since his birth has tended to this place. -A million years ago, it was decreed that he should lie here, and that’s -all there is of it!” - -“Quite true, quite true!” agreed the Englishman. - -“Aw, you can’t make me believe a man’s life is mapped out for him like -that!” declared Carl. “I guess a fellow has some show!” - -When the boys reached the camp the eastern sky was ruddy with the -approach of sunrise, and Mr. Havens sat well wrapped in blankets before -the fire. His face was pale and showed suffering. - -“I thought you’d never come back!” he said. “I saw one of the machines -drop, but I couldn’t for the life of me tell which one it was.” - -“Two of them dropped,” Ben explained, and in a short time the story of -the adventures of the night was told. - -“It seems wonderful,” Mr. Havens said, “that we should drop into a -region, almost by accident, whither so many things connected with the -Kuro case were tending. When the Englishman brought the bag, I thought -that the most remarkable occurrence in the world. But now the man who -stood in the corridor at Colleton’s door seems to lie over yonder in the -valley. It seems like a chapter out of a fairy book!” - -“Why, it’s all simple enough!” Jimmie argued. “In fact, it’s the most -commonplace thing in the world. This big man stripped Colleton of his -disguise in the stateroom and put the articles into the bag, intending -to throw it off the train the first time he got a chance. He set the bag -out into the corridor or the vestibule so it would be handy when the -right time came and the porter stole it.” - -“Is this a new edition of the dream-book?” asked Carl. - -“Then DuBois lost his hand-bag, and asked the porter to provide him one. -For all we know the man just killed may have stolen the Englishman’s bag -for his own use. Anyway the porter brought DuBois the bag he stole from -the man who has just been killed.” - -“Go on!” advised Ben with a grin. - -“The porter neglected to remove the contents of the bag, and so the -articles used in the disguise of Colleton come into the possession of -the purchaser. The Englishman sets out on a hunting trip in the Rocky -mountains, strays away from his companions, and turns up at the -smugglers’ place with the bag in his hands.” - -“You’re only relating the obvious now,” Ben criticised. - -“And then,” Jimmie went on, “the big man brings Colleton into some -hiding-place in the mountains, using an aeroplane as a means of -communication with the cities. His machine is spied by boys who think -their own machines can go some and the race follows. The big man drops -his aeroplane into a hole in the air and is killed. The Englishman who -bought the stolen bag, recognizes him as the man in charge of the sick -man in the stateroom. Now, if that isn’t all perfectly simple, I don’t -know what is!” - -“You take it for granted that Colleton is hidden in this vicinity, -then?” asked Ben. - -“If he wasn’t, the big man wouldn’t have shown up here!” - -“When the big man came in and landed his aeroplane on the other side of -the ridge,” Ben suggested, “he brought two men with him. When we went up -in the _Louise_ we saw two men walking about the ledge with lanterns in -their hands.” - -“One of them may be Colleton!” shouted Carl. - -“I don’t know about that,” Jimmie went on, “but I’ll tell you there’s -some connection between the bunch that stole Colleton and the bunch the -Canadian officers arrested for smuggling whiskey over the Canadian -border. I don’t believe the red and green signals we saw night before -last were entirely for the benefit of the smugglers. I’ll bet the big -man who was killed because he didn’t know how to bring a machine out of -an air-hole knew the language of those red and green lights!” - -Mr. Havens was assisted back to his tent, and the boys busied themselves -getting breakfast. The Englishman wandered about the camp for a long -time without speaking. It seemed to the boys that he was studying over -the events of the night. - -Jimmie even suggested to Carl that the Englishman might be searching his -memory for some incident connected with the journey across the continent -which would place him in the possession of additional information -concerning the man who had been killed. - -When breakfast was ready, the Englishman took his seat by the white -cloth spread on the grass but ate sparingly. - -“Have you lost your appetite?” asked Carl. - -“That was quite a shock, don’t you know!” was the answer. - -“Are you sure the man we buried is the man who occupied the stateroom on -the Pullman-car with the sick man?” asked Ben. - -“Quite sure!” was the slow reply. - -“Did you notice him talking with any one in the car?” asked Jimmie. - -“Indeed he was quite intimate with one of the travelers,” the Englishman -replied. “They went to the smoking room together and played cards -frequently. They were quite chummy, don’t you know.” - -“Would you know this second man if you saw him again?” - -“Why, of course,” answered the Englishman. “This second man, Neil -Howell, is the gentleman who formed the hunting party I joined at San -Francisco. He was quite anxious for me to go with him, don’t you know.” - -“When did you leave your party?” asked Ben. - -“Early yesterday morning,” was the reply. “I wandered about in the -mountains until I came to the camp-fire where I was found.” - -“Could you make your way to your camp now?” asked Jimmie. - -The Englishman shook his head. - -“It is in some of the wrinkles of the mountains,” he said, “but I -couldn’t even make up my mind which way to set out if I started to find -it.” - -“Your sense of direction must be deficient!” suggested Carl. - -“It must be!” was the answer. “You see,” he went on, “I wandered around -this way and that, so long that I couldn’t tell whether my camp was -east, west, north or south. During the last few hours of my wandering I -was half dazed with hunger and fatigue, so there is little hope of my -being able to locate the camp of my friends.” - -“Well, we can find it all right!” Jimmie declared. “I can take you up in -the machine after we get done breakfast, and after we get last night’s -kinks out of our systems, and we can find your camp if it’s anywhere -within a thousand miles.” - -The Englishman appeared thoughtful for some moments before making any -reply. Jimmie nudged Carl and whispered: - -“Look here, Cully, I don’t believe he wants to find that camp again! I -don’t believe he wants to go back!” - -“Yes,” returned Carl, “the quiet, peaceful, uneventful life we are -leading seems to appeal to him!” - -“We may be able to find the camp,” the Englishman said after a pause, -“but really, you know,” he went on, “I wouldn’t want to take another -ride in the air to-day!” - -“Oh, we can go to-morrow just as well,” laughed Jimmie. - -After breakfast the boys advised the Englishman to spend most of the day -in sleep. They had had another hard night, and were in need of rest -themselves. It was a warm, sunny day, and the lads, well wrapped in -blankets, slept until almost noon. After they awoke and prepared dinner, -Mr. Havens noticed Carl and Jimmie looking longingly in the direction of -the machines. - -“What’s on now, boys?” he asked. - -“I want to find the answers to two questions,” Jimmie replied. - -“Where are the answers?” asked the aviator. - -“In the air,” grinned the boy. - -“What are the questions?” continued Mr. Havens. - -“The first one is this: Who are the men the dead man brought in with him -last night?” - -“And the other one?” - -“Where is the Englishman’s camp?” - -“Two very pertinent questions!” suggested Mr. Havens. - -“There’s another question,” Jimmie continued, “that I want the answer -to, but I don’t see how I’m going to get it right away.” - -“Perhaps I can answer it!” - -“I’ll give you a try at it,” Jimmie laughed. - -“Well, what is it?” - -“Did the Englishman accidentally lose his camp or did he lose it on -purpose? Can you answer that question?” - -“I’ve been watching the Englishman for some time,” the aviator replied, -“and I think I can give you the answer. He left it on purpose!” - -“I noticed,” Jimmie said, “that he didn’t seem very anxious about my -helping him find it!” - -“Well, whether he wants to find it or not,” Mr. Havens continued, “I -must insist on you boys locating it!” - -“You want to know about this man Neil Howell!” laughed Jimmie. “Perhaps -you have a notion that by finding him we can get track of the dead man’s -associates. You want to know why he induced DuBois to make the mountain -trip. In fact, there’s a whole lot of things you want to know about Neil -Howell.” - -“That’s just the idea,” Mr. Havens replied. “I’m certain that DuBois -left the camp voluntarily. There might have been a quarrel, for all I -know. I half believe, also,” he continued, “that the Englishman knew -what the bag contained when he left camp with it.” - -“I don’t know about that,” Jimmie replied, “but I do know that a man -going out for a walk in the mountains wouldn’t be apt to carry a -hand-bag with him if he intended to return.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - STILL ANOTHER GUEST. - - -“You bet he wouldn’t!” declared Carl, who had come into the tent during -the progress of the conversation. “He’d be more apt to carry a gun! What -did he want to lug his toilet articles away for?” - -“Perhaps he wanted to get that bag out of camp!” suggested Jimmie. - -“What’s the answer to that?” asked Carl. - -“Suppose this Neil Howell recognized that bag as one formerly owned by -the man he played cards with?” - -“That’s another dream!” Carl laughed. - -“Anyhow,” Jimmie said, “I’m going up in the _Louise_ and find that -camp!” - -“And I’m going with you,” Carl grinned. - -“Can’t I go anywhere without one of you boys tagging along?” demanded -Jimmie in mock anger. - -“It’s a shame for you to say such things!” declared Carl. “After the -number of times we’ve saved your life!” - -“All right!” laughed Jimmie. “Come along if you want to!” - -“If I were you,” Mr. Havens advised, “I wouldn’t try to land near the -camp if you succeed in locating it. The song of the motors can be heard -a long way off, you know, and the campers will be sure to know that an -aeroplane is in the vicinity.” - -“That’s a good idea!” Carl agreed. “We ought to find the camp and sail -over it, and around it, and then duck away as if we belong out on the -Pacific coast somewhere. Then we can go back on foot, if it isn’t too -far away, and see what sort of a crowd the Englishman traveled with.” - -“That’s my idea of the situation,” Mr. Havens said. - -“And we ought not to say anything to the Englishman about where we’re -going!” Jimmie suggested. “Because he’ll be eager to know what we find -out, and may decide not to remain with us at all after we discover why -he left his companions.” - -“We don’t know that he hasn’t told the absolute truth about his -departure from camp,” Mr. Havens suggested, “but it will do no harm to -work on the theory that a man merely in quest of mountain adventure -would not leave his camp carrying a hand-bag. As Carl says, he’d be more -likely to carry a gun!” - -Ben came into the tent and stood listening to the conversation. He -agreed with the others that there was something queer about the -Englishman’s sudden appearance with the hand-bag, but said that the -fellow had really possessed a gun when he reached the fire where he had -been found. - -“He told me,” Ben went on, “that Crooked Terry had taken his gun and -other articles, including his money, from his person.” - -“Why didn’t you snatch Crooked Terry bald-headed and make him give ’em -up?” asked Jimmie. - -“Because DuBois didn’t tell me about his being robbed until after we had -left the crook asleep in the cavern. I think, by the way,” Ben -continued, “that I’d better go up to the smugglers’ den to-day and see -what I can learn regarding those two men.” - -“Is this a conspiracy to leave me all alone in the camp again?” asked -Mr. Havens. “I’m getting about enough of solitude.” - -“Why, there’s the Englishman,” suggested Jimmie. - -“Don’t you ever think he won’t want to go, too,” Ben laughed. “He’s the -craziest man about flying machines I ever saw.” - -“But early this morning,” Jimmie argued, “he said that he didn’t care -about going into the sky again to-day.” - -“Perhaps that’s because you suggested hunting up his camp,” laughed Ben. -“Somehow he don’t seem to want to find that camp.” - -“Suppose,” suggested Mr. Havens, “you boys go in relays. Let Jimmie and -Carl go and look up the camp first, and after they return Ben and DuBois -can visit the smugglers’ camp.” - -“That’s all right,” Ben exclaimed. “I’ll remain here until Jimmie and -Carl return, if they’re not gone too long!” - -“Did you see anything of intruders while we were gone?” asked Jimmie -turning to Mr. Havens. - -“Why,” replied the aviator, “I did see a man looking toward the camp -from the valley to the north, but no attempt to molest me was made.” - -“So that’s why you don’t want to be left alone!” laughed Jimmie. “You -think perhaps those fellows are hanging around here yet!” - -“They may be, at that!” Carl suggested. - -“We have the faculty of getting into a storm center,” Jimmie complained. -“We get a collection of humanity around every camp we make! If we should -go and make a camp on top of the Woolworth building, in little old New -York, people would be making a hop-skip-and-jump from the sidewalk and -inviting themselves to dinner!” - -“Well, go on out and stir up another mess of visitors,” laughed Mr. -Havens. “And when you find this camp,” he added, “don’t land anywhere -near it and try to creep in on the campers. All you’ve got to do is to -come back and tell us where it is!” - -“All right!” laughed Jimmie. “I’ll make a map of the country so any one -can find it.” - -The two boys were soon away in the _Louise_, and then Ben and the -Englishman went to Mr. Havens’ tent to further talk over the situation. -The millionaire was very much inclined to ask the Englishman just why he -had left his camp, but finally decided not to do so. - -DuBois was very thoughtful and not inclined to join in the conversation. -More than once they saw him step to the flap of the tent and look out -over the valley. On such occasions he seemed nervous and anxious. - -“Are you expecting company?” Ben asked after one of these visits. - -“I heard some talk about people watching the camp, don’t you know,” the -Englishman replied, “and it rawther got on me mind!” - -“There won’t any one come here in the daytime,” Ben urged. - -“Did you see the faces of the men who came this morning?” asked the boy -turning to Mr. Havens. - -“I didn’t say that I saw men,” smiled the aviator. “I said that I -thought I saw a man looking toward the camp.” - -“Did you see his face?” insisted the Englishman. - -“I did not!” was the reply. - -“Can you describe him in any way?” - -“I’m afraid not!” - -The Englishman walked to the flap of the tent again and looked out. - -“For instance,” he said looking back into the tent, “was the general -appearance of the fellow anything like the general appearance of the man -who is approaching the fire from the other side?” - -The aviator gave a quick start of surprise and Ben sprang to his feet -and walked out to the fire, closely followed by the Englishman. The man -approaching from the south was evidently not a mountaineer. He was -remarkably well-dressed, although his garments showed contact with -mountain thickets, and his walk was unsteady and like that of one -unfamiliar with rough ground. He wore a derby hat, a silk tie, and a -gold watch-chain traversed his vest from left to right. He was, in fact, -about the cut of a man one would expect to meet in the business district -of New York. - -Instead of watching the visitor, Ben turned his eyes toward the -Englishman, determined to see if any signs of recognition showed on the -face of the latter. His first impression was that this man had in some -way found his way there from the camp which the Englishman had deserted. - -DuBois’ face expressed only curiosity and surprise as the visitor came -closer to the fire. Ben turned to the newcomer. - -“Good-afternoon!” he said. - -“Same to you!” replied the other. “You can’t understand,” he added with -a faint smile, “how glad I am to see once more a face that reminds me of -civilization.” - -“That’s me!” laughed Ben winking at the Englishman. - -“That’s both of you, and the man in the tent, too!” laughed the -other. “I’ve been wandering around this everlasting, eternal, -Providence-forsaken valley for three or four days, living on ground -squirrels and seeking to become intoxicated on river water.” - -“Did you lose your camp, too?” asked Ben with a chuckle. - -“I never had any camp in this country!” was the reply. “I came in by way -of Crow’s Nest, with a pack of provisions on my back, looking for land -worth squatting on. I ate my provisions the first week, lost my way the -second, and traveled on my nerve the third.” - -“Did it make good going?” asked Ben with a grin. - -“Fairly good!” was the reply. “You see,” he went on, “I had a couple of -automatic guns and plenty of cartridges, so I’d shoot red ground -squirrels when ever I got hungry and build a fire in among the tall -trees and cook ’em. Then I’d go to sleep by the fire and wake up that -night, or the next morning, or the day after the next morning, or any -old time. And that’s the kind of an existence I’ve been having.” - -“That’s the wild, free life, all right!” Ben agreed. - -“I’ve been chased by bears, and kept awake at night by lynxes, and -wolverines, until it seems to me as if I had butted into the Central -Park Zoo! And right this minute,” he added, looking around the camp with -wistful eyes, “I’m about as hungry as a human being can be and stand on -his feet. I haven’t had a drop of coffee for a month!” - -“I was waiting for that!” Ben grinned as he moved toward the coffee-pot -and provision box. “Everybody that comes here is hungry! I’ve got so I -make a break for the coffee-pot and the grub the minute I see a stranger -approaching.” - -“I’m glad you’ve got the habit,” laughed the other. “I’ve butted into -camps in this country before now where a man wasn’t welcome to take a -second breath out of the atmosphere!” - -“Recently?” asked Ben. - -“Why, only three or four days ago,” the stranger answered, “I struck a -camp where they had tons and tons of provisions, and they wouldn’t give -me the second meal! Yes, sir, they fired me out after I’d had a few egg -sandwiches and a cup of coffee substitute.” - -“How long ago was this?” asked Ben, glancing quietly at the Englishman. - -“Three or four days ago!” was the answer. “I’ve been traveling nights to -keep warm, and to keep out of the clutches of the wild animals, and -sleeping days so long that I’ve lost all track of time. It may have been -three days ago and it may have been four days ago.” - -“Can you give me the direction of this camp?” asked the Englishman. “I’d -like to know something about the fellows there, if you don’t mind.” - -“Oh, I don’t know which way it is from here. I couldn’t find it if I -wanted to, and I’ll give you a straight tip right now that I don’t want -to! Just for company’s sake, understand, I tried to get a night’s sleep -within sight of their camp-fire. I rolled myself in a blanket and was -just dreaming that I was eating a porterhouse steak at Sherry’s, when -the midnight concert at the camp began. I guess they were all good and -drunk before morning.” - -“Do you know,” began the Englishman, “that I half believe that you found -the camp I belonged in!” - -“If you were in the camp when I tried to sleep near it,” the stranger -went on, “you probably got a good souse before morning.” - -The Englishman turned away to the tent, and Ben busied himself in -preparing dinner for the stranger who gave his name as Martin Sprague. - -“I see,” Sprague went on, while the dinner cooked, “that you boys have a -couple of fine flying machines. Was that your machine that lit out over -the valley a short time ago? When I saw that machine, I said there must -be a camp in this side of the valley, so I followed my nose and here I -am.” - -After a time, Ben placed a substantial meal before Sprague and then, to -an answer to a gesture from the Englishman, hastened back to the tent. - -“Do you know,” DuBois said, as the two stood together at the flap, “that -fellow who just came in was with Neil Howell in San Francisco! I saw the -two together there often. If he went to our camp, he found Neil Howell -there, and he received no such treatment as he reports.” - -“Then you think the fellow’s a fraud, do you?” asked Ben. - -“I don’t know about that!” the Englishman replied, “but I do know that -he is trying to deceive you, and my private opinion is that he came to -this camp for a purpose, and with the consent of Neil Howell.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - CARL GETS INTO TROUBLE. - - -The sun shone warm on the planes of the _Louise_ as Jimmie and Carl -sailed over the broken country to the west of the camp. They passed a -ridge so high that the timber line broke a couple of hundred feet below -the summit, and then dropped, shivering, into a depression wider but not -so green as the one in which their tents stood. - -The boys were taking their time, and, in the low altitude of the valley, -conversation was possible as they moved along, looking to right and left -for some sign of a camp. - -“The Englishman’s friends ought not to be much farther away,” suggested -Carl, after an hour. “We are at least fifteen miles from our tents -already.” - -“Yes,” agreed Jimmie, “the ridge we crossed takes up a good deal of -room. If they are not in this wrinkle, they may be in the next one.” - -“Wrinkle is exactly the word,” Carl grinned. “This country looks as if -some one had taken a level plain and crowded it together until the -surface broke into seams and crags. It makes me think of the undulating -surface of an old boot!” - -The boys traversed the valley from north to south but saw no indications -of tents or camp-fires. The ridge to the west ran out at the north end -of the valley, and the boys turned there, preferring not to ascend into -the cold air again unless it became necessary. - -The valley in which they now found themselves ran in a northeasterly -direction and broke into a canyon at the end farthest to the east and -north. The boys turned as they swung around the point of rock and -whirled along the new depression. Presently Carl caught his chum by the -arm and handed him the field-glass with which he had been looking over -the country. Jimmie used the glass for a moment and then turned back to -Carl with a pleased look on his freckled face. - -“You know what that is, don’t you?” he asked. - -“Sure!” Carl answered. - -“That’s the north end of our own valley, we see,” Jimmie went on, “and -the shelf we have just come in sight of is the one from which the red -and green signals were shown night before last.” - -“That’s right!” grinned Carl. - -“Then, don’t you see,” Jimmie went on, “the signals were made for the -benefit of some one in this valley.” - -“That’s the idea!” Carl chuckled. - -“Now, suppose we find the tent the Englishman left in this vicinity,” -the boy went on, “what would that mean?” - -“It would suggest to me,” Carl replied, “that the signals were made for -the benefit of some one in that camp.” - -“Right-o!” replied Jimmie. - -“But where is this blooming camp?” Carl asked. - -“We’ll find it here somewhere!” Jimmie answered, confidently. - -Directly the boys came to a canyon which opened at the west of the -valley and led to a grassy plateau higher up. At some distant time the -place now occupied by the plateau had doubtless been an enlargement and -extension of the canyon. However, as the years passed, the rocks had -crumbled under the action of water until the great dent had become -filled. - -One look to the left as the boys moved slowly past the mouth of the -canyon was sufficient. A fire was blazing high in the center of the -plateau and half a dozen tents were scattered about. On every side the -walls of rock came down to the green grass which lay like a carpet over -the floor of the plateau. - -Here and there the boys saw dark openings in the walls, similar to the -one they had observed at the smugglers’ camp. - -“Those old rocks,” Jimmie commented, “are honeycombed with caves, and -it’s a hundred to one that those hunters are obliged to keep things -moving nights in order to drive away wild animals.” - -“From all accounts,” Carl agreed, “wild animals don’t stand much show -with that bunch!” - -“Of course, they’ve seen us,” Jimmie observed as the aeroplane shot by -the canyon and the tents were no longer in sight. “If they’re not asleep -they know we’re here. Now, what’s the best thing to do?” - -“Walk right along just like we never noticed them!” replied Carl. - -“Perhaps,” Jimmie suggested, “they’re looking for an aeroplane to put in -an appearance.” - -“Do you mean to say that they knew something of the machine that was -wrecked over to the south last night?” - -“That’s what!” replied Jimmie. - -“I don’t believe it!” Carl answered. “That supposition connects the San -Francisco hunters with the Kuro gang, and I can’t believe that to be a -fact!” - -“How far do you suppose that canyon is from our camp?” asked Jimmie. - -“Probably twenty miles!” suggested Carl. - -“That’s a good guess,” Jimmie agreed. “Now, look here,” he went on, “if -you think I’m going back to camp and leave the machine and then hike -twenty miles to investigate that camp, you’ve got another think coming!” - -“That’s what you promised to do!” - -“Not on your life!” replied Jimmie. “That’s what Havens told me to do! -But then, you know,” he added with a laugh, “Havens had no idea at the -time he gave the advice that we’d find the camp so far away. He probably -thought we’d run across it within easy walking distance of our own -tents. Isn’t that the way you look at it?” - -“Sure!” replied Carl, glad of any excuse for landing. - -“Then, I’ll tell you what we’ll do!” Jimmie argued. “We’ll fly straight -over the ridge under which the camp nestles, slow down gradually, so our -motors will sound like they were getting farther away every moment, and -then land. We ought to be able to climb back to the top of the ridge in -a few minutes and look down into the camp.” - -“Aw, what’s the good of just looking down into it?” demanded Carl. “We -ought to get near enough so we can see and hear what’s going on!” - -“I don’t care how near we get to it!” grinned Jimmie. - -The plan suggested by the boy, reckless as it was, was carried out. The -_Louise_ found a resting-place to the west of the ridge and the boys sat -down to consider future movements. - -“Honest, now,” Jimmie said, looking up at the fairly easy slope which -led to the summit lying between the aeroplane and the camp, “one of us -ought to stay by the machine!” - -“All right!” Carl agreed. “You remain here and I’ll hike down and see -what I can find out. But, look here,” the lad continued, “you mustn’t go -prowling around! You mustn’t leave the machine! I may come back on the -jump, and want to get into the air in about a quarter of a second!” - -“Huh!” grinned Jimmie. “You went off and left the machine when you were -on guard near the smugglers’ camp. I wouldn’t talk about prowling -around, if I were you!” - -“This is different!” urged Carl. “When I left the machine then I didn’t -know that there were a lot of mountain brigands ready to grab it.” - -“All right!” Jimmie acquiesced. “I’ll stay here by the machine for an -hour. If you don’t come back by that time, I’ll come after you.” - -“Yes, you’ll come after me!” cried Carl. “You’d better stay where you -are! How would you know where to look for me in that mess over on the -other side?” - -“If you don’t come back in an hour,” repeated Jimmie, “I’ll come after -you! In an hour it will be time to leave for home.” - -Carl went away up the slope, climbing swiftly, and soon disappeared from -view. Jimmie threw himself down on the ground close to the framework of -the _Louise_, in a measure protected from view by the planes. - -“Gee!” mused the boy. “It’s lonesome, waiting like this. Next time we go -out on a scouting expedition, we’ll bring some one along to stand guard. -This waiting makes me tired.” - -But the period of waiting was destined to be a short one. Hardly had -Carl disappeared over the summit of the ridge when three figures -appeared there, sharply outlined against the sky. Jimmie crawled closer -under the planes and lay perfectly still for some moments. - -He saw the men pointing toward the aeroplane, heard them shouting to -some one on the other side. Then they came on down the slope, -half-running, half-sliding in their haste. - -“Now, that’s a nice thing!” the boy mused. “They are probably wise to -what we were up to, and stood ready to make a run as soon as we landed. -I wish I knew whether Carl butted into them or whether he got away.” - -All doubt regarding the matter was settled the next moment, for Carl -appeared on the summit, accompanied by three husky-looking men. The men -beckoned to Jimmie and called out to those who were running down the -slope. It was clear that they were inviting him to remain where he was -until the others came up. - -Jimmie could not see the face of his chum, of course, the distance being -too great. In fact, he only knew that it was Carl because of his being -smaller than the others. He could, however, distinguish motions made by -the boy, and these motions commanded him, as plainly as words could have -done, to get the _Louise_ away before the arrival of the men who were -descending the slope. - -Unwilling to leave his chum without knowing more of the situation, -Jimmie hesitated. As he did so, he saw Carl drawn violently over the -ridge. The last movement he saw was made by the boy’s outstretched arms, -commanding him to take the _Louise_ into the air as soon as possible! - -He hesitated no longer but sprang to the seat and set the motors in -motion. The machine lifted clumsily, for the landing had not been a -smooth one, but finally got her into the air, not more than a score of -feet distant from the men who were rushing down upon her. - -The boy anticipated a serious time in getting away, but, although the -men below flourished revolvers threateningly, no bullets were fired. He -brought the machine around to the east in a moment and swept over the -heads of the men below. The group remained at the summit as he passed -over, swinging down over the camp. - -There was naturally great excitement below, and the boy would have -enjoyed the situation immensely if he had been sure of the safety of his -chum. The occupants of the camp rushed out of their tents and threw -their hands and voices into the air as he moved along, only a few yards -above their heads. Again weapons were displayed but no shots came. - -The boy circled the camp twice, but was unable to catch sight of Carl. -Realizing that the boy had undoubtedly been taken to one of the tents, -he turned the machine down the gorge to the valley and swept straight on -toward the shelf of rock from which the red and green signals had been -shown on the first night of their arrival in that vicinity. - -By keeping to this route he was not obliged to ascend to the summit in -order to leave the valley where the hunters’ camp was situated. When he -came closer to the shelf of rock where the signal fire had burned, he -saw three men standing in plain view. - -“I reckon the whole population of British Columbia is centering in these -hills,” the boy mused. “There must have been a dozen or more people in -the hunters’ camp when I passed over it not long ago, and now here’s -three more probably belonging to the same crowd.” - -When the boy came within a few paces of the rock he whirled away to the -south, not caring to seek a landing on the other side of the snowy -ridge. As the machine lifted he saw two more men in the gorge or canyon -which led from the summit down to the shelf. - -“If the men who abducted Colleton and brought him into this country -sought a location filled with peace and solitude, they will probably get -out of it at the earliest moment,” Jimmie mused. - -As the boy turned on full speed in the direction of his camp he caught -sight of an object which caused him to hesitate and then set out in a -circling tour of the valley. - -What he saw was the plane of a flying machine lifting above the top of -the ridge to the east. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - THE MYSTERIOUS SIGNALS. - - -When Carl reached the top of the slope lying between the spot where the -_Louise_ had landed and the camp occupied by the hunters, he found -himself confronted by two men who were climbing up from the tents below. - -The men addressed him civilly, asking about the aeroplane which had just -passed over the camp, and suggesting that the two boys join them at -dinner. They were well-dressed, pleasant-appearing fellows, evidently -products of city life. - -“I don’t think we can accept of your hospitality to-night,” the boy -answered, “because we can’t both leave the machine at the same time. And -besides,” he went on, “it will soon be sundown, and we ought to be -getting back to our friends.” - -“Why, we’ll send a man over to watch the machine,” one of the hunters -argued. “Or, better still,” he continued, “you can bring the machine -right into the camp. So far as I’m concerned, I wish your friends were -with you. New faces are always welcome in a mountain camp.” - -Seeing how insistent the men were, Carl determined to bring the -interview to a close immediately, and turned back up the westward slope -which he had started to descend. - -“Just thought we’d call for a minute,” he said. “If you don’t mind, -we’ll come over early in the day before long and have a good visit.” - -The two men who were now joined by a third followed the lad back to the -summit arguing all the way that he ought not to take his departure so -soon. When the _Louise_ came into view they began beckoning and calling -to Jimmie, as the reader already knows, and also shouting to those in -the camp below. - -“Tell your friend to come on up!” argued one of the men. “You may as -well cross the ridge at this point as farther up. We’d like to have a -look at your machine. Besides, you really must have a cup of coffee with -us before you go away. We can’t lose our guests so soon.” - -During this conversation the men had been beckoning to Jimmie, inviting -him by gestures to bring his machine to camp. Seeing that the men were -not inclined to let him depart at that time, the boy began signaling to -Jimmie to get away in the _Louise_ before the men got to her. - -“Here, kid!” shouted the man who had been doing most of the talking, -“don’t do that. He’ll think you want him to go away and leave you here.” - -“I want him to get the machine away all right!” Carl answered. - -“You’re an obstinate little rascal!” replied the man. “Here, Bob,” he -added, turning to one of the others, “take this kid down to the camp and -keep him there until I return.” - -It was at this point that the men came chasing down the slope and Jimmie -got away in the machine. Carl saw the aeroplane gliding over the camp -with a great deal of satisfaction. He had been forced into one of the -tents near the great fire, but could see the airship distinctly through -the opening in front. Directly the man he had talked with on the summit -entered the tent and sat down by the boy’s side. - -“My name is Frank Harris,” he said abruptly, “what’s yours?” - -“Carl Nichols,” the boy replied, with a grin which brought a smile to -the other’s face. “What do you want to know that for?” - -“Where are you from?” was the next question. - -“The Big Puddle,” replied Carl. - -“Meaning New York?” - -“Sure,” answered Carl, “there’s only one big puddle in the world.” - -“What became of the flying machine you boys were chasing the other -night?” asked Harris after a moment’s reflection. - -“She dropped into a hole in the air and the aviator was killed,” replied -the boy gravely. - -Harris sprang to his feet with a muffled oath and paced up and down in -front of the tent for some time without speaking. When he returned to -the boy’s side his face wore an expression blended between suspicion and -dismay. Carl remained silent until the man spoke again. - -“Is that right?” Harris asked. “Are you telling me the truth?” - -“Sure, I’m telling you the truth!” replied the boy. “The aviator fell -into a hole in the air and didn’t know how to get out of it. We made a -shallow grave and piled about a ton of rock on top of it. If you want to -get the body we’ll show you where it is any time.” - -“Do you know,” Harris began rather angrily, “I hardly believe this story -about the man falling into a hole in the air! Are you sure he didn’t -come to his death as the result of a conflict with some member of your -party?” - -“You don’t think we murdered him, do you?” demanded Carl. - -“Oh, I didn’t say that!” Harris hastened to say. “I only want you to -understand that the matter isn’t yet settled in my mind. What about the -machine which you say was wrecked?” - -“So far as I know,” answered the boy, “it still lies where it fell, and -just as it fell, except that we removed some guy wires to strengthen our -own machine. I don’t think the motors can be used again. We used the -canvas of the planes for a winding sheet, and brought away the -gasoline.” - -“We’ll get the poor fellow out to-morrow!” Harris promised, “and send -the body east to his friends.” - -“You knew him, then?” asked Carl. - -Harris hesitated, colored a trifle, and began a busy pacing of the -ground in front of the tent again. - -“I reckon he sees that he’s made a mistake in claiming any knowledge of -that fellow!” the boy mused with a quiet chuckle. - -“What was it you asked?” inquired Harris, pausing in front of the tent. -“Oh, I remember,” he went on, “you wanted to know if we knew this -aviator who was killed in the race with you.” - -“Why, yes,” Carl replied. “You seemed to know where he lived and who his -friends were. I thought perhaps you might know all about him.” - -“We know nothing whatever about him!” replied Harris, rather angrily. -“He landed at our camp the day before the accident and visited with us a -long time. He seemed to be a very pleasant and intelligent man. So far -as his friends are concerned, we know nothing about them. When I -remarked that we would forward the body, I did so under the supposition -that papers in his possession would inform us as to his name and -residence.” - -“I see,” replied Carl with a knowing smile which the other was not slow -in understanding. “How did you people come to know about the race?” - -“Why, one of our men was up on the summit when the race began and saw -the aeroplanes flying south. We know nothing further than that!” - -“I’m sorry for what took place,” Carl said, “but the man was sailing -over our camp in a suspicious manner, and we thought we’d find out what -he wanted. As a matter of fact, he needn’t have run away when our -machine took after him. There was no need of that.” - -The fact was, as the reader well understands, that the dead aviator had -not been circling the boys’ camp at all. The race, as Carl well knew, -had started in the vicinity of the smugglers’ cave where the _Louise_ -had taken up the chase. The boy made the above statement half expecting -that Harris would contradict him, and so show some further knowledge of -the race and the man who had been killed. - -Harris looked suspiciously at the boy for a moment, half-opening his -lips to speak, but finally decided to remain silent. - -“There’s another thing I want to ask you about,” he went on after a -moment. “You have a young Englishman named DuBois in your camp.” - -“How did you know that?” asked Carl. - -“Why,” was the rather embarrassed reply, “our boys are traveling over -the country in search of game, and we naturally know what’s going on -around us! Besides, we know something about that Englishman. When he -left us, we had a notion that he would go to some nearby camp.” - -“If he tells the truth,” Carl replied, “our camp hadn’t been pitched -when he left yours.” - -“It is my impression,” Harris answered, “that DuBois reached your camp -on the evening of the day he left ours. Did he have a valuable looking -burro with him when he came to you?” - -“He was on foot,” replied Carl, “and we saw nothing of anything like a -burro. He appeared to be completely exhausted with walking.” - -“That was a bit of acting on his part! When he left us he took with him -a burro worth at least two hundred dollars. Large sums of money also -disappeared from the tents that same morning. The boys learned to-day -that he was at your camp and they’re going over to get him.” - -“Will they take him to prison?” asked Carl wonderingly. - -“I’m afraid not!” was the significant reply. - -“What then?” - -“Justice is mighty slow and terribly uncertain in this country,” Harris -answered. “In fact,” he continued, “there’s only one judge who tries -cases to the liking of the people.” - -“You mean Judge Lynch!” suggested Carl. - -“That’s his name,” laughed Harris heartlessly. - -“You don’t mean to say that they’d lynch DuBois without giving him a -hearing?” demanded the boy. - -“I’m afraid they would!” was the reply. - -“You don’t approve of such outrages, do you?” - -“Certainly not!” - -“Then, why don’t you send some one over to the camp to warn DuBois? Or -send an officer who might take him to Field and turn him over to the -law? That would be the right thing to do!” - -“I’ve been thinking of doing that!” replied Harris. “I wish your friend -had remained with the machine. Then we could have sent an officer over -to-night.” - -“He might have remained if you people hadn’t made such a rush for him!” -laughed Carl. “You frightened him away.” - -“You’re a pair of bright boys!” laughed Harris. “I wish I could find a -young fellow just like you to put into my Wall street office. If you -showed the same courage and resourcefulness there that you do in the -mountains, you’d be apt to make the money-kings sit up and take notice -in a few years. Such young men are needed in New York!” - -“I don’t think I’d care to enter on a Wall street career,” Carl replied, -not at all deceived by the gilded bait so cunningly extended. - -“Think it over,” continued Harris. “You may change your mind after you -leave the mountains. It’s a fine opening for you!” - -The lad promised to consider the proposition seriously, and Harris went -away. He returned in a few moments with a bountiful supper, which he -shared with the boy. All through the meal he continued his questions -regarding the race, the Englishman, and the purpose of the boys in -visiting that section of British Columbia. - -Carl answered the questions truthfully whenever he could. He understood, -however, that the attitude of the man who seemed to be so friendly was -absolutely hostile. After supper Harris went away and Carl sat in the -door of the tent watching for the return of the flying machine. He -rather expected that Jimmie would return with one of the boys in order -to find out the exact situation. - -The tent in which he had been placed faced the south and was directly in -front of the fire. As darkness fell he saw members of the party -gathering about the blaze with tin cans in their hands. - -“Now,” he mused, “I wonder what they’re going to do. Looks like they -might about to warm up lobster or canned roast beef for supper.” - -When it became quite dark in the valley the boy was amazed at seeing one -of the men pour a powder from one of the cans into a long-handled shovel -and drop it from there into the fire. The blaze flared up as red as a -police danger-signal. - -Carl came nearer to the flap of the tent and looked out to the north and -east. Greatly to his astonishment he saw a green flame on the shelf of -rock which cut the mountainside at the foot of the canyon in which lay -the smugglers’ cave. - -When the red light in front of his tent died down it was succeeded by a -green flame. A glance at the distant shelf at that instant revealed a -red one. The boy drew back into the tent with a soft chuckle. - -“I guess we didn’t dope it out correctly when we figured that the -signals on the shelf were not intended entirely for whiskey smugglers,” -he said. “It seems to me that these hunters who talked about Wall street -and money-kings are pretty thick with the outlaws!” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - A SURPRISE FOR JIMMIE. - - -When Jimmie saw the planes of the flying machine on the east side of the -summit he dodged away in order that the aviator still below the line of -the ridge might not catch sight of the _Louise_ until he was himself -well in the air. The boy wanted to know, before coming to close -quarters, whether this machine was a new one in that vicinity, and -whether the man in charge was in sympathy with those on the shelf below. - -As soon as the aeroplane came into full view, however, the boy chuckled -and swung close over. It was the _Bertha_, and Ben occupied the -aviator’s seat. Jimmie pointed toward the men on the shelf, asking -mutely whether he ought to land, and Ben shook his head warningly. - -Rather to the disappointment of Jimmie, Ben speeded the _Bertha_ toward -the valley instead of circling the gully and the shelf where the men -stood. However, he was somewhat mollified when he saw Ben seeking a -landing-place. In a very short time the two machines lay side by side on -the grass, and the boys were conferring together. - -Twilight was falling fast, and the light of the fire on the shelf -brought the scene there into distinct view. The boys were not so far -away that they could not recognize one face and figure standing by the -fire. - -At first Jimmie could hardly believe that he saw aright, but in a moment -his impression was confirmed by his chum. - -“What’s DuBois doing with those men?” Jimmie asked. - -“He’s trying to get away!” was the reply. - -“Who are the men?” asked Jimmie. - -“They’re from Neil Howell’s hunting camp.” - -“I thought so!” replied Jimmie. “But what do they want of DuBois?” - -“They’ve got him under arrest!” replied Ben. - -“That’s a nice thing, too! What have they got him under arrest for?” - -“They claim that he stole a horse or a mule or a burro and a lot of -money from their tent.” - -“You don’t believe it, do you?” asked Jimmie. - -“I certainly do not!” - -“What are they going to do with him?” - -“They’re going to take him back to their camp. One of the men said -they’d probably lynch him when they got him there.” - -“Did they get him out of our camp?” asked the boy. - -“No,” answered Ben, “I’m the one that’s to blame for his being in his -present predicament. I set out in the _Bertha_ to see what was going on -at the smugglers’ camp, and let him go with me. When we landed those -fellows came rushing out with guns in their hands and grabbed the -Englishman. I had a gun with me, but of course I couldn’t do anything -against three husky men like the hunters.” - -“And that leaves Mr. Havens alone, of course!” Jimmie said. - -“He thought we’d better go before dark,” Ben explained. “And now,” he -continued, “what have you done with Carl?” - -Jimmie explained what had taken place at the hunters’ camp, and the two -boys looked into each other’s faces with no little anxiety showing in -their eyes. Ben was first to speak. - -“What did they geezle him for?” he asked. - -“I couldn’t imagine at the time,” Jimmie answered, “but I think I see -through the scheme now. When DuBois left their camp and came to ours -they naturally understood that he would tell us all he knew about what -was going on at the place he had just left.” - -“There wasn’t much to tell,” suggested Ben. - -“We don’t know whether there was or not!” answered Jimmie. “That -Englishman hasn’t told us all he knows about the doings there by any -means! He probably knew about the signals. That is, if they had been in -action on previous nights, and he probably knew whether the aviator who -was killed had made any visits to the hunters. You probably noticed how -thoughtful DuBois looked when we told him that the aviator was dead and -that there were no identifying marks or papers about him.” - -“Of course I noticed that!” Ben said. - -“I don’t believe the Englishman told us half he knows about that bunch,” -Jimmie declared, “and it’s my private opinion that he never stole a -thing at that camp! I guess when we know the truth about the matter, -we’ll find that he knows too much about those fellows, and that’s why -they want to get hold of him!” - -“You still believe in the Englishman, do you?” laughed Ben. - -“You bet I do!” answered Jimmie. “And I just believe they got him into -the mountains because they suspected he knew what was going on in that -Pullman stateroom. If you leave it to me, some of the hunters over there -are mixed up in the abduction of Colleton!” - -“That would be too good to be true!” exclaimed Ben. - -“Why would it,” demanded Jimmie. - -“Because it’s a long step in the game we’re playing to find the men who -actually took part in the plot against Colleton. If we have found them -in that bunch over there, we’ve made mighty good progress!” - -“Well, when it all comes out at the end,” Jimmie insisted, “you’ll find -that some of those fellows are in the deal, all right! And you’ll find -that they got DuBois out into the mountains for the reasons I have -already given. They doubtless expected they could keep him with them -until the whole thing blew over. But he ran away for some reasons of his -own and they’re afraid he’ll talk!” - -“You’re the wise little Sherlocko!” laughed Ben. - -Jimmie arose, seized his chum by the shoulders, whirled him around so -that his face looked out toward the shelf of rock, and gave him a -playful punch in the back. - -“I’m the wise little Sherlocko, am I?” he demanded. “If you think I’m -not right, just look there.” - -“What does it mean?” asked Ben as red and green signals alternated from -the blaze at the foot of the gully. - -“It means that the hunters who have grabbed DuBois are communicating -with the same sort of signals we saw before with the men in Neil -Howell’s camp!” - -“Perhaps they are explaining that they’ve captured DuBois.” - -“I don’t care what they’re explaining,” Jimmie exclaimed impatiently. -“What I’m trying to get through your thick head is the fact that they’re -using the same kind of signals the smugglers used. They are also using -the red and green fire the smugglers carried to their rendezvous.” - -“I understand!” Ben exclaimed. “That establishes the connection, all -right! Now, what are we going to do about it?” - -“You got DuBois into that mess,” Jimmie grinned, “and it’s up to you to -get him out. It’s a wonder they ever let you get away with your machine -after grabbing him! They overlooked a bet, there.” - -“They didn’t want me to get away with it,” Ben answered modestly. “In -fact,” he continued, “they placed a man down there to see that I didn’t -get away with it. While they were busy putting DuBois through the third -degree, I slipped down to the machine and caught the guard when he -wasn’t looking. Then I got away with the _Bertha_.” - -“Caught him when he wasn’t looking, did you?” chuckled Jimmie. “What did -you do to him?” - -“I bumped him on the coco with the butt of my automatic!” was the reply. -“I guess probably he’s laying on the ground there yet!” - -“You’re the wise little sleuth, too!” laughed Jimmie. “And now,” he -continued, “have you any idea how we’re going to wedge our way into that -mess of pirates and cut out DuBois?” - -“I haven’t an idea in my head!” answered Ben. “And I think we’d better -go back to camp and talk to Mr. Havens about it. Probably he’ll know -what to do!” - -“He ought to be consulted in the matter anyway,” said Jimmie. - -“Yes, and by the time we get done talking with Mr. Havens those outlaws -will have DuBois halfway over to their camp,” grumbled Ben. - -“Well, you proposed talking with Mr. Havens yourself!” - -“Yes, but I didn’t think that time was an important element in this case -just now. Do you think you can climb that slope and get up to the place -where those fellows are without being seen?” - -“We can climb the slope all right!” Jimmie answered. - -“And we ought to do it without being seen,” Ben went on, “because it’s -going to be darker than a stack of black cats.” - -“What’ll we do when we get there?” asked Jimmie. - -“We’ll have to settle that question on the ground!” answered Ben. - -“Look here!” cried Jimmie. “I’ve got a hunch!” - -“What’s the answer?” asked Ben. - -“When we sneak up the slope, we’ll make for the place where the whiskey -is stored. If Crooked Terry is there at all he’ll be drunk, and we’ll -talk immunity, and a lot of other stuff to him, until he thinks we’re -there to save him from a life sentence in the penitentiary. That will -give us the run of the cavern, and we ought to be able to sneak out at -some time during the night and get DuBois away.” - -“If they leave him there all night!” Ben replied. - -“There’s no danger of their making a hike to the hunters’ camp in the -darkness,” Jimmie replied. “Those fellows are not mountain men, and -they’d break their necks before they had gone halfway down the slope.” - -“I guess you’re right,” Ben answered, “and I don’t think we’ll have much -trouble making a sneak into the cavern. The only thing about the plan -that doesn’t look good to me is the fact that we must leave our machines -here alone in the valley. I don’t like that!” - -“Unless a grizzly bear or a wolverine should take a notion to go out on -a midnight joy-ride,” Jimmie declared, “no one will disturb the -machines. Of course it would be safer if we had some one here to watch -them, but we haven’t, and we’ve got to do the next best thing. However, -I think they’re safe enough.” - -Extinguishing all the lights and emptying the store boxes of automatics, -cartridges, and searchlights, the boys pushed and pulled the machines -into as secluded a place as they could find and started up the slope. - -It was very dark and they dare not use their electrics, so they were -obliged to proceed slowly until they came to the smooth ascent which led -directly to the shelf. Then, although the climbing was arduous, they -proceeded more rapidly. - -When they came close to the fire they saw three men standing by the -blaze. DuBois was not there. The supposition, of course, was that they -had stowed him away in some secure hole in the cavern from which it -would not be possible for him to escape. - -“It’s dollars to dill pickles,” whispered Jimmie as they softly skirted -the fire and crept up the gully, “that the Englishman has been left in -the charge of that old crook. If that’s the case, we ought to be able to -get him without much trouble if we don’t send an avalanche of stones -down this gully before we get to the top.” - -The gully presented no avalanche of stones to send down. It was quite -evident, even in the darkness, that the rough trail had been used enough -recently to clear the way of anything which might go rolling and -tumbling to the bottom. When the boys came to the mouth of the cavern -they saw the crook sitting with his back against one of the walls, an -automatic in his hand. He recognized them instantly as they came up, and -seemed glad of their company. - -It will be remembered that he had been promised immunity by Dick -Sherman, the mounted policeman, and that the boys had been associated -with the officers. In fact, the fellow cast an inquiring glance down the -gully as the boys appeared as if he expected to see the officers -following along behind them. It did not take the lads long to convince -the half-drunken crook that he ought to produce the Englishman. -Believing that any favors shown the boys would be appreciated by the man -whom he expected to save him from a long imprisonment, Terry retired -into the cavern and soon returned with DuBois. - -“They’ll crack me crust when they find he’s gone!” Terry said as the -boys and the Englishman started away together. - -“Then perhaps you’d better come with us,” suggested DuBois. “You’ll be -safer at the boys’ camp than here, I’m sure!” - -The crook agreed to this and the four got away without any difficulty -whatever. In an hour they were at the camp. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - THE SECRET HIDING-PLACE. - - -When the two machines reached the camp they found Mr. Havens very -anxious over the long delay. - -“I thought I had lost you all this time!” the aviator said. “I had -company for a time, but he’s gone now.” - -“You came very near losing me, don’t you know!” DuBois exclaimed. - -“And I did lose Carl!” Jimmie confessed. - -“And I came near losing the _Louise_!” Ben added. - -“And Terry here,” Jimmie cried pushing the crook forward, “lost his -stock of wet goods when he left the cave!” - -Terry, who had been very nervous during the ride through the air, and -who now lay sprawled out on the ground as if he never intended to leave -solid earth again, gravely took two pint bottles filled with brandy from -his pockets and set them out on the grass at his side. Then he rolled -over and took a bottle of whiskey from another pocket. This he ranged -with the others standing them all in a row so that the firelight gave -their contents deep ruby tints. - -“It’s a cold day when I get left for a drink!” he exclaimed, with a -cunning leer, as he pointed to the three bottles. - -After the boys had related their adventures they proceeded to cook -supper, and while this was being consumed they discussed the situation -at the camp which DuBois had deserted. - -“What’s the idea of accusing you of stealing that burro?” asked Jimmie -turning to the Englishman. - -“That’s a beastly shame, don’t you know!” exclaimed DuBois. - -“You didn’t steal the burro, of course?” asked Mr. Havens. - -“Look here!” exclaimed the Englishman. “Do I look like a person who -would be apt to steal a mountain burro?” - -“You certainly do not!” replied the aviator. - -“Of course, it’s a frame-up!” declared Jimmie. - -“What’s a frame-up?” asked DuBois innocently. - -“When a man’s jobbed,” answered Jimmie, “they call it a frame-up!” - -This explanation was no explanation at all to the Englishman, and so the -boys explained that in their opinion, the hunters were, for reasons of -their own, trying to send an innocent man to prison or cause him to be -lynched. When at last DuBois understood he nodded his head vigorously. - -“That’s the idea, don’t you know!” he said. “It’s a frame-up, and they -want to job me! I’ll remember those terms, don’t you know!” - -“Why?” asked Mr. Havens. “Why should they want to job you?” - -“They think I know too much!” - -“If you do,” cried Jimmie, “you haven’t told it to us!” - -“Besides,” DuBois continued, “this Neil Howell caught sight of me bag -one day, don’t you know.” - -“Now, it’s all as clear as mud!” cried Jimmie. “I know all about it now! -You ran away to escape being robbed of the bag!” - -“Something like that, don’t you know!” - -“I guess if you hadn’t run away,” Ben put in, “you would have been -dropped down a precipice some dark night!” - -“Do you know,” asked DuBois innocently, “that that is just the way I -figured it out?” - -“Well, you figured it out right,” Mr. Havens answered. - -“What will they be apt to do with Carl?” questioned Jimmie. - -“They won’t be apt to injure him,” DuBois replied. “They’ll get all the -information they can from the lad and turn him loose just before they -get ready to leave the country.” - -“You think they’ll leave the country right away?” asked Mr. Havens. - -“I think they will!” was the answer. - -“You remember the sick man in the stateroom?” asked Jimmie. - -“I never saw him, don’t you know.” - -“You suspected there was something mysterious about the manner in which -he was being carried across the continent, didn’t you?” - -“Indeed, I did!” was the reply. - -“Did you know at that time, or have you learned since, that a -post-office inspector named Colleton had been abducted from the -post-office building in Washington?” continued the boy. - -“I read about it in the papers at San Francisco.” - -“Did you see in the newspapers in San Francisco a description of the -younger man who stood in the corridor at the door of Colleton’s room?” - -“I think I did!” answered DuBois. - -“When you found the sporty coat, the false beard, and the dickey with -the wing collar and the red tie, and the hat in the valise you bought of -the porter, did that remind you of anything?” - -The Englishman nodded and waited eagerly for the boy to go on. - -“You knew those things were in the valise you bought before you came to -our camp, didn’t you?” asked Ben. - -“Indeed, I did,” was the reply, “although I tried to make you boys -believe that I had then discovered them for the first time.” - -“I understand,” Jimmie said, “and I think,” he went on, “that I -understand your motive in telling that little white lie at that time. -You wanted to see what effect the production of the articles would have -on us, didn’t you? You suspected that we were here on some mission -connected with the disappearance of Colleton, but you weren’t sure!” - -“That’s exactly right, don’t you know.” - -“And you knew that if we were on such a mission, the appearance of the -articles in our camp would create a sensation!” - -“Very cleverly stated, don’t you know!” - -“Isn’t Jimmie the cute little Sherlocko, though?” asked Ben winking at -Mr. Havens. - -“I’m going to get that kid a job on the New York police force!” laughed -the millionaire aviator. - -“Don’t you do it!” advised Ben. “Let the boy lead a respectable life as -long as he can!” - -“Before you came here,” Jimmie asked turning to the Englishman, “you -doubtless understood the motive of this man Howell in getting you away -on the hunting trip. You understood that he wanted to keep you out of -sight for a while?” - -“Yes, I understood all that!” - -“And now here’s the big question!” grinned Jimmie. “As the attorney for -the defense says in the criminal courts, I want you to consider well -before you answer. Do you know whether Colleton was brought into this -country or not?” - -“I haven’t the slightest idea, don’t you know!” - -“You believe with us that the man who was killed in the race was the man -who left the post-office building with Colleton, and that Colleton was -disguised in the articles you now have in your valise?” - -“I think that’s quite plain,” answered the Englishman. - -“But you don’t know whether Colleton was left in San Francisco, or sent -out on a voyage across the Pacific, or brought into British Columbia.” - -“There has never been a hint of Colleton in the camp, so far as I know. -In fact,” he went on, “the men in the camp, as a rule, are business men -who know nothing about the abduction of Colleton or the motive of Howell -in bringing me here. That is the reason why I say that your chum will -not be injured in the camp.” - -“I’m glad to know that they’re not all crooks!” Mr. Havens declared. - -“At the time of the abduction of Colleton, don’t you know,” the -Englishman went on, “according to the reports in the newspaper, several -valuable documents were taken from his office.” - -“Some very important documents,” Mr. Havens commented. - -DuBois arose and walked swiftly to the tent to which he had been -assigned. In a moment he reappeared with the bag in his hand. He took -the articles it contained out one by one and laid them carefully on the -grass. His own possessions made a small heap, but the sporty coat, the -false beard, the hat, and the dickey with the wing collar and the red -tie made quite a pile. - -“Did we miss something on the first search?” asked Jimmie. - -“You didn’t make any search at all, don’t you know,” replied the -Englishman. “You didn’t look through the bag.” - -The articles being all removed, he opened the mouth of the bag to its -full width and drew out a false bottom. Under the bottom lay several -folded papers which he proceeded to remove one by one. - -“I can smell iodoform now, can’t you?” asked Jimmie. - -“What do you mean by that?” demanded the Englishman. - -“Didn’t they use iodoform in the private stateroom where the sick man -was?” - -“How did you come to know that?” asked the Englishman. - -“Smell of the papers!” advised Jimmie. “They used iodoform in the -stateroom, and these papers were opened and examined there! Do you begin -to see daylight?” - -“Do you know why they used iodoform in the stateroom?” asked Mr. Havens. -“Is it possible that they wounded Colleton and found the use of the drug -necessary?” - -“I don’t know about that,” DuBois answered, “but I do remember now that -there was a smell of iodoform whenever the man in brown opened the -stateroom door.” - -“Now, let’s see the papers,” Mr. Havens suggested. - -Jimmie got one look at the documents as they were being passed to the -aviator and jumped about four feet into the air! - -“That’s pretty poor, I guess!” he shouted. - -“What is it?” asked Ben. - -“Looks to me like the papers stolen from Colleton’s office!” - -The aviator took the papers into his hand and examined them intently for -a moment. Then he turned to Jimmie with a smile. - -“You’re right!” he said. “These are the papers described in my -instructions! And they’re all here—every one!” - -“Look here!” chuckled Jimmie. “If some guy should come down to New York -some day and steal the Singer building, and you should be sent out to -find it, and should get into a submarine and dive down to the bottom of -the China sea, you’d find the Singer building right there waiting for us -to come and get it!” - -“That’s the kind of luck we’ve had in this case!” admitted Mr. Havens. - -“Luck?” repeated Jimmie. “There ain’t any luck about it! We’ve just -loafed around camp, and taken joy-rides in flying machines, and the -other fellows have brought all the goods to us.” - -“It strikes me,” Mr. Havens suggested, “that we ought to get rid of Mr. -DuBois and his hand-bag just about as soon as possible. I have no doubt -that the fellows over in the other camp recognized the hand-bag lost by -the man in brown.” - -“And that means that they’ll knock DuBois’ head off if they get a -chance!” Jimmie cut in. - -“It means that they’ll murder every person in this camp,” Mr. Havens -continued, “rather than permit the papers in the bottom of that bag to -get back to Washington. Mr. DuBois ought not to remain here another -hour!” - -“What’s the answer?” asked Jimmie. - -“How far is it to the nearest railway point?” asked the aviator. - -“Field is not more than a couple of hours’ ride away,” replied Ben. - -“Let me take him there to-night and dump him on board a train for the -east, bag and all!” exclaimed Jimmie. - -“That’s what I was about to suggest,” Mr. Havens answered. - -“But, look here!” interrupted the Englishman. “I’d rather stay and see -the bloody game to the finish, don’t you know!” - -“I don’t blame you for not wanting to run away,” Ben declared. - -“Think it over,” the aviator suggested. “At least the bag and its -contents must be taken out of the camp to-night. Mr. DuBois can go out -with it if he wants to.” - -It was decided that the Englishman should accompany Ben out to Field and -make up his mind on the journey whether he would return to the camp. - -They started away immediately, Ben promising to be back before daylight. -When he returned just before sunrise DuBois was with him and he bore an -astonishing piece of information. - -“Here’s another extract from my dream-book!” exclaimed Jimmie. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - THE BOY AND THE BEAR. - - -Carl slept little that night. The man who had given his name as Frank -Harris occupied the tent with him and the two talked until a very late -hour. The boy saw from the first that his inquisitor was trying to -obtain all the information in his possession regarding the purpose of -the Flying Machine Boys in visiting British Columbia. - -It is needless to say that no mention was made of the Colleton case. -Carl knew that the fellow was talking round and round the subject, but -he did not see fit to swallow the bait and mention the name of the -abducted post-office inspector. - -Harris talked a great deal about Wall street and the chances for young -boys there, and repeatedly suggested that Carl and Jimmie join his -office force. The boy understood what this all meant, and did not “fall -for the fly,” as Jimmie might have expressed it. - -“I’d like to know how I’m ever going to get back to our camp,” Carl -said, as Harris mentioned the possibility of his return the next day. - -“Why,” Harris replied, in apparent amazement at the remark, “one of your -friends will come after you in a flying machine, I suppose!” - -“I don’t know whether they will or not!” answered Carl. “You fellows -scared Jimmie away so he won’t be likely to return right off.” - -“He needn’t have been afraid,” Harris laughed. “We wanted to entertain -the two of you, and, besides, some of the fellows wanted to take a look -at the machine!” - -“And you wanted to know all about the Englishman, too, didn’t you?” -chuckled Carl. - -“Oh, we’ll capture the Englishman without much trouble,” Harris replied. -“As I told you before, we have men out after him.” - -“I should think you fellows would be afraid of the smugglers!” Carl -suggested. “I’ve heard stories about smugglers being in this country!” - -“What kind of smugglers?” asked Harris. - -“Whiskey smugglers!” - -“Oh, they’re a cheap lot!” declared Harris. “They wouldn’t dare molest a -party of gentlemen out on a hunting trip!” - -“Had you heard anything about smugglers being here?” asked Carl. - -“Certainly not!” was the reply. - -Carl chuckled to himself softly in the darkness of the tent. The red and -green signals had, of course, informed him that this party of alleged -gentlemen was holding communication with some one on the shelf which had -been occupied by the smugglers, and also holding communication with the -same signals which had been used from the smugglers’ fire. - -Naturally the boy was anxious for the safety of Mr. Havens, temporarily -unable to defend himself in case of attack, and his chums. When daylight -came he moved out of the tent hoping to be able to get away on foot -without attracting attention. - -In a moment he was undeceived as to this, for a burly fellow who was -rebuilding the fire motioned him back to the tent with an oath. The -attitude of the guard disclosed the hostility of the whole camp, -notwithstanding the insincere conversation of Harris. - -After breakfast Harris beckoned to the boy and the two proceeded up the -plateau to the steep ascent which led to the summit of the ridge. - -There Harris paused and drawing forth a field-glass looked intently in -the direction of the shelf at the foot of the gully. - -“Friends over there?” asked Carl knowing very well what the man was -looking for. - -“Why, some of our fellows who went out in search of the Englishman may -have brought up over there!” Harris replied in a hesitating way. - -“Can you see any of them?” asked the boy. - -“I see people moving about on the ledge over there!” - -“But you can’t tell who they are?” asked Carl. - -“Hardly,” was the reply. “The distance is too great.” - -Harris leveled his glass at the distant ledge once more, and seeing him -thus occupied the boy crept down the incline to the west of the slope, -and disappeared in a narrow and rather dismal-looking opening in the -cliff. - -At first he passed only a yard or so into what appeared to be a rather -deep cavern. He knew that his flight would be instantly discovered and -had a curiosity to know which direction the pursuit would take. - -Directly he heard Harris calling out: - -“Hello, kid!” - -Carl crept farther into the crevice. - -“There’s no use in your hiding,” Carl heard the man say. “Even if you -should get away now, you’d starve to death in the hills!” - -Directly Carl heard footsteps scrambling down the slope, and knew that -Harris was not many feet away from his hiding-place. - -Had he been armed the fellow’s life might have been in danger at that -time, but his automatic had been removed as soon as he had been taken to -the tent. However, a small pocket electric searchlight had not been -discovered when the careless search of his clothing had been made. - -Harris came on grumbling and swearing, and the boy thought best to move -farther back into the cavern. The chamber into which he made his way -grew wider as he advanced. It seemed to be one of the caverns formed by -the action of water washing out soft strata of rock. - -Looking back he saw the figure of his pursuer darken the entrance, and -so stumbled on blindly in the darkness, his hands brushing against one -side of the cavern as he advanced. - -For all the boy knew there might be breaks in the fairly level floor of -the cave. He well knew that subterranean streams often cut through the -floors of such caverns. To fall into such a stream meant death, but he -dare not expose even the tiny light of his electric, so he kept on in -the darkness, feeling his way as best he could. - -Directly he heard Harris calling from the entrance, using persuasive -language at first, and declaring that the boy would be immediately -returned to his own camp if he gave up his mad attempt to make his way -back on foot. Carl crouched closer against the wall and remained silent. -He knew from the sounds coming from the entrance that Harris was -creeping into the cavern. He had just decided to press on farther in -spite of the danger when a blood-curdling growl and a rattling of strong -claws on rocks came to his ears. - -Carl declares to this day that his hair rose so swiftly at the sound of -that growl that half of it was pulled out by the roots! - -He had no weapon with which to defend himself, and to flash his light -into the eyes of the brute would be to betray his presence to his -pursuer. - -Once possessed of the knowledge of his whereabouts, it would not be -necessary for Harris to follow on into the cavern. He would only have to -wait at the entrance for the boy to make his way out. - -In a moment the boy realized that the bear was passing the spot where he -stood. He could hardly believe his senses when he heard the clatter of -claws on the floor and saw the black bulk of the animal obstructing the -narrow shaft of light creeping in from the slope. - -Before long he knew by the exclamations of alarm and the hasty pounding -of feet that Harris was making his way out of the cavern. Remembering -the long, narrow passage through which he had made his way before coming -to the chamber, Carl followed the animal toward the entrance and, as -soon as the sound of Harris’ flight had vanished, turned on his light. - -The bear was in the narrow passage. His great bulk almost shut out the -daylight. He gave a great snarl as Carl approached from behind and -turned his head to one side, but the passage was not wide enough for him -to turn around. He must either pass out and come in head first or back -up to where the subterranean place widened. - -For a time the bear seemed undecided as to what he ought to do. He -growled fiercely at the boy, but could not reach him. He moved toward -the slope occasionally, but always hesitated before pushing his nose -into the daylight. From this the boy argued that Harris stood near the -entrance, and the bear was afraid to attack him. - -Carl took out his pocket-knife and stationed himself at the end of the -narrow passage. - -“He can’t eat me with his hind legs!” he grinned, “and if he tries to -back I’ll give him a few slashes that will send him out into the open.” - -The bear tried to back and didn’t like it. He rushed toward the entrance -again snarling angrily, but, evidently sensing danger there, drew back -once more. - -“Drive the brute out, kid!” advised Harris from the outside. - -“He’ll bite you if I do!” chuckled Carl. - -“No, he won’t; I’ve got a gun ready for him!” - -“You go on away,” Carl suggested, “and I’ll come out.” - -“The bear will escape if I go too far away.” - -“Aw, let him get away if he wants to!” - -“And let you get away, too, I suppose?” suggested Harris. - -“Why not?” asked Carl. - -“Because we want information which we believe to be in your possession!” -replied Harris. - -“You pumped me dry last night!” insisted the boy. - -“Come, hurry up,” advised Harris. “Give the bear a couple of pokes and -drive him out! I’ll take care of him, and you, too,” he added under his -breath. - -The last part of the sentence was not intended to be overheard by the -boy, but his quick ears caught the words. He knew that the present -situation could not long continue, but was hoping all the time that some -one would come to his assistance. - -Men from the camp below now began gathering about the entrance to the -cavern, and many observations intended to be humorous were passed to and -fro as they grouped about. - -“Are you coming out?” demanded Harris directly. - -“No,” answered Carl. - -“Then we’ll come in and get you!” - -“The bear’ll bite you if you come in here!” answered Carl. - -The men stood talking outside for a long time. The bear did not back up -against the boy again, and so received no more wounds. The beast was, -however, evidently growing more savage every moment. It seemed to Carl -that he must soon rush out of the cavern and attack the men in front. - -After a long time a succession of whines came from the rear, and Carl -knew that the crisis was at hand. It was plain now that he had entered a -bear home which was abundantly supplied with babies. - -When the cubs lifted their voices in protest against the absence of -their mother, the animal in the narrow passage began to back again. The -men outside apparently knew what was taking place, for the opening was -darkened by a sturdy figure as the animal pressed back to where Carl -stood. The boy hesitated for a long time trying to decide upon the best -course to pursue. - -He did not relish the idea of wounding the mother bear with his knife, -but still less did he like the notion of himself being wounded by the -sharp teeth and claws of the animal. He knew that if he could keep the -bear in the narrow passage his pursuers could not enter, but at the same -time he understood that this situation could not long endure. - -“I wonder if the old lady would overlook me long enough to get to her -babies if I should let her pass?” mused the boy. - -The lad was not called upon to answer that question, for while he -hesitated a shout came from the outside, and the man who had been -creeping in withdrew, his bulky body giving place to a slant of -sunshine. - -“They’ve got the machine!” he heard some one saying. - -“I don’t believe it!” another voice declared. “If you see a machine it -isn’t one of the three belonging to the boys.” - -“I don’t know who it belongs to,” the first speaker insisted, “but I -know there’s a machine coming this way from the shelf of rock!” - -“Perhaps they have captured a machine and they are bringing that blasted -Englishman over,” still another voice cut in. - -At that moment the desperate bear in the passage charged. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - THE DOG IN THE CAVERN. - - -When Ben returned with DuBois, Mr. Havens regarded the Englishman -quizzically for a moment before speaking. - -“I didn’t expect you to return at this time,” he said. - -“I couldn’t have kept him away with a cannon,” Ben cut in. “You see,” -the boy continued, “when we got to Field, I had to get a whole lot of -folks out of bed. The clatter of the motors had already awakened about -half the town, and I had to wake up the rest.” - -“I don’t see why!” said Mr. Havens. - -“Well,” Ben explained, “I had to wake up the express agent to get the -hand-bag nailed up in a peach of a hard wood box, and locked up in his -safe. Then I had to wake up a couple of men to induce the telegraph -operator to come to his office. He said he wanted to sleep.” - -“Why didn’t you let him sleep?” asked Mr. Havens. - -“I did let him sleep, after I kicked his window in, until I got the two -husky men from a miners’ camp to pull him out of bed.” - -“You must have made quite a sensation in that little burg.” - -“Don’t you know,” cut in the Englishman, “I never felt so conspicuous in -all me life.” - -“We were conspicuous, all right!” laughed Ben. “Well,” he continued, -“the operator bucked on working the wire after we got into the office, -but after DuBois held a private conversation with him in the corner he -set to work like he enjoyed being waked up nights.” - -“How much did you give him, Mr. DuBois?” asked Jimmie. - -The Englishman made no reply, and Mr. Havens went on with his questions. - -“Why did you want to get him to the telegraph office?” - -“Well,” began Ben, “you remember when we were talking about the -disguise, the dickey, the sporty coat and false beard and all that? This -little Jimmie had the nerve to say that the abductor buffaloed Colleton -into opening the safe and taking out the papers.” - -“And I’ll stick to that, too!” declared Jimmie. - -“And the rascal said, too,” Ben went on, “that when Colleton opened the -safe, the brigand shut the discarded clothing into it!” - -“And I’ll stand by that, too!” declared Jimmie. “They searched the room, -didn’t they? They didn’t find the articles of clothing, did they? Well, -then, they must have been put in the safe!” - -“That’s a poor deduction!” declared Ben. - -“Well, you go on and tell what you telegraphed to Washington about,” -Jimmie insisted. “Tell the truth, now!” - -“I didn’t say I telegraphed to Washington,” Ben insisted. - -“But you did, though, didn’t you?” - -“Look here,” Ben exclaimed. “If you’re going to tell this story, you -just go right ahead and tell it. You’re always butting in!” - -“All right!” grinned Jimmie with a wink at Mr. Havens. “I can go ahead -and tell it. I know what you telegraphed to Washington for, and I know -what you found out!” - -“Go on and tell it, then!” - -“You telegraphed to Washington in Mr. Havens’ name, and asked if there -were any new developments in the Colleton case.” - -“That’s right,” admitted Ben. - -“The people at Washington had to get some one out of bed, and the person -they got out of bed had to find out whether you were alive or dead, and -whether they had a right to tell you what you wanted to know, and unwind -a lot of red tape, and then you got the information you sought!” - -“What’s the use of sparring for wind?” demanded Ben. “Why don’t you go -on and tell about it?” - -“You just wait until I turn over another leaf of my dream-book and I’ll -tell you all about it. That is, I could tell you all about it if I -wanted to, but I ain’t going to.” - -Ben was shaking with laughter and the sober-faced Englishman was -actually smiling. - -“If I wanted to,” continued Jimmie, “I could tell you that the man at -Washington wired that the safe in Colleton’s office had at last been -opened by an expert. I could also tell you that he admitted that the -coat and hat of the post-office inspector were found in the safe. I -could also tell you that there began to be a faint suspicion in -Washington that Colleton had walked out of his office with the man in -brown and had been carried out of the city in the private stateroom of a -Pullman-car. But look here,” the boy continued with a very annoying -grin, “you’ve been making so much fun of my dream-book lately that I’m -not going to tell you a thing about it!” - -“Is that the correct story, Mr. DuBois?” asked Havens. - -“That comes very near to being the correct story, don’t you know!” the -Englishman replied. - -“Is it?” demanded Jimmie, fairly dancing up and down. - -“That’s the story they told,” Ben admitted. - -“Say,” Jimmie shouted, “when I get back to New York, I’m going to open -an office for the purpose of disclosing the future, and I’m going to -write a new dream-book, and guarantee all the dreams on an extra payment -of five dollars per!” - -“Look here, kid,” demanded Ben, “how the dickens did you ever dream this -all out?” - -“No dream about it!” argued Jimmie. “Colleton had to get out of his -room, and he couldn’t go up through the ceiling or down through the -floor. He had to pass out of the door. Anybody with the sense of geese -ought to know that the two men seen in the corridor had just passed out -of Colleton’s room. It’s the only solution there is to the mystery!” - -“Oh, it all looks easy now as soon as we get as far as the hindsight!” -said Ben. - -“Well,” Jimmie laughed, “I’ve done a lot of guessing in this case, and -I’m glad I guessed one proposition correctly. I was just certain that -Colleton’s clothing would be found in the safe, but still I was a little -leary when Ben came back with his story that he had been using the wire. -You see, I understood without his saying so that he’d been talking with -Washington.” - -“Well,” Mr. Havens said after a moment’s thought, “we’ve got the papers, -and we’ve got the disguise, but we haven’t got Colleton. In fact, we’re -no nearer getting hold of him than we were the first day we took the -case!” - -“Don’t you ever think that!” declared Jimmie. “We’ve connected Colleton -with a number of people who might have had a hand in his abduction. If -this work hasn’t brought us to the man himself, it has put us in -position to find out where he is.” - -“But the man who actually took the inspector from his office is dead!” -Mr. Havens argued. “We can’t bring the dead to life, and it may be that -no other person on earth knew of the personality of the men back of the -whole plot.” - -“What’s the matter with this Neil Howell?” asked Jimmie. - -“That is only a faint clue!” declared Mr. Havens. - -“Anyway,” insisted Jimmie, “we’re on the right track, and I’m tickled to -think that we struck British Columbia!” - -“I wonder if Carl is?” asked Ben with a sudden drawing down of his face. -“I hope the boy will soon show up!” - -“They won’t permit him to leave their camp, don’t you know,” the -Englishman interposed, “until they find out more about the exact -situation of affairs. The decent fellows in the camp won’t stand for his -being abused, but he won’t be permitted to depart.” - -“Aw, what right have they got to go and tie a chum of ours up?” demanded -Jimmie. “They’re a lot of fresh guys anyway, and they called me a lot of -names just because they couldn’t get their hands on the machine. I wish -I’d ’a’ had a hot water hose. I’d ’a’ cooked their skins good and -plenty! They’re too fresh!” - -“Second the motion!” cried Ben. “Why ain’t we on our way to Carl instead -of loafing before this fire?” - -“We’ll be on our way there quick enough if Carl doesn’t show up pretty -soon!” declared Jimmie. - -Crooked Terry, who had been sleeping behind one of the tents, now came -staggering up to the fire and stood weaving back and forth as if he had -some unpleasant communication. - -“Look here, you fellows,” he said in a moment, speaking in the husky -tone common to tipplers, “I forgot something! I’ve got to go back to the -cavern!” - -“You might have brought another bottle with you, then,” laughed Jimmie. - -Terry meandered deliberately to the rear of the tent and returned in a -moment with two full bottles of liquor, which he held out to the boys -with a sly wink. - -“I don’t want to go back after whiskey!” he said. “I’m stinting myself -to a bottle a day for two days. I’m going to swear off! I never got into -trouble when I was sober. The minute I get drunk I go and do the very -thing I ought not to do. Therefore, I’m going to swear off!” - -“Going to keep sober, are you?” asked Jimmie. - -“You know it!” - -“I’ve got a picture of your keeping sober!” Ben laughed. - -“You don’t know what you’ve talking about, kid!” Terry continued. “It’s -easy enough to keep sober if you can get sober to start with. It won’t -be any trouble for me to keep on the water wagon after I get the booze -out of my system!” - -“You haven’t told us what you’ve got to go back to the cavern for,” Mr. -Havens reminded him. - -“Well,” Terry began, dropping his glance to the ground, “the fact of the -matter is that I left a—a—a—dog fastened up in a hole in the wall back -there, and he’ll starve to death if I don’t go back.” - -“What’d you go and do that for?” demanded Jimmie. “Why didn’t you let -him out before you came away?” - -“When we came away,” Terry replied with a ferocious wink, “we wasn’t -thinking about dogs packed away in holes in the walls! I was fuller than -a goat, anyway, and I wouldn’t have thought of—of—this dog if I’d been -walking away under a peaceful summer sky with no danger in sight.” - -“Perhaps the fellows we left on the shelf will find the dog and feed -him,” suggested Mr. Havens. - -“No, they won’t find him!” declared Terry. “When I hide a dog, they -don’t everybody come along and find him!” - -“If you fellows’ll fix up a nice breakfast for the dog and take me up in -the machine, I’ll go and feed him!” - -“What should you say this imprisoned animal would like for breakfast?” -asked Jimmie. - -“Well,” Terry went on with another elaborate wink, “I have an idea this -dog would like some broiled ham, and some fried eggs, and some German -potatoes, and some bread and butter, and a quart or two of coffee. You -see,” he went on, “this dog didn’t have any supper last night, on -account of my getting a skate on, and he hasn’t had any breakfast this -morning because I eloped from the whiskey den last night, and he’ll be -pretty hungry.” - -Jimmie caught the crook by the arm and led him away to the other side of -the fire, winking in the direction of the others as he did so. - -“Tell it to me!” the boy said. - -“All right!” Terry remarked. “Tell me what to tell to you!” - -“Tell me who’s hidden in the cavern!” - -“There’s a dog hidden in the cavern.” - -“Only a dog?” demanded the boy. - -“A dog,” repeated Terry. “I said a dog!” - -“If we go with you with the breakfast in the machine,” Jimmie asked, -“will you tell us all about how the dog came to be hidden in the cavern -and who helped hide him there?” - -“It ain’t no secret about hiding the dog!” replied Terry. - -“Just the same,” Jimmie replied, “I’ve got a hunch that no dog is due -for such a breakfast as you’ve ordered.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - ARRESTS ARE MADE. - - -There was a tremendous din in the cavern as the bear shot out of the -opening. The wailing of the cubs at the rear, the volley of rifle shots -at the front, and the smell of powder smoke confused Carl for a moment. -Then he crept forward to the entrance, almost entirely concealed by the -smoke, and looked out into the brilliant sunlight. - -The bear lay dead on the slope, but the men gathered about her were not -congratulating themselves on their victory, or, in fact, paying any -attention to the vanquished enemy. Their eyes were fixed on an aeroplane -which was speeding in from the west, evidently heading for the summit -just above the camp. - -“That’s not one of the machines belonging to the boys,” Carl heard some -one say. - -“I thought,” another man complained, “that we were getting out of the -zone of civilization when we struck British Columbia.” - -“I thought so, too,” another voice said, “but we’re running up against -impertinent Britishers, and flying machines, and many other nuisances -which belong entirely on the paved streets and in the air above the -town.” - -The machine was now so close to the group, and also to the entrance to -the cavern, that the rattle of the motors well-nigh drowned the sound of -conversation. Still, directly, Carl heard some one shout that there were -three men on the machine, and that one of them was Dick Sherman, the -chief of the mounted police of that district. - -The boy uttered a sigh of relief and moved out of the cavern to be -greeted with shouts of laughter and many alleged jokes. - -“How do you like living with the bears?” one of the hunters demanded. - -“Bears are all right!” replied Carl. “There’re about a dozen baby bears -in there! They seem to be cute little fellows, with good voices.” - -“What do you say, boys; say we all take a baby bear home with us!” asked -one of the hunters. - -The question was greeted with applause, and half a dozen men immediately -made a dash for the cavern. Before long two came out carrying cubs, -probably from four to eight weeks of age. - -“Where are the others?” asked Carl. “Why didn’t you all get one?” - -“There were only two!” was the answer. - -“Only two!” repeated Carl. “They made noise enough for two hundred! I -thought all the forty bears who came out of the wilderness and devoured -the two children were on deck!” - -“I guess you’re mixed in your Sunday school lesson!” one of the men -remarked. - -“Perhaps,” Carl admitted. “It might have been two bears and forty -children. I don’t know. What I intended to convey was the idea that -there was noise enough in there to represent a thousand bear cubs.” - -The aeroplane, sailing very low, now passed almost through the group of -men, and Dick Sherman waved a hand in greeting at the boy. - -“Do you know him?” asked one of the hunters turning to Carl. - -“Sure I know him!” answered Carl. “I got him a supper down at our camp -which put two inches of fat on his ribs.” - -“Then if you know him well,” the hunter went on, “tell him, for the love -of Mike, to quit nosing around our camp looking for some criminal who is -probably in Washington, D. C.” - -“Has he been watching your camp?” asked Carl in wonder. - -“He certainly has!” was the reply. “He’s been nosing about here, at -times, ever since we came in! What do you think he wants now?” - -“I think he came after me!” replied Carl. - -The aeroplane was now seen to land on the level space between the tents -on the plateau, and Sherman and his two companions left their seats and -approached a group of men standing by the fire. - -One of the men, Carl saw, was Neil Howell, and the other was the burly -fellow who had ordered him into his tent that morning. At that time the -boy did not know Howell by sight, although he had often heard his name -spoken there. It was only after a time that he learned who the second -man was. Before the boy and those with him reached the tents, they saw a -gleam of steel and the suddenness with which handcuffs were clasped on -the wrists of Howell and his burly companion almost took their breath -away. The men gazed at each other inquiringly. - -“Do you know what it means?” one of them asked Carl. - -“I haven’t the least idea!” was the answer. - -“Why, that’s Neil Howell, the noted Wall street operator! I don’t -understand what he’s placed under arrest for!” one of the men declared. - -“I presume Dick Sherman knows what he’s doing!” Carl suggested. - -“I don’t doubt that!” the man replied. - -The three officers were now walking swiftly about the camp in opposite -directions, evidently searching for some one not in view. A hunter -standing by the boy’s side glanced his eye over the group. - -“It must be Frank Harris they want,” he said. “He’s the only one that -isn’t here.” - -“Frank Harris went down the slope to the west not long ago!” another -said. “I guess he’s looking for another bear cub.” - -But if Frank Harris was indeed looking for the third bear cub his search -must have been a long one, for neither then nor at any other time did -any member of the hunting party set eyes upon him again. Secret service -men are looking for him to this day. How he got out of the wilderness no -one knows, but get out he did, and out of the country, too, for that -matter. - -After concluding the search, Dick Sherman came to where Carl was -standing by the machine. - -“Where’s that Englishman of yours?” he asked. - -“Do you want the Englishman, too?” demanded the boy. - -“Of course I want the Englishman!” replied the officer. “Do you think -I’d be apt to find him over at your camp?” - -“I haven’t a doubt of it!” answered Carl. “Although I haven’t been to -the camp since yesterday. This man Howell and his chums were so stuck on -my sweet society that they kept me here all night!” - -“I’d keep you here about fifteen minutes if I had my way now!” Howell -muttered. - -“He thinks you sent out information which led to his arrest!” commented -one of the hunters. “He’ll get even with you yet!” - -“I didn’t have any information to send out!” declared Carl. - -“Then who did send it out?” shouted Howell. - -“You can search me!” Carl replied. - -Dick Sherman looked over to one of his deputies with a smile but said -nothing. He merely ordered the two prisoners on to the machine and -prepared to take to the air. - -“I’ll take these fellows over to your camp,” he said to Carl, “and send -one of the boys back after you and my deputies. They can come with one -of your machines, and this one of mine, and bring the whole crowd at one -trip.” - -“All right,” laughed Carl, “I’ll be mighty glad to get back to that good -old camp again! You see,” he explained, “when we get out on a trip of -this kind, we usually pitch our tents and then go off and leave them. I -haven’t slept there one night since we built the first camp-fire!” - -“How long will it take?” asked one of the hunters. - -“Probably an hour each way,” was the reply. - -“Well, we’ll see that the boy is taken good care of while you’re gone!” -the hunter said with a smile. - -“And when you get settled down to conversation with this kid,” suggested -another hunter, “you just ask him to tell the story about the two bear -cubs in the cavern. He’s a nervy little fellow!” - -In something less than two hours, two machines came sailing over the -valley, making for the plateau. When at last they landed, Carl was -greatly surprised at seeing Mr. Havens seated on the _Ann_. Dick Sherman -was riding his own machine. - -“I thought you couldn’t get out of bed!” shouted Carl to the -millionaire. - -“I’m fit to ride a thousand miles to-day,” smiled the millionaire, “but -I don’t think I could walk ten feet to save my life!” - -“When I got over to your camp,” Dick Sherman explained, “I found Mr. -Havens alone. He says you boys have left him alone every minute of the -time since the camp was built.” - -“Not quite so bad as that,” laughed the aviator. - -“It’s pretty near as bad as that,” Carl admitted. - -“When I got over to the camp,” the official went on, “Mr. Havens told me -that the others had gone to the smugglers’ cavern. There’s something -queer going on over there,” the official continued, “but Mr. Havens -wouldn’t tell me what it is. He said for me to tie my prisoners up good -and safe and come along with him, if I wanted to find out what was -doing.” - -“I hope you tied ’em up good and safe!” Carl suggested. - -“They’re safe enough!” replied Mr. Havens. - -Carl now stepped into the _Ann_ with Mr. Havens and the two, after -bidding good-bye to the friendly hunters, shot away down the valley -toward the smugglers’ cavern, closely followed by the official machine -and the three officers. - -As soon as the machines departed the hunters set about breaking camp, as -they had decided to leave that night. - -“Ever since we’ve been here,” one of them declared, “we’ve been heels -over head in trouble. Who introduced us to this Neil Howell and Frank -Harris, anyway?” - -“I’ll be blessed if I remember,” another answered. “The first time I saw -Harris he came to us in company with the Englishman and asked me to join -in a hunting trip.” - -“By the way, where is the Englishman?” asked the other. - -“That’s one of the mysteries of the camp,” the first speaker replied. -“He disappeared most unexpectedly one morning and Howell and Harris both -began calling him a thief and telling what he’d stolen.” - -“I heard that story about his stealing a burro and a lot of money,” said -the other, “but I never believed it.” - -“No one believes it!” was the reply and the hunters standing about -quickly assented. - -“And here’s another thing I never understood about this camp,” another -declared, “and that’s the red and green signals we’ve seen in the fire -nights. What did they mean?” - -“Harris and Howell said they were sending beacons to a friendly camp -across the valley,” one of them answered, “but I never believed that. -Who knows what Howell and Chubby were arrested for?” - -No one knew at that time, and no one suspected, until they read the -sensational stories of the Colleton case in the San Francisco -newspapers. - -At sundown the men had their mules brought in from pasture and given a -feed of oats preparatory to the work of the next day. - -They went to sleep with their belongings all made up into neat bundles, -and by sunrise they were away, headed for the nearest town on the -Canadian Pacific line. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - CONCLUSION. - - -“You’re sure that’s a dog in the cavern?” demanded Ben as the three -crossed the summit and entered the gully, after leaving their machine on -the shelf to the east. - -“Sure it’s a dog in the cavern!” insisted Terry. “And look here,” he -went on, glancing keenly about, “there’s two fellows hanging around here -somewhere. They’re the chaps who set me to watching the Englishman early -last night. They claim to be connected with the business men who are -hunting over on the other side of the valley, but I guess they are just -plain mountain hoboes who have been hired to do the dirty work for the -sportsmen.” - -“I don’t see them anywhere around!” Ben suggested. - -“I don’t think they’re here, don’t you know!” DuBois put in, looking far -down the gully. “You see,” he continued, “the camp-fire has gone out, -and there hasn’t been any breakfast cooked here this morning.” - -“They probably made a sneak after you got away,” Ben replied. “They knew -they wouldn’t get any money for what they did after that, so they -probably took to their heels.” - -“They may be watching around, don’t you know,” the Englishman insisted. -“I don’t like the idea of hanging around here without knowing whether -they are watching us from some of these bloody rocks.” - -The three hunted faithfully for a long time, notwithstanding the fact -that Terry was constantly complaining that the dog would be almost -starved to death. At last, however, they gave over the quest and moved -on to the entrance to the cavern. - -Just before they entered, Ben caught the Englishman by the shoulder and -faced him around toward the valley. - -“Look who’s here!” he said. - -What they both saw was the _Ann_ and a strange aeroplane moving swiftly -in their direction. - -“I guess Mr. Havens is moving the whole camp over!” Ben suggested. “And -I haven’t got a word to say against it if he is! It’s rotten the way -we’ve left him alone.” - -“I think that’s Mr. Havens in the _Ann_!” declared Jimmie handing the -field-glass to Ben. “And I think that’s Carl with him!” - -Ben inspected the approaching flying machines through the glass and -declared that Mr. Havens and Carl were on board the _Ann_, and that Dick -Sherman and two unknown men were on the strange machine. - -“I’d like to know what they’re coming here for!” Jimmie exclaimed. “Just -as we get the thing all ready to make a home run, and get a hungry dog -out of a hole in a wall, they come butting in to split the glory!” - -“And the reward!” added Ben with a grin. - -“I don’t know where the machines can land, don’t you know!” suggested -DuBois. - -The aviators, however, found landing-places. Mr. Havens lighting on the -shelf where the fire had been, and Dick Sherman coming to earth close -beside the machine Ben had brought. - -In a short time the two parties met almost directly in front of the -cavern. To the surprise of the other members of the party, Dick Sherman -called the Englishman aside and spoke to him earnestly for a few -moments. At the conclusion of the conversation, the Englishman’s face -fairly beamed with good nature. - -“I’d like to know what’s coming off here!” cried Jimmie. - -“That’s what I’d like to know,” put in Terry tipsily. “Here we’ve got a -perfectly good breakfast in this basket getting cold, and I don’t know -what that dog’ll say when we give him a frosty meal! I wish now that I’d -gone and fed him while you boys were hunting for those two outlaws you -didn’t find!” - -“What do you think, Mr. DuBois,” Carl broke in. “Dick Sherman arrested -Neil Howell and Chubby over there at the hunters’ camp and left them -handcuffed and tied up in one of our tents.” - -“Yes, he was just telling me about that, don’t you know,” replied the -Englishman. - -“Well, how the old scratch did he get any information against them?” -demanded Ben. “If he’s got them under arrest for complicity in the -abduction of inspector Colleton, why doesn’t he say so?” - -“Suppose they are implicated in the abduction case,” demanded Carl, “how -did Officer Sherman come to know anything about it? He hasn’t been -working on the case.” - -Ben broke into a shout of laughter, and Terry, who was beginning to -think the breakfast never would be needed, turned hastily into the -cavern. - -“Look here,” Ben said in a moment, “I didn’t tell you boys everything -that took place at Field last night. After I got done telegraphing, Mr. -DuBois took the wire and held a long conversation with Officer Sherman. -How he found Sherman I don’t know, but the operator seemed to help a -lot, after Mr. DuBois gave him a roll of bills that would choke a cow, -and in the end they routed out the officer, and the arrest of Howell and -Chubby is the result of that conference.” - -“Oh, come, don’t you know!” pleaded the Englishman. “I only told Mr. -Sherman what I suspected. You see this man Howell appeared to recognize -that bag, and his manner showed me that he was in cahoots with the man -in brown who was killed in the race.” - -“Come on, come on!” yelled Terry. “I’ve got a patient in here starving -to death!” - -“We really ought to hurry,” advised Ben. “I’m afraid we’ve been too full -of our own schemes to appreciate the exact situation.” - -“Come along, then,” advised Terry. - -The whole party, save Mr. Havens, trooped into the cavern and turned to -the left when they came to the rock which split the subterranean place -into two chambers. Keeping straight on, illuminating the cavern with -their searchlights as they went, they came to an opening in the south -wall which had been temporarily barricaded with rocks and timbers. - -When Ben held the searchlight to the small opening between the top -timber and the roof of the chamber a pale and frightened face looked -out. - -“Hello, Colleton!” exclaimed Ben. - -“Thank God!” was all the imprisoned man said. - -In a short time the barricade was down and the inspector, safe and -sound, was out in the open air, talking earnestly with Mr. Havens who, -of course, had not entered the cavern. - -“I never expected to see the light of day again!” the inspector said in -a trembling voice. - -“Now, don’t begin to tell us the story of your life,” warned old Terry, -advancing with the basket of provisions. “You eat this good breakfast!” - -“But, look here, Terry,” Jimmie grinned. “You said you wanted that -breakfast for a dog!” - -“Sure!” exclaimed the old crook. “I forgot all about the dog!” - -He raced back into the cavern and soon returned carrying a little puppy -in his arms. - -“He was asleep when you brought me out!” Colleton explained. “I forgot -all about him. He’s been a great deal of comfort to me!” - -“Do you mean to say, Terry, that you ordered all that breakfast for that -little puppy?” demanded Jimmie. - -“Well,” replied the old crook, “I really wanted the breakfast for the -dog, but I didn’t know but the man might eat part of it! You see,” he -continued, “I promised the outlaws that I wouldn’t tell where this man,” -pointing to Colleton, “was, and I promised that I wouldn’t lead any one -to him, so I had to keep my word, don’t you see?” - -“But you did tell us where he was and you did lead us to him!” laughed -Jimmie. - -“No, I didn’t,” argued Terry, “I told you where there was a hungry -little puppy, and I took you to where he was. Of course, if you -discovered the man when we went to feed the puppy, I’m not to blame for -that.” - -“You’re an old fraud, Terry!” cried Jimmie. - -“Yes, he’s an old fraud,” laughed Dick Sherman, “but I’m going to see -that he gets out of this little scrape and leads a decent life. He’ll be -all right if he only quits the booze act.” - -“I’ve quit now!” insisted Terry. “I’ve limited myself to two pint -bottles a day!” - -“Well,” Mr. Havens said, “so far as I can see, the case is closed. The -man who abducted Colleton is dead. Two of the men who assisted in his -abduction are under arrest, and the proof which points to the Kuro -mail-order company as the principal in the crime is complete. All that -remains for us to do is to see that the prisoners get to Washington and -that the proof is placed before the grand jury. That will close the case -so far as we are concerned.” - -“Then,” said Jimmie with a sly grin, “I move we stay in the mountains a -couple of weeks and have a little fun before we go to Washington.” - -“That would please me!” replied Dick Sherman, “but I’ve got to get busy -getting this whiskey out, and looking up proof against the smugglers now -under arrest.” - -All the others returned to the old camp, from which the prisoners were -taken that night by the officer, and a great feast was spread in honor -of the victory which had been gained. - -The boys hunted game, fished in the clear mountain streams, and sailed -over valley and mountain in their aeroplanes for two glorious weeks and -then returned to New York. - -When they reached the big city, the Colleton case was entirely disposed -of. Howell and Chubby had pleaded guilty and received long sentences, -and the members of the fraudulent mail-order company had been convicted -and sentenced to ten years each. - -The large reward which had been offered for the discovery of Colleton -and the arrest of the perpetrators of the outrage was paid to Mr. -Havens, according to his previous bargain with the secret service -department. In time, of course, the most of the cash found its way into -the hands of the three boys. - -When Colleton came to relate the story of his abduction it was -discovered that Ben and Jimmie had actually reasoned out the events -practically as they had taken place. The inspector had been drugged in -his office by a cigar, disguised there, forced to open the safe and desk -and bring out the papers, and had been taken across the continent in a -Pullman stateroom as stated. He remembered little or nothing after -opening the safe in his own office in Washington until he found himself -in the smugglers’ cavern, having been kept under the influence of -opiates during all that time. To this day Colleton occasionally asks -Jimmie if every one of the excerpts from his “dream-book” come true. - -The Englishman remained for some months in New York, the guest of Mr. -Havens at the hangar on Long Island, and on many occasions he was asked -to tell the story of the mysterious hand-bag bought of the porter on the -Pullman train, and to relate in full the adventures of the bag and its -contents until the day the disguise and the documents it had contained -landed a prominent and wealthy mail-order firm in the penitentiary, and -Mr. Havens was often called upon to relate the events leading up to the -Capture in the Air. - - - THE END. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - The Boy Spies Series - -These stories are based on important historical events, scenes wherein -boys are prominent characters being selected. They are the romance of -history, vigorously told, with careful fidelity to picturing the home -life and accurate in every particular wherein mention is made of -movement of troops, or the doings of noted persons. - -[Illustration: A book] - -THE BOY SPIES WITH LAFAYETTE. The story of how two boys joined the -Continental Army. By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE BOY SPIES ON CHESAPEAKE BAY. The story of two young spies under -Commodore Barney. By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE BOY SPIES WITH THE REGULATORS. The story of how the boys assisted -the Carolina Patriots to drive the British from that State. By James -Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE BOY SPIES WITH THE SWAMP FOX. The story of General Marion and his -young spies. By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE BOY SPIES AT YORKTOWN. The story of how the spies helped General -Lafayette in the Siege of Yorktown. By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 -cents. - -THE BOY SPIES OF PHILADELPHIA. The story of how the young spies helped -the Continental Army at Valley Forge. By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 -cents. - -THE BOY SPIES AT FORT GRISWOLD. The story of the part they took in its -brave defense. By William P. Chipman. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE BOY SPIES OF OLD NEW YORK. The story of how the young spies -prevented the capture of General Washington. By James Otis. Cloth. Price -60 cents. - - --------------------------------------------------------- - - For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of - price by the publishers, - A. L. BURT COMPANY, 52-58 Duane St., New York. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - The Navy Boys Series - -These stories are based on important historical naval events, scenes -wherein boys are prominent characters being selected. They are the -romance of history, vigorously told, with careful fidelity to picturing -the life on ship-board, and accurate in every particular wherein mention -is made of movement of vessels or the doings of noted persons. - -[Illustration] - -THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE WITH PAUL JONES. A boys’ story of a cruise with -the Great Commodore in 1776. By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE NAVY BOYS ON LAKE ONTARIO. The story of two boys and their -adventures in the war of 1812. By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE ON THE PICKERING. A boy’s story of privateering in -1780. By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE NAVY BOYS IN NEW YORK BAY. A story of three boys who took command of -the schooner “The Laughing Mary,” the first vessel of the American Navy. -By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE NAVY BOYS IN THE TRACK OF THE ENEMY. The story of a remarkable -cruise with the Sloop of War “Providence” and the Frigate “Alfred.” By -William P. Chipman. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE NAVY BOYS’ DARING CAPTURE. The story of how the navy boys helped to -capture the British Cutter “Margaretta,” in 1775. By William P. Chipman. -Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE TO THE BAHAMAS. The adventures of two Yankee -Middies with the first cruise of an American Squadron in 1775. By -William P. Chipman. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - -THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE WITH COLUMBUS. The adventures of two boys who -sailed with the great Admiral in his discovery of America. By Frederick -A. Ober. Cloth. Price 60 cents. - - --------------------------------------------------------- - - For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of - price by the publishers, - A. L. BURT COMPANY, 52-58 Duane St., New York. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - The Boy Chums Series - By WILMER M. ELY - Handsome Cloth Binding. Price, 60 Cents - Per Volume. - - ------- - -In this series of remarkable stories by Wilmer M. Ely are described the -adventures of two boy chums—Charley West and Walter Hazard—in the great -swamps of interior Florida and among the cays off the Florida Coast, and -through the Bahama Islands. These are real, live boys, and their -experiences are well worth following. If you read one book you will -surely be anxious for those that are to follow. - -[Illustration] - -THE BOY CHUMS ON INDIAN RIVER, or The Boy Partners of the Schooner -“Orphan.” - -In this story Charley West and Walter Hazard meet deadly rattlesnakes; -have a battle with a wild panther; are attacked by outlaws; their boat -is towed by a swordfish; they are shipwrecked by a monster manatee fish, -and pass safely through many exciting scenes of danger. - -THE BOY CHUMS ON HAUNTED ISLAND, or Hunting for Pearls in the Bahama -Islands. - -This book tells the story of the boy chums, Charley West and Walter -Hazard, whose adventures on the schooner “Eager Quest,” hunting for -pearls among the Bahama Islands, are fully recorded. Their hairbreadth -escapes from the treacherous quicksands and dangerous water spouts; how -they lost their vessel and were cast away on a lonely island, and their -escape therefrom are fully told. - -THE BOY CHUMS IN THE FOREST, or Hunting for Plume Birds in the Florida -Everglades. - -The story of the boy chums hunting the blue herons and the pink and -white egrets for their plumes in the forests of Florida is full of -danger and excitement. How the chums encountered the Indians; their -battles with the escaped convicts; their fight with the wild boars and -alligators are fully told. - -THE BOY CHUMS’ PERILOUS CRUISE, or Searching for Wreckage on the Florida -Coast. - -This story of the boy chums’ adventures on and off the Florida Coast -describes many scenes of daring and adventure, in hunting for ships -stranded and cargoes washed ashore. The boy chums passed through many -exciting scenes, on shore and island; and the loss of their vessel, the -“Eager Quest,” they will long remember. - -THE BOY CHUMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, or a Dangerous Cruise with the -Greek Spongers. - -This story of the boy chums, Charley West and Walter Hazard, hunting for -sponges, is filled with many adventures. The dangers of gathering -sponges are fully described; the chums meet with sharks and alligators; -and they are cast away on a desert island. Their rescue and arrival home -make a most interesting story. - - --------------------------------------------------------- - - For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of - price by the publishers, - A. L. BURT COMPANY, 52-58 Duane St., New York. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - The Boy Scout Series - By HERBERT CARTER - -New stories of Camp Life, telling the wonderful and thrilling adventures -of the Boys of the Silver Fox Patrol. HANDSOME CLOTH BINDINGS. - - ------- - - PRICE, 60 CENTS PER VOLUME - - ------- - -[Illustration] - -THE BOY SCOUTS FIRST CAMP FIRE; or, Scouting with the Silver Fox Patrol. - -This book, every up-to-date Boy Scout will want to read. It is brimming -over with thrilling adventure, woods lore and the story of the wonderful -experiences that befell the Cranford troop of Boy Scouts when spending a -part of their vacation in the wilderness. The story is clean and -wholesome in tone, yet with not a dull line from cover to cover. - -THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE BLUE RIDGE; or, Marooned Among the Moonshiners. - -Those lads who have read The Boy Scouts First Camp Fire and followed the -fortunes of Thad Brewster, the Young Patrol leader, will be delighted to -read this story. It tells of the strange and mysterious adventures that -happened to the Patrol in their trip through the “mountains of the sky” -in the Moonshiners’ Paradise of the old Tar Heel State, North Carolina. -When you start to read you will not lay the book down until the last -word has been reached. - -THE BOY SCOUTS ON THE TRAIL; or, Scouting through the Big Game Country. - -In this story the Boy Scouts once more find themselves in camp and -following the trail. The story recites the many adventures that befell -the members of the Silver Fox Patrol with wild animals of the forest -trails, as well as the desperate men who had sought a refuge in this -lonely country, making most delightful reading for every lad who has red -blood in his veins. This is a story which every boy will be glad to read -and recommend to his chums. - -THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE MAINE WOODS; or, The New Test for the Silver Fox -Patrol. - -In the rough field of experience the tenderfoots and greenhorns of the -Silver Fox Patrol are fast learning to take care of themselves when -abroad. Many of the secrets of the woods, usually known only to old -hunters and trappers, are laid bare to the eyes of the reader. Thad and -his chums have a wonderful experience when they are employed by the -State of Maine to act as Fire Wardens, since every year terrible -conflagrations sweep through the pine forests, doing great damage. - -THE BOY SCOUTS THROUGH THE BIG TIMBER; or, The Search for the Lost -Tenderfoot. - -A serious calamity threatens the Silver Fox Patrol when on one of their -vacation trips to the wonderland of the great Northwest. How apparent -disaster is bravely met and overcome by Thad and his friends, forms the -main theme of the story, which abounds in plenty of humor, rollicking -situations, hairbreadth escapes and thrilling adventures, such as all -boys like to read about. If you ever dream of camping out in the woods, -here you may learn how to do it. - -THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE ROCKIES; or, The Secret of The Hidden Silver Mine. - -By this time the boys of the Silver Fox Patrol have learned through -experience how to rough it upon a long hike. Their last tour takes them -into the wildest region of the great Rocky Mountains, and here they meet -with many strange adventures that severely test their grit, as well as -their ability to grapple with emergencies. This is one of the most -interesting of the stories in the Boy Scout Series,—the experiences of -Thad Brewster and his Cranford troop abounds in plenty of humor, and -hairbreadth escapes. - - --------------------------------------------------------- - - For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of - price by the publishers, - A. L. BURT COMPANY, 52-58 Duane Street, New York. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - Italicized phrases are presented by surrounding the text with - _underscores_. Small capitals have been rendered in full capitals. - - Punctuation has been standardized. Minor spelling and typographic - errors have been corrected silently, except as noted below. - - On page 24, the line "All right, go it!" has been left as is, - although it is possible it should be "All right, got it". - - On "The Boy Scout Series" ad page, the last two lines have been - reformatted to match the other ad pages. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret -Service, by Frank Walton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON SECRET SERVICE *** - -***** This file should be named 50824-0.txt or 50824-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/8/2/50824/ - -Produced by Rick Morris and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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- margin-top: 1em; } - .c015 { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-top: 1em; - margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 10%; width: 80%; margin-right: 10%; } - .c016 { margin-left: 5.56%; margin-top: 4em; } - .c017 { margin-left: 5.56%; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c018 { margin-left: 5.56%; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - div.figcenter p { font-size: 85%; } - div#fig000 img {padding:5px; border:1px solid black;} - div#fig001 img {padding:5px; border:1px solid black;} - div#fig79 img {padding:5px; border:1px solid black;} - div#fig8742 img {padding:5px; border:1px solid black;} - div#fig8793 img {padding:5px; border:1px solid black;} - div#fig8867 img {padding:5px; border:1px solid black;} - div#fig8962 img {padding:5px; border:1px solid black;} - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service, by -Frank Walton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service - The Capture in the Air - -Author: Frank Walton - -Release Date: January 1, 2016 [EBook #50824] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON SECRET SERVICE *** - - - - -Produced by Rick Morris and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div id='fig000' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div id='fig001' class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/frontis-fp-001.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>Jimmie felt his body brushing against the framework of the Ann’s<br />top wing as he lowered himself from the Louise.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><span class='small'><i>The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service.</i> <i>Page 26.</i></span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>The Flying Machine Boys</span></div> - <div><span class='xlarge'>on Secret Service</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div>OR</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><span class='large'>The Capture in the Air</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='large'>By FRANK WALTON</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>AUTHOR OF</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div>“The Flying Machine Boys in the Wilds”</div> - <div>“The Flying Machine Boys on Duty”</div> - <div>“The Flying Machine Boys in Mexico”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div id='fig79' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/title-i-002.jpg' alt='Biplanes over an Airfield' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div>A. L. BURT COMPANY</div> - <div>NEW YORK.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='small'>Copyright 1913</span></div> - <div><span class='sc'>By A. L. Burt Company</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c003' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>THE FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON SECRET SERVICE</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div>CONTENTS</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='13%' /> -<col width='77%' /> -<col width='8%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>CHAPTER</td> - <td class='c005'></td> - <td class='c006'>PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>I.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap108'><span class='fss'>THE FALL OF THE BEAR.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>3</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>II.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap462'><span class='fss'>A WOBBLING AEROPLANE.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>13</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>III.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap827'><span class='fss'>JIMMIE’S DARING FEAT.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>23</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>IV.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap1175'><span class='fss'>THE DISAPPEARANCE OF COLLETON.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>33</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>V.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap1524'><span class='fss'>A MIDNIGHT FLIGHT.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>43</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>VI.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap1892'><span class='fss'>THE LOSS OF THE LOUISE.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>53</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>VII.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap2238'><span class='fss'>THREE HUNGRY MEN.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>63</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>VIII.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap2596'><span class='fss'>“HOME OF THE FORTY THIEVES.”</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>73</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>IX.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap2951'><span class='fss'>THE VOYAGE OF THE ANN.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>83</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>X.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap3317'><span class='fss'>AN UNEXPECTED HAPPENING.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>93</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XI.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap3685'><span class='fss'>JIMMIE OPENS HIS DREAM-BOOK.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>103</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XII.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap4043'><span class='fss'>THE ENGLISHMAN’S BAG.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>113</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XIII.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap4466'><span class='fss'>A RACE IN THE AIR.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>125</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XIV.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap4760'><span class='fss'>THE END OF THE FLIGHT.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>134</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XV.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap5117'><span class='fss'>THE MAN IN THE STATEROOM.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>145</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XVI.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap5480'><span class='fss'>STILL ANOTHER GUEST.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>155</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XVII.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap5839'><span class='fss'>CARL GETS INTO TROUBLE.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>167</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XVIII.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap6179'><span class='fss'>THE MYSTERIOUS SIGNALS.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>178</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XIX.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap6535'><span class='fss'>A SURPRISE FOR JIMMIE.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>190</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XX.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap6897'><span class='fss'>THE SECRET HIDING-PLACE.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>202</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XXI.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap7275'><span class='fss'>THE BOY AND THE BEAR.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>214</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XXII.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap7629'><span class='fss'>THE DOG IN THE CAVERN.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>225</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XXIII.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap7979'><span class='fss'>ARRESTS ARE MADE.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>235</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'>XXIV.</td> - <td class='c005'><a href='#chap8304'><span class='fss'>CONCLUSION.</span></a></td> - <td class='c006'>244</td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span> - <h1 class='c007' title='The Flying Machine Boys On Secret Service'>THE FLYING MACHINE BOYS<br />ON SECRET SERVICE.</h1> -</div> -<hr class='c008' /> -<div> - <h2 id='chap108' class='c009'>CHAPTER I.<br /> <br />THE FALL OF THE BEAR.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart -of the Rocky mountains. To the east of the basin -lay a slope of half a mile or more. At the top of -the slope stretched a summit not more than half -an acre in extent. Thirty miles away lifted the -snowy peaks of the Continental Divide. To the -west a broken country stretched to the Pacific.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The flying machines lying in the valley were the -<i>Louise</i> and the <i>Bertha</i>. They had arrived from -New York city that day, and the aviators, weary -from their long journey, were lying about a great -fire of dry jack pines and spruce. Thick porterhouse -steaks, brought in from Spokane, were broiling -over a nest of coals, and a great coffee-pot was -sending forth its fragrance on the evening air.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>Those who have read the previous books of -this series will scarcely need an introduction to -Ben Whitcomb, Jimmie Stuart, or Carl Nichols. -Sturdy, adventurous lads of seventeen, they had entered -the employ of Louis Havens, the noted millionaire -aviator, a few months before, and under -his direction had visited the mountains of Mexico, -Southern California and Peru. While on their -Peruvian trip they had assisted greatly in the capture -of a cashier who had stolen several million -dollars from a New York trust company. This incident -had led to their visit to British Columbia.</p> - -<p class='c011'>On the very night of their return from Peru, Mr. -Havens had suggested that they enter the service of -the federal government and assist in the capture of a -group of mail-order outlaws who were believed to -have caused the abduction of a post-office inspector -who had long been investigating their peculiar -methods of doing business.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Although Mr. Havens had not at that time given -the boys the full details of the case, they had at once -joyfully accepted the mission and almost immediately -taken their departure for the Pacific coast.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was believed at the time of their departure that -the inspector who had been abducted had been taken -to the mountains of British Columbia for safekeeping. -Just how this information had reached the -secret service department no one outside of the -private office of the chief knew.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>All the papers collected by the inspector, many of -them of great importance as supplying convincing -proof against the fraudulent mail-order operators, -had been removed from the inspector’s office at the -time of his abduction. The documents, of course, -could not be replaced.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys had traveled directly from New York -to a point in the Rocky mountains not far north of -Crow’s Nest, where they had crossed the great -range. So far as practicable they had traveled -nights and at a low altitude.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Naturally the passage of two large flying machines -over the country had attracted attention, but the -boys had kept away from cities so far as possible, -and it was believed that no one connected with the -group of mail-order operators had any intimation -of the purpose of the trip.</p> - -<p class='c011'>For a portion of the distance the boys had been -accompanied on the trip by Mr. Havens, riding the -<i>Ann</i>, probably the largest and fastest aeroplane ever -constructed. The millionaire aviator, however, had -halted at Denver for the purpose of receiving definite -instructions from the secret service department -at Washington, while the boys had proceeded on -their way. His arrival was momentarily expected.</p> - -<p class='c011'>While the steak broiled and the coffee bubbled -the three boys sat looking over the great slope above. -They spoke little for a time. The scene was so -grand, so near to the very heart of nature, that all -the little things of life seemed inconsequential. For -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>a space they forgot the mighty skyscrapers and -canyons of New York and the level prairies over -which they had journeyed. The mountain scene -dominated everything in their minds.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Presently Ben Whitcomb, brown-eyed, athletic, -and rather inclined at times to take little troubles to -heart, sprang to his feet and pointed to the north. -The others were at his side in a moment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look there!” he said passing a field-glass to -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie, red-headed, freckle-faced and shorter in -stature than his companion, looked through the glass -for a moment and passed it on to Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is that an elk?” Jimmie asked in a moment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s what it is!” answered Ben. “It’s a -full-grown bull elk!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl, blue-eyed, broad of shoulders, and always -ready to meet an emergency with a joke, handed the -glass back to Ben and hastened to the broiling -steaks.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Somewhat farther up on the slope of the basin -where the green timber halted, crowded down by -the rock, an elk walked out into the middle of an -especially inviting patch of grass and looked about. -He carried a good pair of antlers and looked big -and beautiful. For about five minutes he grazed on -the tender grass then marched to the edge of the -basin and browsed on green branches. Finally he -vanished in the thick green timber, and was not seen -again.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>“Cripes!” exclaimed Jimmie. “Wouldn’t that -be a sight for the great White Way? He’d look -fine down at Forty-second street, wouldn’t he?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Huh!” answered Carl. “I guess there’s Elks -enough on Broadway now!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“More than there are in all these mountains,” -Ben suggested.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Directly Ben took the steak and coffee from the -fire and Jimmie and Carl brought dishes and knives -and forks from the flying machines. Then they -spread a white table cloth on the turf not far from -the fire and laid out their meal. Besides the meat -and coffee there was plenty of bread, canned beans -and tomatoes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m going hunting to-morrow!” Jimmie declared. -“I’d like to know what’s the use of paying -fifty dollars apiece for a hunting license and then -bringing beefsteak in from Spokane.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben took out one of the non-resident hunting -licenses and read it over carefully.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This gives me a right,” he said, “to slay three -mountain goats; three mountain sheep rams; three -deer; one bull moose, and all the grizzly bears I -can come up with.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Are they all good to eat?” demanded Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’re all good to eat in a way,” replied Ben, -“but I don’t think the people hereabouts feast very -much on mountain sheep, or grizzly bears either, -when they can get anything else.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>“We ate bear in southern California!” cried -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, and it was all right, too!” Carl declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s the matter of going out hunting to-night?” -Jimmie asked in a moment. “Then we’ll -be sure to have something for breakfast.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think we’d better remain in camp to-night,” -Ben replied. “We’ll put up our oiled silk shelter-tents, -and get the blankets and pillows out of the -flying machines, and make ourselves comfortable -right here until Mr. Havens comes. He may not -be here for two or three days.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But he said he wouldn’t be ten hours behind -us!” argued Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When a man’s doing business by wire with the -secret service department at Washington,” Ben explained, -“he doesn’t know whether he’ll be ten -hours or ten days finding out what he wants to -know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why didn’t he find out before he left New -York?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He did find out all they knew regarding the -whereabouts of post-office inspector Larry Colleton -before we left New York!” answered Ben. “He -stopped at Denver to find out if anything new had -developed.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>“Are you sure this is the basin he told us to -camp in?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Certain sure!” answered Ben. “He told us to -cross the divide at the Crow’s Nest and keep on -north between the Elk river and the mountains -until we came to a large grassy valley.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then this is the place all right!” Carl agreed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After supper the boys set up their shelter-tents -and prepared to pass a comfortable night. They -had spent nearly two weeks crossing the continent, -and had been in the air most of the nights, so they -looked forward to a long sleep with pleasant -anticipations.</p> - -<p class='c011'>While the boys were putting the finishing touches -on the bed in one of the shelter-tents, a great rattling -of stones was heard and in a moment rubble from -the size of a marble to that of an apple came rattling -down the long slope to the east. Startled by the -unexpected shower, which pelted about the camp -like hailstones in a northern blizzard, the lads rushed -from the tent to ascertain the cause of the sudden -commotion.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Twenty rods up the mountain they saw what appeared -to be the body of a great grizzly bear half-sliding, -half-tumbling toward the valley. At times -the lumbering animal retarded his fall by clinging -with his claws to the uncertain slope. Again, he -rolled over and over for several yards, until his -claws secured another hold. The beast was uttering -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>savage growls as he came down, and every bump -he received appeared to bring forth snarls more -vicious than those which had gone before.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Cripes!” exclaimed Jimmie. “Look who’s -here!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He’ll be here in a minute, plumb on top of the -tent!” Carl declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then why don’t you do something to head him -off?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” the other argued, “I’d like to get in front -of a ton of bear meat coming down a mountain at -the rate of forty miles an hour!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was fortunate for the boys that the descent of -the bear was checked for a little by a narrow shelf -which ran along the edge of the slope close to the -bottom. Here the great body landed with a thud -which knocked out what little breath remained.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That saved our tents and flying machines, I -reckon!” cried Ben, as the bear tipped from the -shelf and landed in the grass only a few feet from -the <i>Louise</i>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He certainly would have smashed something if -he had gone on at the clip he was going when we -first saw him!” agreed Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Speaking about going hunting to-night or to-morrow!” -laughed Ben, “it strikes me that we -don’t have to go hunting in this philanthropic country. -Fresh meat seems to rain down from the -skies!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>The three boys now advanced to the side of the -animal and looked him over. He was not quite -dead, but it was evident that he had received injuries -from which he could not recover.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We may as well put him out of his trouble,” -suggested Ben, drawing an automatic revolver. -“He made a fight for life and lost!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Jimmie, standing -now at the bear’s head, “here’s a fresh bullet wound -now!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you suppose that’s what made him fall?” -asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course!” returned Jimmie. “He was up on -the mountain and some one shot him, and that’s -why he came tumbling down in that ridiculous way.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is the wound still bleeding?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Still bleeding!” replied Jimmie. “It looks like -a wound about five minutes’ old. The bullet is -somewhere inside the grizzly’s head, and I don’t believe -he was in his right mind when he was sticking -his claws into the rocks on the way down!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The three boys looked at each other with questioning -glances.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ask it!” grinned Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ask it yourself!” Carl exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ll ask it!” Ben said with a grave face. “Who -fired that shot?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The answer is ‘Yes’, so far as I know!” -laughed Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>“No foolishness now!” Ben continued. “Some -one fired that shot, and that means that some one is -prowling around our camp!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The man who fired the shot,” suggested Carl, -“may be over on the other side of the mountain!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then he’d be more than half a mile away!” -scoffed Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a fact!” Carl admitted. “And, besides,” -the lad went on, “a man high up on the mountain -wouldn’t be apt to shoot game lower down, unless -he wanted a good chase after it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And all this indicates,” Ben said, “that the man -who did the shooting is somewhere near this camp. -Also it indicates that he has a Maxim silencer on -his gun, and that’s a thing natives hereabouts don’t -have. Every time we go out on a trip we seem to -bunt into a mystery first thing, and we’ve got one -now, all right!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wish Mr. Havens would come!” Carl cut in. -“It may be that some one out here knows what -we’re up to and intends to make trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>While the boys talked a shout was heard in the -distance, and two husky, roughly-dressed men made -their appearance, heading directly for the camp-fire. -The boys laid their hands on their automatics.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span> - <h2 id='chap462' class='c012'>CHAPTER II.<br /> <br />A WOBBLING AEROPLANE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>The boys stepped back from the bear as the men -came up. It was growing dusk now, and as the -men drew nearer their faces were seen only by the -dancing flames of the fire. They were not prepossessing -faces, and the boys wondered if it was the -illumination which produced the shifty and suspicious -glances they caught.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The two bent over the bear for an instant, and -then one aimed his rifle slowly and fired a bullet -into the animal’s head. No report followed the -shot, and then it was observed that the weapon -carried a Maxim silencer. This doubtless accounted -for the fact that the shot which had brought the -bear down had not been heard at the camp.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After talking together in whispers for a moment, -as the acrid smell of powder drifted out into the -sweet air of the valley, the men turned questioning -looks toward the boys. From the youthful faces -their eyes soon roved to the two aeroplanes not far -away.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>There was more whispered talk, and then the -two stepped over to the <i>Louise</i> and began a careful -and rather impertinent inspection of the motors. -The boys looked on angrily but said nothing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Rather fine machines you have there,” one of -the fellows said, after the deliberate examination -had been completed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We think so!” Ben answered shortly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where are you from?” asked the other intruder.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben gave Jimmie and Carl a sly nudge to remain -silent and answered the question in a manner which, -while the exact truth, did not reveal the starting -place.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Denver,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The fellow bent down and read the names of the -machines from little silver plates screwed to the -frames.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The <i>Louise</i> and the <i>Bertha</i>,” he said. “It appears -to me that I have heard something of these -aeroplanes before.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The names are common enough,” Ben answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The machines I refer to,” the visitor went on, -“belong in New York. Are you sure you didn’t -bring these machines from a hangar on Long -Island?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie could restrain himself no longer. From -the first he had felt a feeling of aversion for the -men, and he had inwardly resented not only the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>question asked but the impudent and uncalled-for -examination of the aeroplanes. In spite of a warning -hand from Ben he blurted out:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What do you care where we came from?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The two intruders eyed the boy sharply for a -moment, as if trying to look him out of countenance, -and then one of them said:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“None of your lip, now, youngster!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well!” exclaimed Jimmie. “You’ve got your -nerve with you!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The man who had spoken before seemed about to -make an angry reply, but his companion drew him -away, and again they talked together in whispers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What are you fellows doing here, anyhow?” -Jimmie demanded. “If you think you’re going to -work the third degree on us, you’ve got another -think coming! You’re too fresh, anyway!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Presently the men turned back to the boys again, -and the light of the fire on their bearded faces -showed that they were about to adopt a new course -of conduct. The fellow who spoke smiled as he did -so.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I can’t blame you for resenting our supposedly -unwarranted interference,” he said. “We should -have informed you at first that we are in the employ -of the Canadian government as mounted policemen.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where’s your horses?” demanded Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“At the other end of the valley.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>“Where’s your uniforms?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We rarely wear uniforms in rough mountain -work.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The fellow answered the two questions with apparent -frankness, but there was a set expression on -his face which showed that he was restraining a -naturally vicious temper by great effort.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben now stepped forward and extended a hand -in greeting.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’re glad to see you, I’m sure!” he said. -“Still, I hardly think you will blame us for resenting -apparently impertinent questions.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s all right, boy!” replied the other, trying -his best to bring a conciliatory expression to his -sullen face. “It’s part of our duty, you understand, -to visit camps in the mountains and make -inquiries as to the intentions of strangers.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We understand that, of course,” Ben answered. -“We are willing to answer any questions you care -to ask, now that we know who you are.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I hope you’ll answer my first question in a -manner entirely satisfactory to myself!” laughed -the other.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I shall try,” answered Ben, “what is it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Have you any coffee left?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You bet we have!” replied the boy. “And if -you’ll sit down here by the fire, we’ll make you a -quart inside of ten minutes.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>Jimmie turned away to the provision box of the -<i>Louise</i> to bring out fresh coffee with apparent willingness, -but both his companions saw an angry expression -on his face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl followed him back to the aeroplane and -whispered as they bent over the coffee sack together:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You don’t like ’em, eh?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’re snakes!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But they belong to the mounted police!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t believe it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Anyway,” warned Carl, “you’ve got to keep -a civil tongue in your head and not let them know -that you think they’re lying.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You don’t believe that mounted police story -yourself!” declared Jimmie. “They don’t look like -mounted policemen, either!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I hardly know what to believe,” Carl replied, -“but I’ve got sense enough not to let them know -that I’m still guessing.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie returned to the fire with the coffee and -sat down on the grass not far from the visitors. -While Ben prepared supper one of the men walked -out to the carcass of the grizzly and began removing -the hide.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl rushed up to his side and stood looking -down at the clumsy manner in which the fellow was -operating.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say,” the boy proposed in a moment, “why -can’t we all have bear steak for supper? We boys -had supper not long ago, but I think I could eat a -bear steak right now!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>The man looked up with a puzzled expression.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Bear steak for supper?” he repeated. “You -don’t eat bear meat, do you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Would a duck take to the water?” asked Carl. -“Of course we eat bear meat! Sometimes it’s a -little tough, unless you know exactly how to cook it, -but I can broil a bear steak so it’ll melt in your -mouth!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then do so by all means!” the visitor answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl removed several tender steaks, took them -back to the fire and then called Jimmie to one side.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re all right, kiddo,” he said, as the two -seated themselves in the shadows some distance -from the blaze.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Have you just found that out?” demanded -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I mean about those imitation mounted policemen,” -Carl went on. “They’re no more mounted -policemen than I am!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then they’re a long ways from it!” Jimmie -laughed. “But why this sudden conversion to my -view of the case?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They don’t know about eating bear meat!” was -the scornful reply. “One of them just told me -that he didn’t know that they ever ate bear steak!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That does settle it!” cried Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>“Of course, it settles it!” agreed Carl. “And -now the question,” he continued, “is this: What -are they doing here, and why are they posing as -mounted policemen? You don’t suppose they’ve -got word from New York, do you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Word from New York about what?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“About our being out looking for the post-office -inspector the mail-order brigands abducted not long -ago.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course not!” was the reply. “These fellows -are just plain mountain bums! They came -here principally to get supper!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Or to steal the machines!” suggested Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ll see that they don’t steal the machines!” -Jimmie declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, I wish Mr. Havens would come,” Carl -put in, with rather a longing expression in his voice. -“We don’t know anything about the case we’re -handling, and we don’t know whether we’re going -to remain in this camp an hour or a month. For -all we know the men we are trying to find may be in -Mexico before this!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If they’re in Mexico,” Jimmie suggested, “the -United States government can go chase itself for -all of me. If you don’t remember what a beautiful -time we had in Mexico, I do, and I don’t want any -more of it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Those who have read the previous volumes of -this series will doubtless remember the adventures -of the Flying Machine Boys at the burning mountain. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>During that trip, it will be understood, they -suffered the loss of some of their machines, and -Jimmie came near meeting his death in a mountain -lake known as the Devil’s Pool.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m going wherever Mr. Havens sends me,” -Carl answered, “and I’m going to get all the fun -out of it there is to get. What’s puzzling me now is -to know exactly what we ought to do with these -bums.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Aw, we can’t do anything with them,” Jimmie -grunted. “We’ve just got to feed them and see -them hanging around here, trying to steal our -machines, and sit peaceful, like a wooden Indian in -front of a Bowery cigar store. It makes me sick!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>However, the boys were not called upon to take -action of any kind at that time. Ben broiled bear -steak enough for the whole party, made some excellent -coffee, and brought out a couple of loaves of -bread. At the conclusion of this second meal, at -least on the part of the boys, the two intruders -arose, threw their rifles over their shoulders, and -turned away. However, one of them stepped back -in a moment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We haven’t seen you do any shooting yet,” he -said with a smile on his face which Ben regarded as -most insincere, “but we don’t know when you will -be hunting big game, so you may as well show us -your licenses.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>“There!” Jimmie whispered to Carl as Ben produced -the three licenses from an inside pocket. -“They’ve saved their important question for the -last moment!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What do you mean by that?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, those fellows are not mounted policemen!” -the boy answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We had made up our minds to that before!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then why should they want to see our -licenses?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I know!” exclaimed Carl. “I know just why -they want to see our licenses! They want to get -our names!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s it!” Jimmie answered. “They never -asked to see the licenses in order to make good -their bluff about being officers!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>After examining the papers the two visitors left -the camp and proceeded down the valley to the -west. Upon their departure the boys gathered -closer about the fire and seriously discussed the -situation.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At first Ben was inclined to argue that the men -were actually Canadian officials, but Jimmie and -Carl soon reasoned him out of this.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why,” Jimmie said, “a mounted policeman -would know how to skin a bear without cutting the -hide full of holes, and he’d also know that bear -steak is considered quite a luxury in British -Columbia. They’re frauds all right,” and this view -of the case was finally accepted by all.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>Throughout the evening the boys kept their eyes -open for the return of the unwelcome guests, but -nothing was seen of them. At ten o’clock, when the -lads were thinking of drawing lots to see who -should remain on guard through the night, Jimmie -caught sight of a strong light far up in the sky. -Ben had his field-glass out in a moment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s the <i>Ann</i>, all right,” he decided after a -long inspection. “There’s no other aeroplane in -the world carries a light like that!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m glad Mr. Havens is coming,” Jimmie said -with a sigh of relief.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I said it was the <i>Ann</i>!” Ben returned after -another long look. “I didn’t say Mr. Havens was -flying her! It seems to me that the man on board -doesn’t know as much about the aviation game as -Mr. Havens does. She’s wobbling about something -frightful!”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span> - <h2 id='chap827' class='c012'>CHAPTER III.<br /> <br />JIMMIE’S DARING FEAT.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>In ten minutes all doubts as to the identity of the -aviator were dissipated by a signal from the sky -which the boys all understood. Besides informing -the boys of his presence, the signal also conveyed -the intelligence that he was in need of assistance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wish I had a ladder long enough to reach -him!” Jimmie grumbled.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ve got a ladder long enough to reach him!” -insisted Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Almost before the words were out of his chum’s -mouth, Jimmie was whirling the wheels of the -<i>Louise</i> down the valley so as to get a good running -ground, the machine having been drawn close to the -fire after lighting. Understanding the boy’s purpose, -Carl lent a hand, and the aeroplane was soon -facing a clear field.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What are you boys going to do?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’re going up in the <i>Louise</i> to see what we -can do for Mr. Havens!” Jimmie answered. -“Didn’t he say he needed help?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>“You can’t help him after you get up there!” -declared Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We can tell better about that after we get to -him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right, go it!” replied the other. “I’ll remain -here and watch the <i>Bertha</i> and the camp while -you’re gone. But look here,” he continued, “if Mr. -Havens is in bad shape, don’t either one of you boys -try to shift over to the <i>Ann</i>. If you do, you’ll -break your neck.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The next moment the <i>Louise</i> was in the air, her -lights burning brilliantly. The <i>Ann</i> was still approaching, -but staggering as if the aviator had lost -all control. Below the boys saw Ben piling dry pine -on the fire so as to provide a broadly-lighted landing-place -for the oncoming machine.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know what we’re going to do when we -get up there,” Jimmie shouted in Carl’s ear, “but -there’s one thing sure, and that is that if we don’t -do something Mr. Havens will soon go crashing to -the ground!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys were now obliged to give over conversation, -for the motors were in swift motion and the -roar of an express train could hardly have been -heard above the sparking.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When at last they came close to the <i>Ann</i> and -swung about so as to move with her, they saw Mr. -Havens sitting limply in the aviator’s seat. His -chin was lowered upon his breast, and he appeared -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>to be too weak or too dazed in mind to look up as the -<i>Louise</i> swept past him, whirled and moved along -directly above him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys saw that the great machine was rapidly -getting beyond his control. Had he understood the -nature of the ground below, he might have shut off -his motors and volplaned down, but they understood, -of course, that the dark surface below was unknown -territory to him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>For some reason, probably because the disabled -aviator had realized that he was fast reaching his -objective point and shut the motors down to half -power, the <i>Ann</i> was not making good speed. The -<i>Louise</i> slowed down so as to keep exact step with -her and Jimmie bent over in his seat and looked past -the edge of the upper plane to the framework and -propeller of the <i>Ann</i>. Directly he sent the <i>Louise</i> -faster for a second and looked under the edge of -the <i>Ann’s</i> upper wing to the vacant seat at the left -of the aviator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you think,” he shrilled into Carl’s ear, “that -I could get down into that seat?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course you can’t!” answered Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I could if I had a rope!” insisted Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s a rope in the box under your seat,” -Carl replied, “but there’s no need of your attempting -suicide!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>“Now, look here!” Jimmie argued, speaking -very slowly and shouting to the full capacity of his -lungs in order to make his chum hear his words, “if -you can hold this machine steadily above the <i>Ann</i>, -without varying half an inch in her pace, I can drop -past the upper plane of the lower machine, light on -the framework, and climb into that seat.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No one ever heard of such a thing being done!” -declared Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Before the words were out of Carl’s mouth, -Jimmie had the rope in his hands. He fastened it -securely to the framework of the <i>Louise</i> and -dropped one end down.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now,” he called to Carl, “unless you hold the -<i>Louise</i> exactly right, you’ll get the rope tangled in -the <i>Ann’s</i> propeller, and then it will be all up with -all of us!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boy’s face was pale as death as, motioning -Carl to shift his weight as much as possible so as to -prevent the <i>Louise</i> swaying when he changed his -position, the boy took hold of the rope and lowered -himself.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In a second he felt his body brushing against the -framework of the <i>Ann’s</i> top wing. Then the rope -began twisting and untwisting under his weight, -and he whirled round and round like a top, until he -became possessed by a feeling of dizziness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He could see the ground, red with firelight, where -the tents were and nothing else. He sensed that -both machines were passing over the camp. At -last, after what seemed to him an eternity, the twisting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>rope brought him face to the vacant seat and to -the disabled aviator, whose hands were limply touching -the levers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When at last the boy’s feet touched the framework -and he let go of the rope to cling to the edge -of the plane, it seemed that the swaying of the -machine must certainly throw him to the ground. -However, he steadied himself for an instant, -lowered himself at the knees and half fell forward -clutching the seat when his outstretched hands came -to it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>For a moment it did not seem possible that he was -ever to recover his faculties again. Everything was -in a whirl. The stars in the sky, the red light of -the camp-fire on the cliff to the east, the dark bulk -of the mountains farther away, all seemed mixed in -a great jumble, in which nothing was distinct and -everything seemed to be mixed with everything else.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When his mind cleared he saw that Mr. Havens’ -hands were dropping from the levers. Another instant -of indecision or inactivity would have brought -death to them both. He seized the levers, and the -<i>Ann</i> swung upward again, steady as the hands on -the dial under his confident touch.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The rope which he had used still hung down from -the <i>Louise</i> and, reaching forward, he gave it several -quick jerks to indicate that he was safe. Then he -saw the <i>Louise</i> shoot ahead, and knew that Carl was -looking back toward him. The rope had been -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>drawn up as soon as his signals had been received. -The warning against permitting it to become -entangled in the propellers of the <i>Ann</i> had been -remembered by Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Both machines were now some distance west of -the camp-fire, but the boys came slowly around and -dropped. During the last few yards of the slanting -journey through the dark air, Jimmie was obliged -to steady Mr. Havens in his seat. When at last -the strain was over and the great flying machines -lay on the rich grass below, the millionaire aviator -fairly fell from his seat.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Carl and Ben came forward to greet -Jimmie, their faces were as white as snow. Their -hands trembled as they extended them to the boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He would do it!” Carl exclaimed. “I tried to -get him not to!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Some one had to do it!” declared Jimmie, pointing -significantly to the huddled figure on the ground -by the side of the <i>Ann</i>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It’s a wonder you didn’t kill yourself and Mr. -Havens and Carl also,” exclaimed Ben. “Why, -look here, boys,” he went on with a trembling voice, -“if that rope had swung out a few inches farther, -you would have been ground to pieces in the propellers, -and the <i>Ann</i> would have dropped to the -ground like a stone! The rope you held would have -drawn the <i>Louise</i> down with you! It was an awful -risk to take!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>“If I hadn’t taken it,” Jimmie answered, “Mr. -Havens would have fallen from his seat. His hands -were dropping from the levers when I reached his -side. Five seconds more and he would have gone -down.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In all the history of aviation,” Ben declared, -“nothing of that kind was ever done before! The -wildest imagination cannot conceive of a person -leaving one machine and taking a position on another -while in the air! It is an unheard-of thing.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, it’s been done once!” declared Jimmie. -“And it may be done again. And now, if you’ve -got all the kinks out of your system, perhaps you’d -better help me take Mr. Havens into one of the -tents.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I can’t lift a pound!” declared Carl. “I -thought for a second that Jimmie had been obliged -to let go of the rope and drop!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben and Jimmie lifted the millionaire aviator, -now almost unconscious, and carried him into one -of the shelter-tents. His face was very pale and -his breathing was uncertain.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t see what’s the matter with him,” Jimmie -exclaimed after examining the man’s head and -breast. “There is no wound here that I can find!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then Ben pointed to the aviator’s feet.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Strange we didn’t notice those before!” he -said.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>“What’s the matter?” demanded Jimmie with a -shudder. “Have his feet been cut off?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The aviator wore no shoes, and his feet were -closely wrapped in bandages which had evidently -been made from one of the blankets carried in the -store-box of the <i>Ann</i>. The bandages were stiff -with congealed blood.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben began to remove the cords which held the -bandages in place, but Jimmie motioned him away.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ll have to get hot water before we can get -those off!” the boy said. “We’ll need plenty of hot -water, anyway, so you’d better go and tell Carl to -put on the big kettle.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>While Ben was gone, Mr. Havens opened his -eyes. He glanced around the tent and smiled when -his eyes encountered those of his companions.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did I fall?” he asked faintly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I should say not!” was the reply. “I guess if -you’d had a tumble out of the air, you wouldn’t be -lying here in this tent, able to talk, would you? -You’d be all smashed up on the rocks!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I felt myself falling!” insisted the aviator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That was after the machine landed,” Jimmie -explained.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did some one get into the seat with me?” the -voice went on weakly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, sure!” replied Jimmie. “I dropped over -into the seat and we came down together. Don’t -you remember that?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>“I do not!” smiled the aviator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We saw something was the matter with you,” -Jimmie went on, “and so Carl and I went up to see -what caused the <i>Ann</i> to reel along like a drunken -sailor. We got there just in time!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I was weak from loss of blood,” replied Mr. -Havens. “I camped last night in a valley occupied -by hosts of yellow-haired porcupines.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ve heard of ’em,” Jimmie grinned.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In the night,” the injured man went on, “I got -out of my sleeping bag to mend the fire and stepped -on a whole host of the fellows, cutting my feet into -ribbons, almost.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Wouldn’t they get out of the way?” asked the -boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They never get out of the way!” was the -answer. “Instead, they will walk in a man’s path, -like a pet kitten, and refuse to turn aside.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you get the quills all out of your feet?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know whether I did or not. They bled -terribly, and I am now in great pain with them. -You boys will have to find out about that later on! -I’m too tired now to talk.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben now brought a kettle of blood-warm water -while Carl appeared with a cup of strong coffee. -After the aviator had swallowed the coffee, the -bandages were removed and his feet carefully examined. -There were many quills still in the flesh, -they having worked in instead of out, as is usual -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>in such cases. These had caused the bleeding to -continue, and this in a measure accounted for Mr. -Havens’ weakened condition.</p> - -<p class='c011'>By midnight the aviator was able to sit up and -listen to the story of the two visitors.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I quite agree with you,” he said, after Ben had -concluded the recital, “there is no doubt in my mind -that the men are simply mountain bums. And I’m -afraid that we’ll have trouble with them in future. -These machines must be guarded night and day!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How long are we going to stay in this blooming -old valley?” asked Jimmie. “I’d rather be sailing -over the mountains!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You can go sailing over the mountains to-night -if you want to,” Carl chuckled, pointing, “there -seems to be a beacon fire waiting for you!”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span> - <h2 id='chap1175' class='c012'>CHAPTER IV.<br /> <br />THE DISAPPEARANCE OF COLLETON.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“I’m glad the fellows took the trouble of building -a fire of their own instead of wanting to lounge -around ours all night,” Jimmie observed, as the boys -looked at the leaping flames toward the north end -of the slope. “I should think they’d freeze up -there!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I hope they do!” cried Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wish we had some way of finding out what -they are doing here,” Ben said. “They don’t look -like mountain men to me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There are probably a great many such characters -in the mountains,” Mr. Havens explained. -“Perhaps they’ll let us alone if we let them alone.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is there any chance of their being here to interfere -with our work?” asked Carl. “It really seems -that way to me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t think so,” the millionaire aviator replied.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>“What did you learn at Denver?” asked Ben. -“Was there any indication in the messages received -from Washington that the mail-order frauds were -turning their attention to the west?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not a word!” replied Mr. Havens. “We have -a clear field here, and all we’ve got to do is to locate -this Larry Colleton. I shall probably be laid up with -sore feet for a number of days, but that won’t -prevent you boys flying over the country in the -machines looking for camps.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Huh!” grinned Jimmie. “They won’t keep -Colleton in no camp! They’ll keep him in some -damp old hole in the ground.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I presume that’s right, too,” Mr. Havens replied. -“But you boys mustn’t look for camps -entirely. Whenever you see people moving about, -it’s up to you to investigate, find out who they are -and where they are stopping. You’ll find that all -this will keep you busy.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’re likely to be kept busy if there are a lot -of tramps in the hills!” Ben answered, “for the -reason that it may take two or three days to chase -down each party we discover.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I haven’t told you much about the case yet,” -Mr. Havens continued, “and I may as well do so -now. About six months ago, letters began coming -to the post-office department at Washington complaining -that a certain patent medicine concern -which was advertising an alleged remedy, Kuro, -was defrauding its customers by sending about one -cent’s worth of quinine and water in return for two -dollars in money.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>“Keen, level-headed business men!” exclaimed -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Larry Colleton, one of the best inspectors in -the department, was given the case. For a long -time, after the investigation began, this Kuro company -manufactured a remedy which really worked -some of the cures described in the advertising. This -was expensive, however, and at times the shipments -fell back to the one-cent bottle of quinine water.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“More thrift!” laughed Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Another fraud-charge was that the Kuro company -often failed to make any shipment whatever -in return for money received. Colleton bought hundreds -of bottles of their remedy, but the difficult -point was to establish the fact that the company was -not at the time of the investigation manufacturing -the honest medicine. The officers of the company -claimed that they were perfecting their medicine -every day, and admitted that some of the bottles -sent out at first were not what they should have -been.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why didn’t he pinch the whole bunch?” demanded -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He did!” answered Mr. Havens. “But time -after time they escaped punishment by being discharged -on examination by United States district -court commissioners, or by having their cases flatly -turned down by men employed in the laboratories at -Washington.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>Mr. Havens was about to continue when Ben -motioned him to look in the direction of the blaze, -still showing on a shelf of the slope to the north. -The fire was burning green.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What does that mean?” the boy asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It means that they are talking to some person -on the other side of the valley or in the valley,” Mr. -Havens answered. “It struck me, when the fire -was first pointed out, that no man in his right mind -would be apt to set up a camp in that exposed position.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Just before I called your attention to the fire,” -Ben remarked, “it was showing red. There, you -see,” he added, in a moment, “it is turning red right -now! Of course the lights mean something to some -one.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That busts your theory about the fellows being -mountain tramps!” exclaimed Jimmie. “Such -wouldn’t be carrying red and green fire and rifles -with Maxim silencers!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They may be mounted policemen after all!” -suggested Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not on your whiskers!” exclaimed Carl. “Do -you think mounted policemen wouldn’t know how to -skin a bear, or know how to broil a bear steak? -You just bet your life these fellows know more -about riding on the elevated or in the subway than -they do about traveling on horseback!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>“Well,” Mr. Havens went on, “one of you boys -watch the lights and the others listen to the story -of how the crooks got Colleton. It may be necessary -in the future that you should know exactly how -the trick was turned. After a long investigation, -and after bribing several men in the factory where -the alleged remedy was manufactured, Mr. Colleton -secured the exact formula in use during the current -week. He also secured a long list of names of -persons to whom the bogus remedy manufactured -that week had been shipped.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then, why didn’t he drop down on the concern?” -asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He did!” was the answer. “He arrested the -officers of the company and subpœnaed scores of -witnesses. He also secured proof that men in the -employ of the government had been bribed by the -Kuro concern to retard the work of the inspector -and to assist in the destruction of any proof submitted -to the commissioner by him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why didn’t you say that before?” asked -Jimmie. “If you’d just said that Colleton was -fighting the department at Washington as well as -the patent medicine concern, we would have understood -what kind of a case we were getting into.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>“Well, you know it now!” laughed Mr. Havens. -“At last,” he continued, “Colleton had his case -ready for the grand jury, the district commissioner -having placed the respondents under heavy bail to -await such action.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And what happened then?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He lost his proof and he lost himself,” smiled -the aviator. “Colleton expected a long fight before -the grand jury, a fight in the district court, a fight -in the circuit court, a fight in the court of appeals, -and a final fight before the United States Supreme -court, for he knew that the Kuro people had plenty -of money and the kind of influence which counts in -an emergency.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And then what happened?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Colleton knew that he had a legal fight on his -hands, but he never suspected that he had a personal -fight. One day he disappeared from his office in -the post-office department at Washington, and his -proof disappeared with him. He has never been -seen by his friends since that day.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And now we’ve got to find him!” exclaimed -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s what we’ve got to do!” echoed Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But, I don’t understand how they got him out of -his own room, and got his proof out of the building -without attracting attention!” Ben suggested. -“They must have had several operatives at work.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They certainly did!” was the reply. “Colleton -was sitting in his office at three:fifteen one Monday -afternoon. The safe in which his papers were kept -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>was locked. The desk in which his memoranda were -stored was also locked. When last seen sitting at -his desk, he was making memoranda concerning a -case not at all connected with the Kuro matter. -These papers were not taken.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That was bad editing!” Ben laughed. “They -should have taken all the papers in sight in order -not to disclose the real object of the robbery. The -rascals slipped a cog there!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The first error in the whole case,” Mr. Havens -went on. “Only for the fact that Kuro papers -were taken exclusively, it might have been claimed -that the respondents in some of the other criminal -cases being handled by Colleton had committed the -outrage.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where did Colleton go when he left his office?” -asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s exactly what we don’t know.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Who saw him leave his office?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No one.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, then, who saw any one enter his office?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No one.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” laughed Ben, “how could Colleton get -out of his office without being seen? Perhaps he -went out unobserved and took the proof with him! -You haven’t said whether the safe and desk were -opened.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They were opened,” was the reply, “by some -one knowing the combination to the safe, and some -one having a key to the desk. All the proof collected -by Colleton disappeared that day.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>“And the patent medicine men finally got up to -his price!” grinned Jimmie. “I guess it’s the old -story!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s what makes it so provoking,” said Mr. -Havens, impatiently. “A good many people in -Washington are saying the same thing. It is unjust -to the inspector and very annoying to his friends.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And no one went into his office that afternoon?” -asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not that we know of.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And no one went near his office door?” asked -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I didn’t say that!” replied Mr. Havens. “His -office door opens on a wide corridor, at that time -being used as desk space by an overflow of clerks. -At three:ten that afternoon two men stopped at -Colleton’s door, but did not enter.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How do you know they didn’t enter?” Carl -broke in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No one saw them enter or come out. No one -heard the door open or close. One of the men, a -heavily-built, bearded fellow, seemed to be urging -the other to enter Colleton’s room. The man who -was being urged was younger, thinner, and appeared -to be greatly excited.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Were they the only men seen at that door about -that time?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>“So it is said,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And Colleton was at his desk just before the -men were seen at his door?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Five minutes before!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And the person who entered his room after the -two men departed found it vacant?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s the idea exactly!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you say the young thin man was excited?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps excited is not the correct word,” was -Mr. Havens’ reply. “He seemed to be dazed with -fear. The clerk sitting near the door received the -idea that the man had nerved himself up to the point -of confessing a crime or a dereliction of duty, and -had lost his courage when he reached the door of -the inspector’s room.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did this young man look like Colleton?” asked -Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not at all. Colleton wore a light moustache -only. This man wore a full beard. Colleton’s eyes -are bright, snappy, far-seeing. This man’s eyes -looked dull and lifeless under the glasses he wore. -Colleton is straight, alert, confident. This man -dragged his feet as he walked and his shoulders -hunched together.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where did the two men go after they left -Colleton’s door?” asked Ben. “Did no one watch -them?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No further attention was paid to them.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>“Would any of the clerks in the corridor know -the big fellow again?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t think so. I don’t think they paid enough -attention to know whether his eyes were blue or -black or brown.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then they didn’t notice the other fellow very -particularly, did they?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No, in fact, except for his dazed and dejected -manner and his odd dress they probably wouldn’t -have noticed the young man particularly. But why -are you asking these questions,” Mr. Havens answered -with a laugh. “Are you boys going to -solve, off-hand, a mystery over which Washington -detectives have been puzzling for many weeks?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No,” Ben answered, “but I know when Colleton -left his room.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span> - <h2 id='chap1524' class='c012'>CHAPTER V.<br /> <br />A MIDNIGHT FLIGHT.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“Then you know more about the case than the -detectives at Washington!” smiled Mr. Havens. -“When do you think he left his room?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t think, I know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, get it out of your system!” exclaimed -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He left his room,” Ben chuckled, “about one -second before those two men appeared in the corridor -outside his door!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I suppose you happened to be coming out of -another office, just across the corridor, and happened -to see him coming out, didn’t you?” jeered -Carl. “You always were the wise little boy!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, look here,” Ben said, more seriously, “me -for the Brainy Bowers act in this little play. In -time the truth of the matter will be known, and -when that time comes you just remember your -Uncle Dudley’s forecast.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You haven’t made any forecast yet!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>“I’ll make a guess then,” Ben answered. “I’ll -just call it a guess. I’ll guess that Colleton came -out of his room with the big man, and that he was -doped stiff, and that he had the proofs in his inside -pocket, and that the big man got him away under -the eyes of a dozen clerks, and probably passed a -score of detectives before he got out of the building.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But look here,” Mr. Havens began.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Please, Mr. Havens,” Jimmie broke in, “don’t -wake him up. Let him go on dreaming! He’ll feel -all the better for it in the morning!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t care what you say!” Ben argued. “The -big man took Colleton out of his room. If you -want to know whom to look for in this case, just -you look for the big man. And if you want to get -a sure case against him, find some one of the clerks -who can identify him as the man who stood at -Colleton’s door that afternoon.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I half believe you are right!” Havens declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It listens good to me,” Jimmie agreed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I want to withdraw everything I said against -the theory,” Carl cut in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here!” Ben said rather excitedly. -“Those fellows who claimed to be mounted policemen -are both big men, and they both wear full -beards. Now it seems to me that the man who took -Colleton out of his office would be the man to keep -him under duress until the excitement of the case -dies down.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>“For the love of Mike!” Jimmie exclaimed. -“Don’t go to materializing the man with the alfalfa -on his face right here in the mountains.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s the man we’re looking for,” suggested -Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, let’s don’t find him until we’ve had a -little more fun flying over British Columbia!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say, Mr. Havens,” Ben proposed. “You ought -to send word to Washington to have one or two of -the most intelligent of those clerks sent out here. -When we get the man with the full beard we’ll want -some one to tell us whether we’re right or not.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ll do that the first time I reach a telegraph -office,” the aviator replied. “That ought to have -been thought of long ago.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It strikes me that you won’t get to a telegraph -office very soon!” laughed Jimmie. “You’ll have -a mess of feet that look like bread dough by morning! -Those porcupine quills often poison as well as -wound.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, you boys can send the message then,” returned -Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And you can watch camp!” laughed Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m afraid that’s what I’ll have to do.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What has been done with the case against the -Kuro company?” Ben asked after a short silence.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Still pending in the courts. Of course, the -government can’t proceed to trial in the absence of -inspector Colleton.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>“Then if Colleton should be murdered, the case -might never be tried?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It certainly never would be tried!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then we’ve got to get a move on!” cried -Jimmie. “If these fellows know that special effort -is being made to locate him, they won’t take any -chances. The nearer we get to Colleton, the nearer -he will be to his death. At least that’s the way I -look at it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s the way it looks to me, too,” Ben agreed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl now caught Jimmie by the arm and pointed -to the fire burning on the mountain to the north.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It burns green now,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>While they looked the flame turned red again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wouldn’t mind going over there to-night!” -Jimmie declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then let’s go,” advised Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Huh! I didn’t say anything about your -going!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You know very well you always have to have -me with you,” Carl chuckled. “You get into -trouble when you go alone.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Here,” Ben called from the tent where Mr. -Havens lay, “what are you boys planning now? -No one leaves the camp to-night, understand!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course not,” grinned Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I should say not!” echoed Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>“Now, this is on the level,” Ben argued. “If -you boys are planning anything for to-night, you -want to quit it, right now! If those fellows around -that other fire are watching us, you couldn’t do a -thing that would please them more than to wander -off in the darkness.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Who said anything about wandering off in the -darkness?” demanded Jimmie. “You’re always -seeing things that are not present.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Anyway,” Carl said with a yawn, “it’s time we -were all in bed!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ll watch to-night,” Ben proposed, with a -significant glance in the direction of the aviator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And look here,” Jimmie suggested, “suppose -you keep a record of the changes of color over on -the mountain. I believe those people are saying -something with those green and red lights!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right,” Ben replied, “I’ll do that.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t suppose I’ll sleep very much to-night, -anyway,” Mr. Havens said, after a pause, “so you -may as well go to bed, every one of you, and I’ll -wake you if anything unusual occurs.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think I’d better keep awake,” Ben insisted.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie and Carl stepped to one side, ostensibly -in search of dry pine for use during the night, but -really to discuss this unexpected opposition to the -excursion they had planned.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We can’t go if they make such a noise about -it!” Carl complained.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Sure we can!” returned Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know how!” Carl grumbled.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>“I can fix up a scheme to get away in the machine -with the advice and consent of the multitude,” -laughed the other.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In your mind!” returned Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Watch me!” advised Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys went back to the camp-fire and stood -for some moments watching the changing lights on -the mountain.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’d like to know if some one is really talking -back to that fellow,” Jimmie said, turning to Mr. -Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I presume some one is answering the signals,” -the millionaire answered, “only we can’t see the -answers given.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps we could learn what they’re saying if -we could see the answers. They may be talking in -a code we could get next to.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, you don’t see anything that looks like a -return signal, do you?” asked Ben. “They’ll take -good care that we don’t see both ends of the conversation.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here,” proposed Jimmie, “why don’t we -send Ben up in a machine to look over the landscape. -The return signals may come from some -point not to be seen from this end of the valley.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s the idea!” exclaimed Carl, understanding -in a minute why his chum had suggested that -Ben make the midnight flight.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not for me!” answered Ben. “I don’t care -about going up into the sky refrigerator this time -of night!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>“Then you go, Carl,” Jimmie said turning to the -other.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not so you could notice it!” Carl declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right!” Jimmie said with an injured air. -“I made one exhausting flight to-night and I suppose -I could make another. We certainly ought to -know whether those people are signaling to others -in the mountains. Don’t you think so, Mr. Havens?” -he added turning to the millionaire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It would enable us to understand the situation -better,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then I’ll go,” Jimmie said, putting on an unwilling -manner. “I’ll go up far enough to see -what’s doing and come right back. While I’m gone -you fellows get up a supper. It’s most daylight and -we haven’t had anything to eat since last night.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You had only two suppers last night!” Ben -laughed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t care if I had nine,” Jimmie answered, -“I’m hungry just the same, and when I come back -from my little trip, I’ll be about famished!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I guess I’ll go with you,” suggested Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No, you don’t,” declared Jimmie, with a sly -wink. “You wouldn’t go when I wanted you to, -and now you can’t go with me!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you think they ought to go, Mr. Havens?” -asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>“If they can go without getting into any scrape, -yes!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But they’ll be sure to get into trouble,” Ben -complained.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Trouble yourself!” cried Jimmie. “I guess we -can swing around this little old valley without it -being necessary for you to send out a relief expedition! -You act like I never saw a flying machine -before!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps they’ll be good to-night,” Mr. Havens -laughed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The millionaire saw how set the boys were on -taking the trip in the aeroplane. He rather suspected -that Jimmie had mapped out the exact course -to be pursued in getting permission, and laughed at -the tact displayed by the little fellow. He remembered, -however, the great risk the boy had taken in -order to be of service to him that very night, and so -decided in his favor.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do I go?” demanded Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, come along if you want to,” Jimmie answered, -with apparent reluctance. “If you break -your neck, don’t blame me!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys passed out of the circle of light about -the fire and drew the <i>Louise</i> out to level ground. -Jimmie could hear his chum chuckling softly as -they pushed and pulled together.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Didn’t I tell you I could fix it up all right?” -the boy asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>“You’re the foxy little kid!” exclaimed Carl. -“What are we going to do when we get up in the -air?” he continued.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’re going to circle the valley,” Jimmie answered, -“and see if we can catch sight of another -camp-fire. Then we’re going to climb up until we -can look over the ridges in this vicinity. If there -is a collection of mail-order pirates anywhere in -this country we want to know it to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then we want to put on lots of warm clothing,” -Carl suggested, “and take automatics and searchlights -with us.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course!” answered Jimmie. “We want to -go prepared for zero weather. It’s always cold up -on the top of the Continental Divide!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And that’s all you’re going to do?” asked Carl. -“Just fly around the camp and locate the other -camp-fires and then go to bed?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, of course,” Jimmie said hesitatingly, “if -we find a camp that looks in any way suspicious, we -ought to investigate it a little. We can’t get very -close with the motors, you know, without attracting -a whole lot of attention, so we may have to land -and sneak up to find out what’s going on. We can’t -learn much by sailing a thousand feet over a -camp!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s just what I thought!” laughed Carl. -“Just as quick as you get away in a machine you -want to take a lot of risks that no one else would -think of taking.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>Jimmie’s only reply was a confident chuckle, and -the boys were soon in the air. As the pneumatic -tires left the ground Ben waved them “Good-bye” -and shouted for them to be careful if they couldn’t -be good.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In ten minutes the <i>Louise</i> was over the camp-fire, -which had been observed all night. Nothing was to -be seen but the springing flames. There was no -human being in sight.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Jimmie said, as they circled the spot for -the second time and darted away to the east, “we’ll -have to light and creep up!”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span> - <h2 id='chap1892' class='c012'>CHAPTER VI.<br /> <br />THE LOSS OF THE LOUISE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“I’d like to see you find a place where you can -land,” Carl shouted in his chum’s ear. “There’s -nothing here but ridges and canyons, and rocks and -rivers at the bottom!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, we can find a place all right,” Jimmie answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was some time before the boy found a spot -which appeared to be in any way suitable for a landing. -This was some distance to the east of the -ridge which shut in the valley. The shelf he selected -was rather high up, and that suited his purpose -well, for, as he explained to Carl, they would have -less mountain to climb in order to get a look into -the camp.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The aeroplane landed with a bump which nearly -threw the boys out of their seats, and when Jimmie -sprang off and looked about he saw that one of the -wheels was actually whirling round and round in -the air, having passed off the rock. Below, five -hundred feet down, the murmur of running water -could be heard.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>“Gee-whiz!” exclaimed Carl, when the position -of the wheel was pointed out to him. “That was -a close call! If the other wheel had run two feet -farther, we’d have been dumped into the canyon.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But it didn’t run two feet farther!” Jimmie insisted. -“I never saw any advantage in raising a -mess of ifs,” he went on. “If the sun should drop -down some night, the world would drop, too. But -it doesn’t, so what’s the use?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What next?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You stay here and watch the machine and I’ll -sneak over the ridge and crawl down to the camp. -I’m curious to know why those fellows are showing -those colored lights.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you get too close to them, you may find out -things that won’t do you any good.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t croak!” advised Jimmie. “I’ll just go -down there and see how many there are in the -camp, and what they’re doing, and what they’re saying, -and come right back!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ve got a picture of your doing that! Now -look here,” Carl went on, “you want to remember -that I’m staying here by this machine in zero -weather, or worse, so you don’t want to go poking -about until daylight. My fingers are frozen stiff -now!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Run up and down and keep warm, little one!” -laughed Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>Before Carl could reply the boy was off, scrambling -up the rocky face of the slope which led to -the summit. It was stinging cold, and the boy -needed all the exercise he was getting in order to -keep his blood in circulation. Although not on the -main ridge of the Great Divide, the boy was pretty -high up.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Before he came to a position from which the -valley to the west might be seen, Jimmie found that -he was wading in snow. There was no moon, but -stars shone down from a clear sky.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When he reached the crest he saw the camp-fire -two or three hundred feet below, built on a shelf of -rock which seemed to afford no protection whatever -from the cold winds swirling around the -peaks.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t believe that’s any camp at all!” the -boy mused. “It’s just a signal station, and the -operator is probably wrapped up in fur overcoats -a foot thick. I guess about all I can do here,” he -went on, “is to see if there is another fire in sight.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The western slope of the ridge was much steeper -than the one he had already ascended, so at times -the lad approached the hostile camp-fire a great deal -faster than he wanted to. He tried to proceed cautiously, -without making any noise, but now and then -when his feet slipped and he rolled half a dozen -paces, to be caught at last by a little crevice or a -narrow shelf, small rocks became dislodged and -went thundering down.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>“Might just as well take a band,” Jimmie mused -disgustedly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the boy came to within a few yards of the -fire he saw that only one figure was in sight. As -he had predicted he would be, the lone guardian of -the fire was well bundled up in furs. If the motors -had attracted his attention his manner gave no indication -of the fact.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Looks like a wooden Indian,” chuckled Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was no place for the boy to secrete himself -in the vicinity of the fire, so he crouched down on -the slope and looked over the landscape beyond. He -could see his own camp-fire quite distinctly, but no -other light was in sight for several moments.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then what seemed like the blood-red light of an -early August moon showed on a level of rock far -off on the west side of the valley.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’re burning red fire over there, too,” he -mused as the situation became clearer in his mind.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boy climbed back up the slope for a few yards -and looked again, but the fire itself was not in -sight and only the reflection showed on a slender -surface of rock beyond. While he looked the color -changed to green, which showed indistinctly under -the stars.</p> - -<p class='c011'>From his new position Jimmie could see his own -camp to better advantage than from the one lower -down. He sat watching it for some moments, wondering -why Ben was moving around the blaze so actively -and why Mr. Havens had left the tent.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>There certainly were two figures outlined against -the blaze. The lad studied the puzzle intently for -a moment and then started back. He understood -that it would be of no use for him to try to get -nearer to the fire below. The man on watch there -would be conscious of his approach before he was -within a hundred feet.</p> - -<p class='c011'>From the ridge the boy looked back to his camp -again. There were now four figures outlined -against the blaze, and all appeared to be moving -about as if acting under great excitement.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie tried his best to discover whether any of -the figures were those of Mr. Havens and Ben, but -the distance was too great. He could only see the -figures moving about. As he looked and studied -over the proposition he blamed himself for not -bringing his field-glass, but his self-reproach was, -of course, unavailing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Knowing that he ought to be making his way -back to the camp, the boy still remained gazing -downward as if fascinated. He had no reason to -believe that the visitors he saw were at the camp -with friendly intent. He knew that his friends -might be in great danger. Still, he sat and watched -the fire like one dazed.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>There had been no sound of motors, yet the intruders -at the camp had penetrated the valley since -nightfall. Or had they been hiding there at the -time the boys landed? While the boy puzzled over -the situation a mass of rocks left the summit not -far to the north and went racing down the slope, -making sufficient noise, as Jimmie believed, to incite -a riot a hundred miles away!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now there’s some one sleuthing in that direction,” -the boy mused. “Of course, he was at the -camp-fire when he heard the motors and ducked. -Now he’s up there watching me, I presume.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The lad turned toward the snow-capped summit -once more, resolved to get away to his own camp as -soon as possible. When he reached the top the clatter -of motors came to his ears. He looked down in -dismay to see the <i>Louise</i> lifting into the air.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, what’s that fool Carl doing?” he muttered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The aeroplane left the shelf with a little dip over -the precipice and struck out for the west, passing -nearly over the wondering boy’s head. The acetylene -lamp which had been arranged on the forward -framework was burning brightly, and Jimmie -could see that both seats were occupied. The lamp -had been turned low just before his departure.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boy paused at the summit and looked back -into the valley. There was no need now for him -to cross to the eastern slope. He had no doubt that -the <i>Louise</i> had been stolen, and that Carl was driving -her away under duress. In order to reach the -camp he would be obliged to pass down the steep -slope which led to the bottom of the valley.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>Blaming himself for leaving the machine even for -a moment, yet by no means disheartened at the calamity -which had overtaken him, the boy turned his -face to the south resolved to pass along the broken -summit until he had passed the vicinity of the -camp below and then work his way diagonally down -the slope. As he took his first step downward he -heard a voice softly calling his name.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Jimmie!” the voice said. “Hello, Jimmie.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie stopped and looked back. A figure was -approaching him from the north, crouching down -close to the slope of the rocks.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Carl!” he called. “Is that you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Sure!” was the reply. “I thought you had -gone off in the machine.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then you went away and left her, did you?” -demanded Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course I did. I wanted to see what was -going on!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you see the people who took the machine -away?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I saw two figures—no faces,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Jimmie grunted, “we’ve got a nice -little walk back to camp!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I hope we don’t freeze to death on the way -down,” Carl cut in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys walked steadily for a few moments, and -then Jimmie stopped and regarded his companion -with a questioning look.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>“Are you game?” he finally asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m game!” Carl answered. “We’ve lost the -machine, and it doesn’t make any difference what -happens now.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s the way I look at it!” Jimmie returned.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What do you want to do?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, look here,” Jimmie explained. “There’s -only one person at the fire from which the signals -were sent. He sits there like a wooden Indian, -probably three-fourths asleep. The two men who -went away on the <i>Louise</i> probably left the camp -about the time we left the machine and went over -the ridge to seize it. Now, suppose we go down -there where that fellow sits alone and hold him -up!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Hold him up for what?” chuckled Carl, immensely -pleased at the idea.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Information!” answered Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, and I suppose you’d believe anything he -told you, wouldn’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Indeed, I wouldn’t! But, by going to the camp, -we can doubtless learn something regarding the -situation.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl hesitated a moment and then asked:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you see our camp from where you lay?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie nodded.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>“So you saw the commotion down there, too, -did you?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” answered Carl, “and I’m for getting -down there just as quick as possible. I’m so scared -about what I saw around our fire that I’m not thinking -very seriously of the loss of the <i>Louise</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>In a moment the boys came out of a slight wrinkle -which they had been traveling and looked down -on the camp they had left not long before. Four -figures were still moving in front of the blaze.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, don’t you think we ought to hustle down -there?” demanded Carl. “If we get down there -without being discovered and find out that something -is wrong, we can plug every one of those -ginks in the back of the head before they know -we’re within a mile of them.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That wouldn’t help much,” Jimmie answered. -“We might drive those fellows away, if we were -lucky enough to do so, but others might take their -places. I’m stuck on finding out what they want -and how they expect to get it. That’s the thing -that will count.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then run along and ask them,” Carl suggested, -with an impatience which was not usual with the -boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Honest, now,” Jimmie said in a conciliatory -tone, “I believe we can go down to this hostile -camp and hold that fellow up for information. If -we get it, we will know just what to do when we -get to our own camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>“If we ever get there!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Are you going?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Sure, I’m going!” was the reply. “I’m game -to go anywhere you’ll go. And we can’t get down -there too quick, either.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys started down the declivity and then -halted abruptly. The <i>Louise</i> was swinging back to -the east, and seemed about to settle down upon the -shelf where the alien camp had been pitched.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s good!” Jimmie chuckled. “If they -bring that machine down here, I can give a good -guess as to who will take it away.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span> - <h2 id='chap2238' class='c012'>CHAPTER VII.<br /> <br />THREE HUNGRY MEN.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>After the departure of Jimmie and Carl, Ben -sat in the shelter-tent by the side of the injured man -until he was half asleep. Mr. Havens had fallen -into a light slumber, and there was no one to talk -to. He finally arose and walked out to the fire, -looking about for some sign of the flying machine -as he did so.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The <i>Louise</i> was not in sight, being at that time -beyond the ridge to the east, but the boy saw something -which contributed wonderfully to his wakefulness. -A great mountain rat was creeping out of -the long grass toward the spot where the refuse of -the meals which had been served offered a tempting -repast.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As much to keep awake as anything else, he -watched the nimble-footed, sharp-eyed rodent advancing -inch by inch toward its supper. Whenever -he moved a hand or foot the rat darted back and -was lost to view. While he watched, Mr. Havens -called softly from the tent.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>“Shoot all the rats you see, Ben,” the aviator -said. “If he gets a bellyful here every rat in the -Rocky mountains will know it before daybreak. -We may stay here several days, and can’t afford to -fight rats every hour of the day and night!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben drew his revolver and when the rat appeared -again, fired. He missed at the first shot and fired -again and again, until the rodent lay dead halfway -between his hiding-place and the tempting bait.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That looks wicked to me,” Ben declared as he -reloaded his automatic.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Self-preservation, you know,” Mr. Havens explained. -“The rats would eat us alive in less than -a week if we let one get away well-fed.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben went back to the tent and sat down, but, at -the suggestion of the aviator, left almost immediately -to bury the body of the rat and the garbage -which had drawn him to the camp. While engaged -in this occupation, he heard a call from the grass to -the south.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t shoot!” the voice said, in what seemed -to be a tremor of alarm.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben sprang back to the tent and lifted his automatic -from the blanket where he had laid it. Mr. -Havens motioned toward another weapon and Ben -placed it in his hand. Then the two stood waiting.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t shoot!” the voice from the darkness repeated. -“We mean you no harm! We are lost in -the mountains!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>“Who are you?” asked Ben, as footsteps advanced -and three figures became distinguishable under -the light of the fire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Campers who have lost our way,” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The three men came on until their faces as well -as their figures were under the glow of the blaze. -They held their hands out to show that they were -not carrying weapons.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The shots you heard were directed at a mountain -rat,” Ben explained, as the men came up to -where he stood.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The men revealed by the light of the camp-fire -appeared at first sight to be entirely unfamiliar -with the usages of the mountains. They were -dressed in tailor-made clothes of good material, but -their faces were blackened by smoke and bore scraggly -beards of a week’s growth.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Beg pardon,” one of the men said briskly as he -stepped closer to the fire. “Our intrusion is entirely -unpremeditated.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We left our camp early this morning,” another -member of the little group cut in, “and lost our -way. We have been chased by grizzlies and have -fallen into gulches and canyons until we are about -used up.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You are hungry?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>“Hungry?” repeated one of the visitors. “I -never was so hungry in my life. To tell the truth, -we never expected to see a camp-fire or a square -meal again. Of all the blasted countries on the -face of the earth, this mountain district of British -Columbia takes the lead!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where’s your camp?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wish I knew,” answered one of the others. -“We came in here a week ago for a month’s shooting -and we’ve been trying to keep track of our camp -ever since. It seems to me that it shifts about from -point to point whenever we leave it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, look here, Dick,” one of the other men -interrupted, “Steve and I know what kind of a -liar you are, but this stranger doesn’t. First thing -you know, you’ll give him the impression that we’re -all candidates for the foolish house. If you want -to draw on your imagination, jest tell him how -hungry you are.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m so hungry,” Dick answered, “that I could -eat grass like the old king who was turned out to -pasture a good many hundred years ago. I’ve been -thinking for several hours of slicing down a couple -of these peaks and making a grass sandwich. I -should have done it, too, only I was afraid of finding -a nest of rattlers in the grass.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Ben said with a chuckle at the fellow’s -exaggeration, “if you want a fine bear steak, you -can get one at the foot of the slope. A grizzly -dropped down from the upper regions late this -afternoon and we’ve been feeding off him ever -since.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>“Is the meat good yet?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think so,” replied Ben. “You can tell by -bringing in a few slices and putting them over the -coals to broil.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“As a rule,” Dick went on, “I don’t eat meat of -any kind, but to-night I think I could handle a -couple of steaks cut off a horse.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Without waiting for any more explanations the -two men who had been called Steve and Joe hastened -out to the carcass of the grizzly and soon returned -with large slices of bear steak. Ben brought -the broiler out of one of the tents and the men set -to work cooking their suppers. They seemed rather -handy at the task for city men.</p> - -<p class='c011'>While the steak was cooking, Ben made an extra -large and extra strong supply of coffee and brought -out tin dishes from the box where they kept their -table furniture. The visitors eyed preparations for -supper eagerly. Now and then one of them turned -his eyes in the direction of the aeroplanes but made -no comment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My, but that steak smells good!” exclaimed -Dick. “I don’t believe I can wait for it to cook -through, Joe,” he added, “so you just smoke up a -piece, giving an imitation of a restaurant steak, and -I’ll eat it raw.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>“It won’t be long now,” Joe answered with a -laugh.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Long?” repeated the other. “A quarter of a -second seems longer to me now than all the time -that has elapsed since Noah marched his menagerie -out of the ark!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How long have you been in the valley?” asked -Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All night, I think,” Dick replied. “We saw the -slope on the east and mistook it for the one at the -foot of which our camp is situated. The farther -we walked the farther the cliff looked to be. Honest,” -the man went on, with a whimsical smile, “I -believe the cliff can travel faster than we can. Most -remarkable country, this!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Long before the steaks were thoroughly cooked -the men fell to, eating like persons who had been -deprived of food for many days.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re the second party of hungry men we met -to-night,” Ben said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The three looked up instantly with something -more than interest showing in their faces. Then, -as if by common consent they turned toward the -aeroplanes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Who are the others?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know,” replied Ben. “They were husky-looking -fellows who claimed to be mounted policemen. -One of them killed the bear.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Those are the fellows!” Dick exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>“You’ve seen them, have you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not to-day,” Dick replied. “Yesterday, two -men answering the description came to our camp -and asked all sorts of questions about the object of -our visit. They asked where we came from, and -how long we were going to stay, and if we had -seen other strangers in the mountains.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did they claim to belong to the mounted police?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They did not, but they appeared so everlastingly -curious to know all about us that somehow I -got the idea that they did belong to the Canadian -force. They were hungry when they came to our -camp, too.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did they say anything about aeroplanes?” -asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not a word!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And, look here,” Dick observed, cutting an extra -large piece of steak from the slice which lay on -his plate, “I think I saw the camp-fire of our visitors -to-night. It’s up on the slope to the north.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You don’t suppose they’re train robbers, do -you?” asked Steve, rather excitedly. “I have -heard,” he continued, “that train robbers and other -criminals come here to hide away from officers of -the law.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ve been guessing about them ever since they -were here,” Ben replied.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>“If I thought they were train robbers,” Dick -put in, “I’d take a jump for the nearest railroad -without waiting for daylight! If you want to scare -me stiff, just mention train robbers or grizzly bears! -After those fellows left our tent yesterday, I was so -frightened that I couldn’t eat more than half a supper. -Honest,” he continued, “if I had seen this -bear come tumbling down the slope, I would have -let out a yell that would have alarmed the people at -Spokane!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re a great coward, if we leave it to you,” -laughed Joe.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dick grunted and applied himself with greater -energy to the bear steak.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After the men had eaten their fill Dick moved -over to the machines. He stood for some moments -by the <i>Ann</i> without touching her and then walked -back to the fire. His companions looked at him inquiringly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a pretty good machine you have there,” -he said. “Did you bring it over the mountains?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” answered Ben, “we brought in three -aeroplanes. Two of our boys are out now with the -third one.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a fact,” Dick exclaimed as the clamor of -motors came through the still air. “And they’re -doing a pretty good job, flying in the night, at that! -Looks as if they understood the game!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The <i>Louise</i> lifted above the spot where the colored -lights had been displayed and whirled straight -across the valley.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>“What’s she going off in that direction for?” -asked Dick. “Did you notice that she came from -the camp I mentioned a short time ago?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I did notice that,” answered Ben, “and I’m wondering -why.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The <i>Louise</i> swept along at amazing speed and -was soon lost to sight behind the summit to the -west. Ben arose and entered the tent where Mr. -Havens lay.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You saw the <i>Louise</i>?” the boy asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Are you sure that was the <i>Louise</i>?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s no doubt of it,” Ben replied. “The -ordinary aeroplane doesn’t carry a light like that. -It’s the <i>Louise</i>, all right, and I was wondering what -the boys are going toward the coast for.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wish I knew that the boys are in charge of -her,” Mr. Havens said, after a moment’s thought. -“I’m always afraid something will happen when -those boys get off together. If I hadn’t walked all -over those porcupines last night, I’d mount the <i>Ann</i> -and make an investigation.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you think it’s safe for you to remain here -with these visitors,” Ben suggested, “I’ll go up in -one of the machines and see what they’re doing. -I’m rather nervous over the matter myself.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>“I heard the talk going on by the fire,” the aviator -explained, “and my impression is that these -men are all right. Still, it’s rather a risky thing to -do, to leave the camp and one machine in the custody -of a man incapable of defending them.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps we’d better wait a short time and see -if the <i>Louise</i> doesn’t return. I don’t like to take -chances,” added Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Presently the three visitors were invited into the -tent where Mr. Havens lay and the four talked together -for some minutes, then the aviator beckoned -to Ben and whispered in his ear.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think it’s all right for you to take the -<i>Ann</i> out. These men seem to be honest fellows. -They’re from Chicago, and know as little about -mountain work as a cat that has lived all its life in -Gamblers’ alley.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>This was exactly according to Ben’s inclinations, -and the boy lost no time in getting the <i>Ann</i> ready -for the air. The three visitors came out to assist, -and when Ben took his seat Dick suggested significantly -that he had never had the pleasure of riding -in a flying machine.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Jump in then,” Ben said with a smile. “I’ll -show you how it seems to fly over mountains in the -night.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>At that moment the <i>Louise</i> lifted over the valley -once more.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span> - <h2 id='chap2596' class='c012'>CHAPTER VIII.<br /> <br />“HOME OF THE FORTY THIEVES.”</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>Jimmie and Carl were now in a shallow wrinkle -or gully which reached from the summit of the -mountain to the shelf upon which the mysterious -camp-fire had been seen. From their position they -could not secure a view of their own camp, which -was much lower down.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They could see the fire from which the mysterious -signals had been given, and also the <i>Louise</i> winging -her way toward them, but they could not see the -<i>Ann</i> lifting under the stars. She was still much -too low for that.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The increasing clatter of the approaching motors -of the stolen machine, now not far away, effectually -drowned the noise made by the <i>Ann</i>. In fact -the sparking of the oncoming machine made conversation -on the part of the boys rather difficult, -obliging them to almost shout into each other’s ears -when conferring together.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>It was decidedly uncomfortable for the boys in -the gully. A chill wind blew down from the snow-capped -tops. They were glad that they had brought -their warmest clothing, and only wished they had -more of it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wish we knew exactly where the fellows intend -to land,” Jimmie said as the boys paused in -their progress toward the camp-fire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” Carl answered, shouting until he was -red in the face, “we ought to be right on the spot -in order to give them an appropriate reception.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’ve got their nerve, anyway!” Jimmie exclaimed. -“They steal our machine and then they -bring it right back!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps they just borrowed it for a joy-ride!” -chuckled Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“These fellows don’t look like joy-riders,” Jimmie -argued. “They look like men who are here -for some definite purpose.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They must think they’ve got us backed off the -board,” Carl suggested, “or they wouldn’t think of -bringing the machine back to the place from which -they stole it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The <i>Louise</i> came steadily on, flying rather close -to the ground. As it came nearer the boys saw that -the seats were occupied by three men.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That accounts for their keeping in the heavy air -next to the ground,” Jimmie explained. “I don’t -believe they can make the summit with that load! -They must have thrown off a lot of supplies in -order to coax the old machine into carrying three.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>The machine passed over the camp-fire and proceeded -toward the summit, passing almost directly -over the boys as they crouched down in the gully.</p> - -<p class='c011'>This gully was little better than a wrinkle on the -slope of the mountain. It began at the summit and -terminated at the shelf where the camp-fire had -been built. At some distant day a great boulder or -a glacier had started at the top and cut this trail -to the shelf.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The sides of the gully were quite steep; in fact, -almost perpendicular in places. Only at rare intervals -were the walls in such shape as to render egress -possible. Wherever the rocks were nearly perpendicular -there were little shallow caves half-concealed -under beetling crags.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It seemed an ideal place for unlawful operations, -and the boys wondered, as they sat waiting for some -indication of the purpose of the men in the machine, -whether they had not come upon one of the resorts -of men who make a business of smuggling whiskey -across the border.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Presently the <i>Louise</i> disappeared from view, and -in a short time following the vanishing of the lights -the sparking of the motors ceased.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It strikes me,” Jimmie said, speaking lower -now, “that the old machine has landed on the shelf -where we left her. Now, what do you think the -thieves mean by such conduct? I think if I stole -an aeroplane, or a cow, or a bulldog, I’d keep it -away from the vicinity of the owner.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>“Aw, they think they’ve got a couple of boys to -deal with,” Carl answered. “But they’ll find we’ve -got good automatics and know how to use them if -they get gay with us.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’d like to go on a trip before I die,” Jimmie -grumbled, “where I wouldn’t have to carry an -automatic in my hand every minute of the time day -and night! We butted into shooters in Mexico, in -southern California, and in Peru, and now we’ve -got into the game here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t like the automatic incidents myself,” -chuckled Carl. “Whenever I pick up a book, now, -and catch the hero drawing a pistol and pointing -with deliberate aim, I chuck the story into the garbage -box.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys did not dare advance to the camp-fire, -now, for should they do so their figures would be -plainly discernible from the summit, to which the -men from the <i>Louise</i> would undoubtedly make -their way. Before long, exclamations of annoyance -were heard far up the gully, and now and then -a sharp, round light made its appearance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s one of the electrics they stole from the -<i>Louise</i>!” exclaimed Carl. “And they’re coming -down here, too,” he went on, “right into this -gully!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” Jimmie answered, “and there are two -at the fire now, instead of one. Reckon the other -must have been asleep.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>“They’re coming up the gully!” exclaimed Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And the others are coming down!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It’s a blooming trap!” Carl cried. “They knew -we’d make for the camp-fire when they stole our -machine. They knew we’d be so cold on the shelf -near the summit that we’d freeze to death if we -didn’t. So they waited until we got into the trap -and started out from both ends to meet us. No -wonder they brought the machine back to the old -place with a combination like that working!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We might hide in one of these openings between -the rocks,” Jimmie suggested. “They probably -know every one of ’em as well as we know -every burr and bolt in the <i>Louise</i>, but even if they -do it will take them a long time to find which one -we’re hiding in.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They could see the two men who had left the fire -scrambling up the gully, still some distance away. -The men who were coming down were faintly outlined -against the brilliant sky, and occasionally -against the white surface of the summit. This -party was also some distance away.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys searched about industriously for a hiding-place, -rejecting several breaks in the rocks as -being too shallow, and finally came to a cavern -which seemed to extend a considerable distance -under the slope.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>“I’d like to know what kind of a hole this is,” -Carl whispered as the two moved backward in -absolute darkness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I brought my searchlight from the machine,” -Jimmie whispered back, “and when we get in a -little farther, so the light won’t be seen from outside, -I’ll turn it loose.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’d better do it now!” urged Carl. “When -they get exactly in front they can see the light, no -matter how much we try to shield it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a good idea, too!” Jimmie declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the light was turned on it revealed a -cavern at least twenty feet in width, extending back -farther than the finger of light reached. The floor -was level and smooth, apparently worn so by the -passing of feet, and the walls held many shelves -and openings, undoubtedly made by the hand of -man.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You see,” Jimmie whispered, “we’ve struck -a robbers’ den, all right.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Had we better go in farther?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course!” answered Jimmie. “We’ll go in -as far as we can. They’ll search the place, of -course, and probably capture us in the end, but we’ll -find out all we can about their nest before they get -hold of us.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a bet!” exclaimed Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>For a moment the boys argued as to whether -they ought to visit the entrance before passing -farther in, in order to ascertain exactly what the -others were doing, but they finally decided not to do -so. Had they followed Jimmie’s suggestion and -looked out, they would have seen the <i>Ann</i> hovering -over the valley just beyond the shelf where the -camp-fire blazed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys did not understand as they passed in -why they were not followed by the others without -loss of time. As the minutes passed and no lights -or footsteps came from the entrance, they grew -bolder and advanced by the light of the electric.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Had the boys known that the <i>Ann</i> was hovering -over the scene they would have understood why -their pursuers were too much interested to give -them much of their attention at that time.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Perhaps fifty paces from the entrance the cavern -was divided into two sections by a wall of rock -which sprang up almost exactly in the center. The -boys entered the one at the right and soon came -upon a collection of barrels, casks and boxes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This must be the home of the Forty Thieves,” -chuckled Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” Carl answered, “and we’re likely to meet -old Ali Baba at any minute! I wish we could put -the old rascal into a stone jar and fill it with boiling -oil,” the boy added with a grin.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I guess we’ll be the boilees of anything of that -kind takes place here to-night,” Jimmie argued. -“They’ll simply be red-headed when they find out -that we’ve penetrated their treasure cave.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>“We’re always butting into something that -makes our death desirable,” complained Carl. -“Don’t you hear those fellows coming in?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t hear anything, do you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not a thing!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They don’t have to come in here after us, anyway!” -Jimmie argued. “They can just sit by the -entrance with a little automatic and catch us when -we get starved out!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps there’s something in here in the way of -provisions,” suggested Carl. “If there is, it’ll take -them a long time to freeze us out. And while -they’re doing it, the boys will come up to investigate -and get us out. Let’s look and see what there is -here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie turned his electric on one of the casks -and read the letters burned into the head.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Whiskey!” he said turning up his nose in disgust.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But they must have provisions here if they keep -a bonded warehouse like this,” urged Carl. “Let’s -keep looking.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>A long search revealed nothing more substantial -than whiskey, brandy and liquors of various kinds. -The boys sat down on a barrel and discussed the -situation soberly.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>“What a snap this would be for some of the -hoboes we meet on the Bowery occasionally,” -snickered Carl, after the possibilities of escape had -been thoroughly gone over. “You take a real -native-born Boweryite and he’d feel insulted if you -suggested that he ought to get out.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, I don’t see any sustenance in whiskey!” -Jimmie answered, gloomily, “and I think we’d -better be moving up toward the front in order to -watch our chance to sneak out.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say,” Carl suggested in a moment, “how’d you -like to get another look at those husky fellows who -contributed the bear to our supper?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t care about meeting them just at this -time!” Jimmie replied.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But see here,” Carl continued. “You remember -what Mr. Havens said about the two men who -were seen at Colleton’s office door in the Washington -building. You remember the big fellow with -the spinach on his map, don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I remember what he said about him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, as has already been surmised, that big -fellow is keeping company with Colleton. The man -who got the inspector away from his desk is still -keeping track of him, you may be sure of that!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And you think one of the men we saw at our -camp may be the identical person, eh?” questioned -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, it’s only a guess,” Carl answered, “but one -of them may be the man who got Colleton out of -the building, just the same.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>“We don’t know that Colleton was taken out of -the building by the big man!” declared Jimmie. -“Ben insists that the slim man at the office door -was Colleton, drugged and disguised, but it’s no -sure thing that he’s right! I think he is, but he -may be mistaken for all that!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Wouldn’t it be a snap if we could seize one of -those big fellows and have him turn out to be the -right one? We’d take him down to the camp and -put him through the third degree, and then he’d -tell us where Colleton is hidden, and where the -stolen proofs are, and who hired him to do the -job, and a whole lot of other stuff calculated to put -the mail-order thieves in bad with the jury.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Wake up, boy, wake up!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Aw, let me dream. And then,” he went on, -“we could go to Washington and get the reward -and bring it back to New York in bags and -barrels——”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Cut it out,” whispered Jimmie. “There’s some -one moving just behind us! Wouldn’t it be a joke -on us if many of these barrels should contain -brigands instead of brandy?”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span> - <h2 id='chap2951' class='c012'>CHAPTER IX.<br /> <br />THE VOYAGE OF THE ANN.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“I wouldn’t call that much of a joke!” Carl -replied. “Turn out the light and perhaps they -won’t see us!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s the use?” the boy answered. “They’ve -seen our light before this, and they’ve heard us -talking.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s right, kiddo!” a voice said in the darkness. -“We’ve seen your light and we’ve heard -you talking. Now, if you’ll lay your revolvers on -the head of the barrel where you are standing, -you’ll save us mussing up the floor.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You win!” exclaimed Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys deposited their automatics on the barrel -and stood waiting for the speaker to advance out -of the darkness. When at last he made his appearance -the boys noted that he was exactly the -type of the man who had visited the camp on the -previous day.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We didn’t expect company here to-night!” the -fellow said, taking the electric from Jimmie’s hand -and directing the circle of light on the boy’s face. -“Why didn’t you send in your cards?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>“Wasn’t any one to take them in!” grinned -Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The big fellow chuckled softly to himself and -pointed to two casks not far away. Following the -motion the boys seated themselves.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where are your machines?” was asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say,” Jimmie broke in without answering the -question. “Are you the man who shot the bear -yesterday?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m the man who shot the bear!” was the -reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I thought so!” answered the boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You didn’t tell me where you left the machines,” -insisted the other.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie explained that two were at the camp and -one somewhere near the peak unless the thieves had -again removed it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What did you boys come over here for?” was -the next question.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“To look up the red and green signals.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The captor laughed softly to himself for a moment -and then asked:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you look them up?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We didn’t get a chance!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What did you come into the country for?” -asked the captor.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“To have a good time hunting.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>“You said something like that yesterday,” the -man continued, “but I didn’t believe it! I’ve less -reason to believe in the truth of it now! Boys out -on hunting trips don’t travel in expensive aeroplanes, -nor do they wander about in the night, trying -to read signals not intended for them to understand. -You’ll have to come again, boys!” he added.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s all there is to it!” Jimmie returned. -“We came here hunting.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“For smuggled goods?” asked the other with a -laugh.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Never heard of smuggled goods in this section -of the country!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m sorry you blundered in here, lads,” the man -said, after a short silence. “You’ve made us a lot -of trouble. We’ve got to do one of two things. -Either get rid of you boys for good and all, or -change our entire system of operation.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I should advise the change!” grinned Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here!” Carl demanded whimsically, resolved -to mislead the man if it were possible to do -so, “can you give us a line on a country where -there’s nothing but mountains and rivers and blue -sky? This is the fourth mountain trip we’ve made, -and every time we’ve run into a lot of people where -none were supposed to exist.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s right!” Jimmie cut in. “When we -landed in the valley we thought we’d have the whole -place to ourselves. Then you come along and rolled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>the bear down on us, and asked a lot of impertinent -questions. Then three men steal our aeroplane so -we can’t return to camp from our midnight joy-ride. -Then we see two men in front of a fire and hear -others coming down the gully. How many people -are there around here, anyway?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Quite a few!” laughed the captor. “In fact,” -he went on, “I don’t think you can find any spot -on the American continent where you won’t find -more or less human beings.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What are you going to do with us?” asked -Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Tell you what,” Jimmie cut in before the man -could answer the question, “if you’ll get the <i>Louise</i> -away from the thieves and go back to camp with us, -we’ll cook you the biggest bear steak you ever saw, -and cook you a cup of coffee that will hold up an -iron wedge!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you only hadn’t entered this storehouse,” -the man said thoughtfully, “your proposition might -be worthy of consideration.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ll never say a word about the smuggled -goods,” said Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The man seemed inclined to consider this statement, -but in a moment the two figures who had -been seen before the fire came into the cavern on a -run. They conferred with the big fellow for a few -moments and then went out.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>“Now, boys,” said the man, who appeared to be -custodian of the cavern, “there’s trouble outside, -and we’ve got to take you into the other arm of -the cavern and make sure that you don’t get away -from us.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know who could be making you trouble,” -Jimmie retorted. “You mounted police fellows -seem to have everything your own way up in this -country. Only,” he went on with a whimsical smile, -“I never knew that mounted policemen stood guard -over caves full of smuggled whiskey.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That story about being mounted policemen did -sound rather thin, didn’t it?” asked the fellow.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It was too thin for us to take stock in,” replied -Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, come on, boys!” the captor said. “We -may as well be moving back to your private suite. -You’ll be well taken care of for the next few days. -You fed me well and I’ll feed you well!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Are our friends outside?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s just it!” cried Carl. “I thought a short -time ago that I heard the motors of the <i>Ann</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The sparking you heard probably came from -the <i>Louise</i>,” suggested the man. “All motors sing -the same song.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not much!” exclaimed Carl. “I can recognize -the song of the <i>Ann</i> as far as I can hear it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, come on!” the man exclaimed rather -gruffly, “I’ve got to get you boys out of sight! -You’ll be safer farther in, anyway, for there may -be shooting. I’ll see you a little later on.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>The boys were conducted to a low, tunnel-like -place leading out of the south arm of the cavern. -It was not a desirable apartment, by any means, but -the boys stepped inside without expressing the disgust -they felt. The walls were damp as if underground -springs existed not far away.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now,” the big fellow said, “I’m going to leave -a man here to guard you boys. You’ll find he’s -a pretty good sort of a chap, if you don’t try any -funny business with him. If you try to get away, -you’ll probably make the acquaintance of a clip of -bullets!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The guard referred to made his appearance in a -moment. The boys saw little except his face by the -flashlight, and they were not at all pleased with that. -He motioned them farther back and sat down at the -entrance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Cripes!” whispered Jimmie. “He looks like -he’d been eating something that had caused a misery -in his tummy!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Looks mad enough to bite nails!” agreed Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The guard, sitting with the finger of light from -the electric pointing down the passage, turned it -for an instant on the boys’ faces and favored them -with a most malignant scowl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Keep still, now, you fellows,” he demanded.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right,” laughed Jimmie, “we’ll be good!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>“I know what’s the matter with that fellow!” -Carl declared in a moment. “He’s got a hangover! -He was probably spiflicated last night, and -he’ll be picking bumble-bees out of the wall in a -minute if he don’t get a couple of drinks. Do you -see anything significant in that, kid?” he added giving -his chum a nudge with his elbow.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He’s a tank, all right!” Jimmie agreed. “And -he’ll be looking for the joy water in about ten -minutes. When he gets good and gay, we’ll make -a sneak! What do you think of our being down -here in a hole like this, anyhow, when we came out -to ride on flying machines?” the boy added, in a -tone of disgust. “It’s just rotten, that’s what it -is!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And we’ll get the razzle-dazzle from Ben, too!” -complained Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you really think it was the <i>Ann’s</i> motors -you heard?” asked Jimmie, in a moment. “If -the boys are up in the machine, they ought to soon -find out what’s going on here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If Ben is up in the machine, you mean. Mr. -Havens isn’t able to take a trip in the air and won’t -be for several days.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a fact,” Jimmie answered gravely, “and -I’m afraid Ben can’t do very much alone.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>In ten minutes the boys heard footsteps proceeding -stealthily down the cavern. The searchlight -still showed at the entrance to the dungeon-like -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>place where the boys sat, but Jimmie seemed to -think its round eye remained too steadily on one -point.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here,” he said in a whisper to Carl, “this -lovely guard of ours has propped up the electric so -as to make us think he’s holding it and gone out -after some of the funny stuff in the barrels!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then we don’t need any one to tell us what to -do!” Carl answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys moved forward and looked out into -the passage. The electric was propped against the -wall and the retreating figure of the guard could -be seen at the point where the cavern was divided -by the wall of rock.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Put out the light and we’ll sneak along!” -whispered Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Nix!” answered Jimmie. “We’ve got to let -it burn until he turns into the passage where the -whiskey is. If he sees there’s no light where he -left one, he’ll come chasing back on the run.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Directly the man turned into the north passage -and then Jimmie shut off the light. Together the -boys moved softly toward the entrance. They -passed the junction of the two corridors with extreme -caution for they had no means of knowing -how far into the interior the guard had wandered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When they came nearer to the entrance they saw -a mist of daylight. They moved faster now, for -they knew very well that their figures were outlined -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>against the dawn. Should the guard suddenly -make his appearance he would not need to travel -back to the dungeon in order to inform himself of -their escape.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you hear the motors of the <i>Ann</i> now?” -whispered Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not a sound!” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If we only had our automatics,” Jimmie wailed, -“we could step out into the gully with some confidence.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t believe there’s any one out there!” -declared Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys, however, were not permitted to remain -long in doubt as to the situation in the gully outside -the cavern. While they waited the guard came -running down the cavern shooting wildly as he -advanced.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Me for daylight!” shouted Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the lads reached the gully, they saw the -<i>Ann</i> hovering over the mountainside. Her planes -glistened in the sunlight, and she seemed to the -anxious boys to represent everything that was desirable, -freedom, breakfast, and the chance to -sleep!</p> - -<p class='c011'>While they looked, however, the aeroplane shot -away toward the valley. A moment later the -<i>Louise</i> rose over the summit to the east and followed.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>The report of a revolver brought the boys’ eyes -back to earth again and they saw three men rushing -down the gully toward the camp-fire, which still -blazed dimly in the light of the morning sun. As -they came nearer to the boys, they leveled their -weapons as if determined to prevent further escape. -Then additional shots came from somewhere. The -boys hardly realized the exact location of the -shooters, and two of the men crumpled down and -rolled along the bottom of the gully.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The third man threw up his hands and faced -about. The two aeroplanes again circled over the -gully and the boys saw Ben looking down from the -seat of the <i>Ann</i>. They could not distinguish the -face or figure of the aviator on the <i>Louise</i> for she -was now making for the summit.</p> - -<p class='c011'>What followed took place so unexpectedly and -with such rapidity that the boys hardly knew what -was going on until three men sprang out of a -shallow depression on the east side of the gully and -moved toward the burly fellow who had been their -captor a short time before.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They saw one of the men slip a pair of handcuffs -over the wrists of the man they had talked -with in the whiskey cavern and point toward the -summit, over which the aeroplanes were now moving.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span> - <h2 id='chap3317' class='c012'>CHAPTER X.<br /> <br />AN UNEXPECTED HAPPENING.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“Hit me a clip on the wrist and wake me up!” -exclaimed Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The three men were entire strangers to the boys, -and yet they appeared to be friendly. They had -expected only hostile meetings in the gully. The -men smiled at the evident surprise of the boys and -pushed the burly prisoner on in advance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Who rubbed the lamp?” asked Carl, as he -clambered laboriously up toward the summit. “I -never saw anything exactly like this!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say, Mr. Policeman,” Jimmie called out to a -man in citizen’s dress whose smutty face disclosed -a week’s growth of beard, “me friend here wants -to know who rubbed the lamp for this last scene.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’ll find out when you get to the top of the -summit,” replied the other. “You’ll find friends -up there!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This comes out of a dream-book, all right!” -Jimmie declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say,” Carl exclaimed, “can’t we go back into -the cavern and get our automatics? They’re perfectly -good guns!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>“I’ve got your guns, boys!” said the prisoner. -“I thought I might get a chance to use them, but -it seems I didn’t. I didn’t expect to meet Dick -Sherman in this neck of the woods.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dick Sherman?” repeated Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is that the Canadian revenue officer we’ve heard -so much about?” asked Carl. “I wouldn’t mind -meeting Dick Sherman.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, there he is!” snarled the prisoner pointing -to the man who had spoken to the boys before, -the man who had so used his imagination at the -camp sometime before!</p> - -<p class='c011'>The party toiled on up the gully until they reached -the snowy summit. Off to the east they saw the -great planes of the <i>Ann</i> tilting in the morning sunlight. -Just beyond her, and veering to the south, -raced the <i>Louise</i>. While the three men started -down the declivity with their prisoner the boys -stood at the cold summit and watched the two -machines.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a race all right!” Jimmie exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course!” answered Carl. “Ben is chasing -up the fellow who stole the <i>Louise</i>. I’d just like -to know how the kid got wise to the fact that we -needed help, and how these three men happened to -come here just in the nick of time.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>“I presume it will all be explained before many -hours,” Jimmie answered. “What I’m most interested -in now is this race. Suppose Ben catches the -<i>Louise</i>. How’s he going to get the machine down -without shooting the aviator? And that wouldn’t -be good for the machine!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He’s got some scheme on foot,” Carl answered. -“Just watch him whirl around the <i>Louise</i>. There! -Now, don’t you see he’s got the other aviator -buffaloed? I’ll bet he’s holding a gun on him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The two machines came back side by side. The -<i>Ann</i> landed on the ledge and the two boys were -hustled into the seat by the side of their chum who -sat grinning at their bewildered faces.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Before they could ask any questions the <i>Ann</i> -shot away and in an incredibly short space of time -Jimmie and Carl were landed by their own fire!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Get a move on, now!” Ben cried, as he again -sprang into the seat of the aeroplane. “Mr. Havens -will be wanting breakfast, and I’ve got a date with -Dick Sherman!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys stood watching the <i>Ann</i> lift into the -air and make toward the summit. Their faces expressed -both wonder and impatience.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, what do you think of that?” demanded -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This is one of the mysteries you read about in -books but never see in real life!” laughed Carl. -“I wish we’d choked the story out of Ben. He’s -laughing in his sleeve this minute, I know he is!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>“Boys!” Mr. Havens called from the tent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie and Carl hastened forward and looked -in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps you can tell us what’s been going on -here?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you’ll go and fix up a big breakfast, I’ll tell -you all about it!” laughed the millionaire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ll cook you some steak,” replied Carl, “and -make you some coffee.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think,” smiled the millionaire, “that you’d -better bury that bear.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys made an onslaught on the store boxes, -which had been brought from the aeroplanes to the -vicinity of the fire, and soon had ham and eggs frying -over the ruddy coals. Potatoes were boiling in -a great kettle before many minutes, and coffee was -bubbling not far away.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie snatched a loaf of bread from the box -and began eating, while Carl opened a tin of pork -and beans and began searching for a spoon.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Hungry, boys?” asked Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Hungry?” repeated Jimmie. “We’ve been -frozen to death, and shot to death, and held captive -in a mountain dungeon, and had several other disagreeable -things happen to us, but the worst of the -whole business is that we haven’t had anything to -eat since last night!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Tell us what’s been going on,” requested Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>“After you went away,” Mr. Havens began, -“three men came into camp declaring that they had -been lost in the mountains. Ben prepared supper -for them and then proposed going out after the -<i>Louise</i>. At the last moment one of the men sprang -into the seat beside him and they went away together.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The next I knew Ben came swinging back in -the <i>Ann</i> alone. He talked with the two men who -had been left here for a moment and then they all -went away together, flying like mad in the aeroplane.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Didn’t Ben explain the situation to you?” asked -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He said that the three men who had represented -themselves as hunters lost in the hills were Canadian -revenue officers in search of smuggled whiskey, and -that their leader, the man who had gone away with -him, was the famous Dick Sherman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He said, too, that Sherman had discovered a -nest of outlaws and a cavern which he believed to -be the storehouse of the gang. At that time we -knew little regarding the whereabouts of the two -rattle-brained boys who had gone away in the -<i>Louise</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They stole it while we were watching the camp-fire,” -Jimmie explained in a hesitating way.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s Ben gone back for, now?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I suspect from what he said to me,” laughed -Mr. Havens, “that he’s gone back after the revenue -officers and the prisoners.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>“Then perhaps I’d better be getting more breakfast -ready,” suggested Carl. “We’ll be running a -hotel next, just like we always do when we get out -into the mountains.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>In less than an hour the <i>Ann</i> and <i>Louise</i> lay on -level ground near the fire, two prisoners sat handcuffed -together not far away, and the three revenue -officers were enjoying a plentiful breakfast supplied -by the lads. Ben and Jimmie sat with Mr. Havens -in his tent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There goes my dream!” exclaimed Ben pointing -to the two prisoners.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t understand,” said Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, I had it all doped out that the men Dick -Sherman captured were the men who abducted -Colleton.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s just the way I had it figured!” exclaimed -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And now they turn out to be just whiskey -smugglers!” exclaimed Ben in disgust. “They -probably never saw Washington, nor heard of -Colleton, nor even read one of the lying advertisements -of the Kuro company.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ve been through a rotten bad night,” -Jimmie agreed, “without getting anywhere! Say, -Ben,” he added, “how did you induce the aviator -on the <i>Louise</i> to swing back to the landing and give -himself up?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>“I got the drop on him!” laughed Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But didn’t he have just as good a chance to get -the drop on you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He emptied his automatic before I did mine,” -was the modest reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you look after the men who were shot in -the gulch?” Carl inquired in a moment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When I made the last trip,” Ben explained, “I -found a drunken man sitting by the fire. He said -the men were dead and that he would give them -burial.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s this Sherman fellow going to do now?” -asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He’s going to try to get this smuggled whiskey -into a government warehouse somewhere,” answered -Mr. Havens. “I don’t know just how he’ll -do it, but it’s got to be done.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What do we get out of it?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re the merry little savings bank boy!” -laughed Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I didn’t mean money!” retorted Jimmie scornfully. -“What I meant was how does all this -smuggled whiskey business help us find this post-office -inspector?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It doesn’t,” replied Ben. “Ask something -hard.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You don’t know that yet,” advised Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>“Come to think of it, of course we don’t!” cried -Ben. “The abductors would be apt to bring -Colleton into just such a hole as this, wouldn’t -they? The outlaws would, in a measure, protect -them from hunters, who are said to give a wide -berth to any region known to contain outlaws.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Jimmie cut in in a moment, “I’m going -to go and get Carl, and romp merrily off to the hay. -We didn’t have any sleep last night and I guess -we can get in a few lines of slumber to pretty good -purpose.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then you’ll be ready for another crazy midnight -trip,” smiled Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I guess it wasn’t so very crazy after all,” replied -Jimmie. “If we hadn’t gone out to look into -those signals, the smugglers wouldn’t have been -captured.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Have it your own way,” laughed Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie and Carl went away to the other tent and -were soon sound asleep. When they lay down the -camp-fire was surrounded by the revenue officers -and prisoners. Ben was making arrangements to -sleep on a roll of blankets in the Havens’ tent. -When they awoke, twilight was settling over the -valley and Ben was rolling them about on their -blankets.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Get up!” the boy said. “You’ve slept all -day!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie sat up and rubbed his eyes. Carl aimed -a kick at the boy who had aroused him and then -lay back on the blankets.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>“Where are the others?” asked Jimmie tumbling -out of the tent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They went away in the machines,” answered -Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You never let them take the <i>Ann</i> and the -<i>Louise</i>!” almost shouted Jimmie. “They’ll be sure -to break ’em!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t get excited, now,” laughed Ben. “I took -them over the ridge in the <i>Ann</i> and came back more -than an hour ago. Since then I’ve been getting -supper and helping Mr. Havens fix up his porcupine -feet.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Can he walk yet?” asked Jimmie sleepily.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He won’t be able to walk for a week!” was the -reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say,” Jimmie said to Ben in a moment, as -they approached the fire, “did you see that pirate -with the package when you went back after the -prisoners?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course, I saw him!” answered Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What was he talking about?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know what he was trying to say,” -replied Ben, “but I got the impression that before -long he would be umpiring a fight between a green -rattlesnake and a pink lion with a red tail.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It’s a wonder this Dick Sheman left him there -alone with all that whiskey,” commented Jimmie. -“If he had my disposition, he’d set fire to the whole -bunch of it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>“Sherman won him over to the side of law and -order,” laughed Ben, “by promising him immunity -and a position in the government service. He’ll -be there when they came back for the whiskey, all -right. Sherman seemed to know something about -the fellow. At least, he told me that Crooked -Terry, as they call him, has been in crooked games -all his life. He told me, too, that the old fellow -knows this country better than any person in the -world. He’s got a map of it in his head.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s just what I wanted to know!” cried -Jimmie. “If you don’t mind, Ben,” he added with -a sly wink, “we’ll go up there to-night and get a -copy of that map! I’ll just bet you,” he went on, -“that our little scrap with the smugglers will get us -somewhere in the game we’re playing, after all! -What do you think about it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That seems to me to be the very thing to do!” -replied Ben. “If Crooked Terry knows all about -this country, he’s the man we’ve got to do business -with. If we find Colleton, we’ve got to know where -to look!”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span> - <h2 id='chap3685' class='c012'>CHAPTER XI.<br /> <br />JIMMIE OPENS HIS DREAM-BOOK.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“Now, don’t be too sure about finding Colleton -in British Columbia,” Mr. Havens warned, when -the boys consulted him regarding the point they had -been discussing. “We are out here on the faintest -kind of a hint, and it is just possible that the hint -was contributed by friends of the mail-order people -in order to draw our attention from the real point -of interest. Such things are often done.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t believe the secret service department -would send us on such a journey because of a mere -hint,” Ben argued. “There’s something back of it -all that we don’t know anything about!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have an idea that we know nearly as much as -the department does,” smiled Mr. Havens, “except -in one regard. We don’t know where the hint came -from and they do. We never shall know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is there a record anywhere which shows how -the two men were dressed? Meaning, of course, -the two men who were seen in the corridor in front -of Colleton’s door?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>“One of the girls working at a desk not far -from the door is on record as saying that the heavy -man was dressed entirely in brown, including hat -and gaiters, and that the slender man was dressed -in a sporty coat with large checks, and a pocket or -roller felt hat. He wore a wing collar, a hard-bosomed -shirt, and a red necktie.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Quite a sporty looking guy!” laughed Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did any one ever see Colleton dressed like -that?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Colleton was very particular about his wardrobe,” -replied Mr. Havens. “On the day in question, -he wore a neat suit of blue serge, a new derby -hat, and a soft silk shirt with a Byronic collar. His -tie was a mixture of white and blue. Half a dozen -girls remembered exactly how he looked as he -stepped into his office that morning.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, look here,” Ben chuckled, “if Colleton -was to be abducted, and a man was to do the disguise -stunt for him, wouldn’t the villain of the play -attempt to make the disguise a strong contrast to -the usual dress of the victim? Colleton was quiet -and refined in his dress, as you describe it, and it -seems to me that a disguise intended for him would -naturally partake of the sporty style.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s good argument, Ben!” Mr. Havens answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s only plain common-sense,” laughed the -boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>“Gee!” exclaimed Jimmie, turning to Ben. -“I’m going to write a detective story about you -some day, and have it printed in one of the leading -magazines on the back page next to the soap -advertisements!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, here’s another point,” Ben went on. -“The man who went to Colleton’s room that day -to take him away carried the articles he used in -disguising the man there with him. Now, here’s the -question: What was done with the coat, and hat, -and shirt, and tie usually worn by Colleton?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s easy!” Jimmie laughed. “The villain -carried the coat and hat away with him, and put on -a starched shirt or a dickey over the silk one. The -correct course for the fellow to take would be to -fasten a dickey around Colleton’s neck, showing a -false front, a wing collar, and a red tie. That -would be the easiest way to do the job!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Go on!” laughed the millionaire. “I like to -hear you boys talk.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, what I want to know is this,” Ben went -on, “has any effort been made to find the coat and -hat Colleton wore that morning?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t think so,” replied Mr. Havens. “It is -my opinion, however,” the aviator went on, “that -the villain, as you call him, would take the coat -and hat with him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did he carry a hand-bag when seen at the -door?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>“Come to think of it, he did not!” was the -reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There you are!” exclaimed Ben. “You’ve all -regarded my theory of the case as possible, but imaginative. -Now, let me ask you a question, Mr. -Havens. If the coat and hat should be found in or -about that room in the post-office building the finding -would establish our theory of the case, wouldn’t -it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It certainly would!” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, then,” Ben continued, “I want you to -find out at the earliest possible moment whether the -coat and hat are hidden in that apartment.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They might have been thrown out of the -window!” suggested Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Hardly,” Mr. Havens suggested. “Colleton -had an inside room. Anything thrown out of his -window would land on the skylight which arches -over the mail division on the ground floor. The -coat and hat would have been discovered within -five minutes, and even if they chanced to be overlooked -during that day, they would have been discovered -by the sweepers the next morning.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s just what I wanted to know!” Ben -laughed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, if the garments are not in the room, they -must have been carried away!” Jimmie cut in. -“Perhaps the villain put them under his clothes. -That’s an old trick with criminals.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>“Just one more question,” Ben began as Mr. -Havens nodded for him to proceed. “How did the -villain get the papers out of the locked drawer of -the desk and the closed safe?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s another mystery,” Mr. Havens continued.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t you think he buffaloed Colleton after he -drugged him and forced him to open the safe and -the desk and take the papers out?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That is very probable,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In that case,” Ben went on, “where would the -villain naturally throw the coat and hat?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In the safe!” shouted Jimmie springing to -his feet. “Has the safe been opened yet, Mr. -Havens?” the boy continued.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“An expert was at work on it when I left New -York,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, when they get it open,” Ben asserted -confidently, “they’ll find Colleton’s hat and coat -inside.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say, but it’s easy to solve this case as long as we -establish all the facts to suit ourselves!” laughed -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I believe this little thinking machine,” said Mr. -Havens nodding to Ben, “really has the right view -of it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He thinks so, too,” grinned Jimmie wrinkling -his freckled nose.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, and so do you!” declared Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>“If you know all about the case, then,” Jimmie -went on, “why don’t you tell us how this burly -ruffian got Colleton out of Washington? Mr. -Havens says the alarm was given within half an -hour of the disappearance of the inspector. It -seems to me that the cops might have dragged in -a hundred sporty looking men with red neckties and -slouch hats for the inspector’s friends to look over -for the purpose of identification.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you talk with the Washington officials to-night,” -Mr. Havens said, “they will insist that the -two men who were seen at the door of Mr. Colleton’s -room had nothing to do with the disappearance -of the inspector.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Has the theory ever been advanced that the -thin, doped-looking fellow might have been Colleton?” -asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not until advanced by you that I know of!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“So they didn’t look for the man in the sporty -coat and red tie?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am certain that they did not.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” reiterated Ben, “when they find him, -they’ll find Colleton!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, go on and tell us how they got the inspector -out of Washington,” said Jimmie, with a -provoking wink in the direction of Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You can answer that question yourself, Jimmie,” -replied Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>“Of course I can!” answered the boy. “They -had a taxi at the Eleventh street entrance with a -man inside. From the building they drove directly -to the Union station. There they took a stateroom -for Frisco. I don’t know what time the train left, -because I haven’t got any railroad time-table in my -dream-book, but I can tell you what they did after -they got to the depot,” he added with a sly wink at -the millionaire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Go to it!” laughed Ben. “This beats the -Arabian Nights!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When they got to the depot they found the -stateroom already engaged on a train leaving that -night for the Pacific coast. They stripped the -inspector, put him in pajamas and tucked him into -bed.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’d they do that for?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“So they could tell the porter not to be intruding -into the room and waking a sick man!” said -Jimmie. “So they could give a good excuse for -having meals sent in to the inspector.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Go on,” grinned Ben, “turn another page of -your dream-book and see what you find there.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“On the way across the continent,” Jimmie -chuckled, “they kept the inspector under the influence -of dope sixteen hours and a half out of -the twenty-four. The other seven hours and a half -they devoted to the third degree. You see, the -spirit of the little Indian maiden which now controls -me,” the boy grinned, “whispers in my ear -that they offered him a good many thousand dollars -if he’d quit the game.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>“Jimmie,” Ben said with a superior look, “if -you keep on exercising your imagination you’re -likely to bring up in the back room on the top floor -of the foolish house!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right!” laughed Jimmie. “You just see -if they didn’t get him out of Washington in that -way!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Suppose you look in your dream-book again,” -smiled Mr. Havens, “and tell us what became of -the sporty coat, the dickey and red tie, and also the -slouch hat. Also the beard! The slender man -wore a beard!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t have to look in the dream-book to find -that,” replied the boy. “The villains dumped the -stuff into the first river they came to.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s been nothing like this since The Sign -of the Four was written,” laughed Mr. Havens. -“You boys would consider yourselves abused if it -should be discovered that Colleton disguised himself -and disappeared because he had decided, for -financial reasons, not to appear against the mail-order -people.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Sure we would!” declared Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Or if it should be discovered that he walked -out of his office unattended that day and was -abducted from the buffet of the Raleigh Hotel. -That would twist your theory some, wouldn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>“Oh, yes,” laughed Jimmie. “If a shovel-nosed -pike from the Potomac river should crawl into a -back yard and set up life as a hen, that would be remarkable, -too, wouldn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s right!” Mr. Havens advised. “Stick -to your theories. I half believe they are right!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, about this proposed visit to Crooked -Terry,” asked Jimmie. “Do you think we’d better -take the <i>Louise</i> out and have a talk with him to-night?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Keep on, Jimmie!” Ben grinned. “You’ve -landed Colleton in a stateroom on the Pacific coast, -so what’s the use of looking for him in a smugglers’ -den on the Continental Divide?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I didn’t say what they did with him after they -got him to the coast!” Jimmie replied. “My -private opinion is that they brought him up here -and hid him! They wouldn’t check him for safekeeping -with the smugglers, would they? Of course -they wouldn’t, but Crooked Terry might know of -some likely hiding-place in this section!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It won’t do any harm to go and talk with the -fellow, anyhow,” Ben suggested. “We can fly up -there to the camp, get what information he possesses -and be back in a couple of hours.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Leaving Carl to his slumbers, the boys prepared -a hasty supper for themselves and Mr. Havens and -started away in the <i>Louise</i>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The night was clear and they had no difficulty -in making their way to the landing which they had -discovered on the previous night.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>“I don’t think we ought to leave this machine -alone,” Ben said as he alighted. “Why don’t you -go up again and fly about until I signal with my -electric for you to come down?” he asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’d like to talk with this old boozer,” Jimmie -argued.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, one must stay with the machine!” Ben -insisted. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll talk with -this Crooked Terry and you come down when I -signal.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re on!” declared the boy. “I’ll fly over -the summit and watch you rolling down the gully.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Ben reached the place where the fire had -blazed on the previous night, he was surprised to -see a bed of coals remaining. Drawing nearer, and -flashing his light he saw a well-dressed young man -lying unconscious on the shelf, his silk hat scorching -on the embers, and a small traveling-bag blistering -under the heat. Over the figure, knife in hand, -stood Terry.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span> - <h2 id='chap4043' class='c012'>CHAPTER XII.<br /> <br />THE ENGLISHMAN’S BAG.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>Terry lifted the hand holding the knife as Ben -approached. Doubting if the drunken man would -heed his words, and realizing that it would be impossible -to reach his side in time to prevent the -meditated crime, the boy fired at the uplifted arm. -Instead of finding a lodging in flesh and muscle the -bullet struck the blade of the knife and broke it off -short at the handle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>His hand and arm temporarily paralyzed by the -force of the impact, Terry caught hold of his wrist -with his left hand and looked about with a snarl -on his bloated face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Ben stepped within the circle of light about -the fire he drew back still, clutching his benumbed -wrist.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’d you do that for?” he demanded.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I didn’t want you to kill the man,” replied -Ben. “Who is he, and where did he come from?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He butted in!” answered Terry shortly. “He -wanted to take my provisions and my drink by -force. He was too fresh, and I knocked him down. -I guess he isn’t hurt much.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>“How’d he get here?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know, and I don’t care!” was the -sullen reply. “I might ask the same about you. -What do you want here, anyway?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dick Sherman sent me!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right,” answered the other. “I know Dick -Sherman. He’s good people! Why didn’t he come -himself?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He’ll be here to-morrow,” replied Ben, drawing -slightly on his imagination. “He’ll tell you all -about it then.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben was angry at the impertinent manner of the -fellow, but he understood that he was there to -placate him if possible, so he refrained from further -conversation at that time. Turning to the man -lying by the fire, he lifted him in his arms and -carried him to a more comfortable position.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you’ll fetch me some whiskey,” he said, “I’ll -bring this man back to life. I guess the fellow -needs something to eat more than anything else!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Grumbling that he had no liquor to give away, -Terry reluctantly produced a flask from his pocket, -and Ben applied the same to the mouth of the unconscious -man. He opened his eyes and tried to sit -up as the fiery liquid scorched his throat.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I say, don’t do that, you know!” he gasped.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s for your own good!” Ben chuckled.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>“But, I say, you know, the blawsted thing is -burning clear down to me boots, don’t ye know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m glad of that,” Ben grinned. “It seems to -be having the desired effect! How’d you like to -have something to eat about now?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m that hungry,” was the answer, “that I -could eat a cat, don’t ye know! I’ve been long -without food or drink.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben turned to Terry to ask if anything in the line -of provisions could be had there, but the fellow -was seen wandering off in the direction of the -cavern. After assisting the stranger to an easier -position, Ben followed on after the guardian of the -smuggled goods.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When he reached the cavern he found Terry lying -flat on his face an empty whiskey flask in his hand. -Kicks and cuffs did no good whatever, so the boy -was obliged to leave him there to sleep off his -debauch. When he went back to the fire he found -the stranger retrieving his silk hat and hand-bag. -He appeared much annoyed at the condition of -both!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The bloomin’ idiot!” he cried, “burned me -luggage and mutilated me hat! Do you happen to -know,” he went on with a pleading expression, -“how one can get out of this blawsted country?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you can walk about half a mile up and down -hill,” Ben returned, “I can take you out in a flying -machine.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>The stranger eyed Ben dubiously.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re a school-boy,” he said. “You can’t run -a flying machine!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you want to go?” asked Ben impatiently.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The stranger admitted that he wanted to go, but -still expressed doubts as to Ben’s ability to handle -an aeroplane.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right, stay here if you want to,” Ben said. -“But perhaps you’d better tell me your name so I -can make a report to your friends if I’m asked any -questions.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My name,” answered the other, “is Claude -Mercer DuBois, and I’m from London, England. -I came to this blawsted country after big game and -I’ve been made game of myself.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, Claude Mercer DuBois,” Ben went on -with a grin, “if you want to get down to camp -where you can get plenty to eat and drink, you’d -better be hiking toward the machine. I came up -here to talk with Terry, but he’s pickled and I can’t -get any satisfaction out of him so I’ll have to come -back some other time.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It took a long time for Claude Mercer DuBois -to climb the steep gully, wade through the snow on -the summit, and pass down to the landing where the -<i>Louise</i> was expected to pick the two up. The -journey was completed at length, however, and soon -Ben saw the aeroplane off to the south. He -signaled with his electric and directly the machine -dropped down almost at the feet of the disgusted -Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>“I say,” he said, “this is quite remarkable, you -know. Here I find school-boys running machines -our army officers fail to handle.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We do a good many things on this side of the -pond,” laughed Ben, “which you Englishmen will -never be able to accomplish!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you want to get down to our camp, hop in,” -Jimmie urged.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As the Englishman took his seat, Jimmie leaned -over and whispered in the ear of his chum:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where did you find it, and what are you going -to do with it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Just at present,” Ben answered, “I’m a life -saving station. I’m taking this fellow down where -he can get something to eat and drink. There’s no -telling how long he’s been wandering about the -mountains, but there’s no doubt that he’s about all -in!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben handed DuBois his bag and climbed into the -seat with Jimmie. When the machine was well -under way, cutting the freezing air of the mountaintop -like a knife, the Englishman began begging to -be lowered to the earth. He actually trembled -every time the machine tipped in a current of air. -Once or twice Ben steadied him with his hand.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>“Let me out!” DuBois pleaded, his voice rising -shrill above the din of the motors. “If I fall when -I’m walking, don’t you know,” he went on, “I’m -there on the ground, but if I fall when I’m riding -on one of these blawsted airships, I’m there in the -ground, don’t you know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’ll be all right as soon as you get your -second wind!” exclaimed Ben. “It’s always a -little shock at first!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Me second wind?” demanded the Englishman. -“I got more than me second wind climbing the slope -when I saw the embers of the fire you picked me -out of.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, you’ll soon be at the camp,” Ben consoled, -“and then you can tell us the story of your -life if you want to.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl and Mr. Havens were rather astonished at -seeing the boys return with another stranger, a man -who appeared to be both weak and discouraged.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, I wonder what bush they picked that off -from?” asked Carl as DuBois almost fell out of the -seat. “Looks to me like they went and picked it -before it was ripe.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I never saw anything like it,” replied Mr. -Havens. “You boys find strangers at every turn -of the road. You’ll go above clouds some day and -find a couple of boys sitting on a fog bank!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Come, get a move on, here!” cried Ben, giving -DuBois a seat on a blanket by the fire. “My -friend is hungry and wants a few dozen eggs and -about a quart of coffee!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>As Ben spoke he lifted the hand-bag from the -place where it had fallen and started toward the -tent with it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Here, you cawn’t take that away, don’t you -know,” DuBois exclaimed. “That’s me luggage!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right, wear it for a watch-charm if you -want to,” Ben declared, throwing the hand-bag -down by the Englishman’s side.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In the meantime Jimmie and Carl busied themselves -preparing a meal for the wanderer. When -it was quite ready he insisted on going to the stream -which ran through the valley not far away and -bathing his hands and face in the clear water. -When he returned he took the key to the hand-bag -from his pocket and threw back the bolt.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s a bawth towel in here,” he said in a -moment, “and I’ll be obliged to use it until I get -to me boxes, don’t ye know! Do you think,” he -went on with a wistful look, “that we’ll soon come -to a place where I can get me morning tub?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You can get a tub in the brook!” laughed -Jimmie. “There’s plenty of rattlesnakes and -lizards along the edges of the stream, but after you -get out into the middle you won’t find anything -more dangerous than alligators!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t ye know,” grinned the Englishman, “I -think you’re spoofing me!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>“He’s great fun, ain’t he?” whispered Jimmie, -as DuBois shot back the bolt and opened his hand-bag. -He took out first a comb, a brush, and a -hand mirror. Then followed a bath towel of -goodly size.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And me ’andkerchiefs,” mused the Englishman. -“I don’t see anything of the blawsted ’andkerchiefs!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He kept digging away at the hand-bag, drawing -out one article after another, until at last he came -to a garment which brought something more than -surprise and excitement to the faces of the boys. -It was a sporty sack coat, the pattern being according -to latest Bowery cut, the material coarse, and -the markings of the cloth loud in the extreme.</p> - -<p class='c011'>DuBois poked the coat over and over on the -ground with one disdainful finger. He seemed surprised -at finding it in his bag.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, where did you come from?” he asked, -addressing the garment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Holy Mackinaw!” exclaimed Jimmie. “Don’t -you know where you got the coat? You surely -must know where you got it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I got it out of the bag!” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But who put it in the bag?” demanded Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Believe me,” replied the Englishman, “I never -saw the blawsted thing before this minute! It’s -the most unaccountable thing, don’t you know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Go on!” advised Jimmie. “Go on digging -into the bag and see what else you find. You might -find a bushel of pearls!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>While the Englishman continued his investigation -of the bag, Jimmie nudged Ben in the side and -whispered, pointing at the coat:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s just about the kind of a garment the -doped man wore out of Colleton’s room, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You just wait a minute!” exclaimed Ben. “I -want to know how that Englishman got hold of -that coat!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The next moment the boys’ amazement changed -to actual unbelief in the accuracy of their vision. -DuBois drew from the bag a false beard, and a -crumpled white dickey topped by a wing collar and -a sporty red tie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say!” Ben exclaimed. “You’ve got to tell us -where you got that bag! We want to know where -that coat, those whiskers, and that dickey came -from!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s what I want to know meself!” exclaimed -the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s your bag, isn’t it?” demanded Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It’s my bag, right enough, don’t you know, but -I never saw these things before! Some one must -have stuffed them in!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Come on in here and tell us where you got the -bag, and who packed it, and how many hands it has -passed through since you owned it,” suggested Ben, -leading the way to Mr. Havens’ tent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>With the sporty coat, the beard, and dickey lying -on the blanket at his side, Mr. Havens turned to -Jimmie with a sly smile.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>“Was it you,” he asked, “who told us just how -the villains in the Kuro case disposed of the disguise, -or was it Ben?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You just wait,” Jimmie exclaimed. “Let’s -find out about this hand-bag before we reach any -conclusions.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” the Englishman began, seeing that an -explanation was expected, “I bought this hand-bag -of a Pullman porter on a limited train which left -Washington for San Francisco three weeks ago. I -lost me own bag with most of me toilet articles out -of the window, and the porter sold me this for a -sovereign. He didn’t tell me that it had anything -in it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where’d the porter get it?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He didn’t say, don’t you know.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where was the train when you bought the -bag?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Nearing the Pacific coast.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I presume,” Mr. Havens suggested, “that you -occupied a stateroom on that Pullman train? You -never traveled in the day-coach!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The stateroom in my car was occupied by a -sick man!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie bounded into the air with a loud whoop.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Talk about dream-books!” he cried. “I’m -going to get out a new edition with my name on the -title page. This sick man didn’t appear during the -trip, did he?” he asked of the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>“He did not!” was the reply. “And no one on -board the train saw him except the man who had -charge of him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie gave another whoop and sat down flat -on the ground.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And you lost your bag, and bought one of the -porter, and he brought you this? That’s all there -is to it, is it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s the mystery about the garments in the -bag?” asked the Englishman without answering the -question.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here,” Ben explained, “if we should climb -that peak to the east at sunrise to-morrow morning, -and find Noah’s ark resting there, with all the -animals wearing white aprons and cooking breakfasts -for each other, and Noah listening to a talking -machine which was invented only last year, that -wouldn’t be any stranger than is the appearance of -that coat, those whiskers, and the dickey in this -camp!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman eyed the boy as if rather inclined -to doubt his sanity.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t understand what you’re talking about, -don’t you know,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Before Ben could make any explanation, Carl, -who had passed out of the tent to look after the -supper, came rushing in, declaring that a strange -flying machine was hovering over the valley.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>“She’s headed toward the shelf where the signals -were shown last night,” the boy added, “and she’s -making signals of some kind herself!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps they’ve got Colleton up in the air!” -grinned Jimmie.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span> - <h2 id='chap4466' class='c012'>CHAPTER XIII.<br /> <br />A RACE IN THE AIR.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“Don’t read any more chapters from your -dream-book!” warned Ben. “We’ve materialized -the coat, the whiskers, the dickey, the wing collar, -the red tie, and the felt hat Colleton wore away -from his office that day, and I think that’s about -enough!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Materialized ’em through three thousand miles -of space, at that!” laughed Jimmie. “If we could -materialize Colleton as easily, we might have a little -time for hunting on this trip.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The aeroplane which had been reported by Carl -was still quite a distance to the west. It carried -a light which appeared not much larger than a -good-sized planet from where the boys stood. The -hum of the motors sounded faintly from the distance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It’s pears to potatoes,” exclaimed Carl, “that -she’s going up to that old camp!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If she does, she’ll find a man drunk in the -cavern, and that’s all!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>“And a lot of whiskey and brandy!” suggested -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The aeroplane moved slowly to the north and -west, and presently the boys were able to see something -more than the dancing light.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“She’s going to the old camp all right!” Ben -announced, after looking at the machine through his -field-glass for some minutes. “At least, she is -headed in that direction now.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And why shouldn’t she be going to the camp?” -asked the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Because only two classes of people are now -much interested in that locality!” cried Ben. “The -class most interested is the criminal class. The -other is the official class. I have a notion that the -criminals are pretty well disposed of to-night,” the -boy continued, “and it isn’t time for the officers to -return. Besides,” he went on, “they wouldn’t be -apt to return in an aeroplane.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ll tell you how we can soon find out all about -it!” suggested Jimmie. “I know how we can find -out all about that machine!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No, you don’t,” laughed Mr. Havens. “You -don’t get away in any machine to-night! It spells -trouble when you get away after dark!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Je-rusalem!” exclaimed Jimmie, in a disgusted -tone. “I might have known I’d need my knitting -when I came out on this trip! If I listened to all -the advice I get from you fellows, I’d sit down here -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>and knit myself a pair of socks, or a cream-colored -necktie, just like a perfect little lady. What’s the -matter with a game of checkers? Wouldn’t that be -too exciting for you?” he added, with a grin.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t think there’s been any lack of excitement -up to date,” laughed Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say,” Ben exclaimed, directly, “we really -ought to go and see what that Crooked Terry is -doing. You know I set out once to get a duplicate -copy of the map of this country which he is supposed -to carry in his head.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is this a conspiracy to get away from camp -again?” demanded the millionaire. “Do you want -to leave me here alone all the time?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ll leave Carl and Mr. Claude Mercer Du Bois -to keep you company,” suggested Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you don’t mind,” the Englishman cut in, -“I’d like to have me dinner now, don’t you know.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ll bet it’s all scorched to coals!” cried Carl, -rushing to the fire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In a moment he called back that the ham and -eggs and coffee were just as they should be, and -the Englishman was soon eating heartily.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The strange aeroplane was still in sight. In fact -a great deal closer than when it had first been discovered. -It was now over the center of the valley, -still pointing toward the shelf from which the -signals had been given the night before.</p> - -<p class='c011'>While the boys watched and waited, undecided as -to the correct course to pursue, the machine passed -over the snow-tipped summit and disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>“Some aviator out for a view of the mountains, -probably,” Mr. Havens suggested. “He seems to -be keeping on his way pretty well.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ve got a hunch,” Jimmie insisted, “that that -aeroplane has something to do with this Kuro -case!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Aw, cut out the dream-book!” advised Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Didn’t my dreams come true?” demanded the -boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’ll have to show me!” declared Carl. -“Don’t you suppose there’s more than one false -beard, more than one sporty coat, and more than -one dickey with wing collars and a red necktie in -the world?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie ran out to the <i>Louise</i>, showing by his -manner that he considered the question too trivial -to be answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Come on, Ben,” he called. “We’ll go up high -enough to see where that aeroplane went. If she’s -still on her way east, we’ll come down and go to -bed, like good little boys. If she’s hovering around -the other side of the summit, we’ll catch the aviator -and put him through the third degree. We’ll have -a good ride, anyway!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>No further objections were offered, and the -<i>Louise</i> was soon in the air. The boys kept her down -so that her lights could not be seen from the other -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>side of the ridge until they came to the vicinity of -the gully, then they lifted suddenly and crossed the -summit, shivering in the icy air of the mountaintop.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The aeroplane lay just below on the ledge which -had been occupied by the <i>Louise</i> on the previous -night.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Three lights were in sight. The lamp on the forward -framework of the machine was burning -brightly, and two men were walking along the ledge -with electric searchlights in their hands. They did -not appear to be surprised at the appearance of the -<i>Louise</i>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wonder what they’ve lost,” said Jimmie, his -teeth fairly chattering with the cold. “Suppose we -go down and ask.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben circled the <i>Louise</i> into the warmer air of -the valley on the other side of the summit, and then -moved slowly to the west.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As he did so, the strange aeroplane leaped into the -air and darted off to the south. She seemed to be a -speedy machine, for she swept away from the -<i>Louise</i> with wonderful ease.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You just wait till I get turned around and get -the motors on,” Ben muttered, “and I’ll show you -that we can go some!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The stranger was some distance in the lead before -the <i>Louise</i> was well under way. After that it -seemed to the boys that they gained, although very -slowly. The machines both kept as low down as -possible and ran to the full power of their motors.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>The rush of wind and the clatter of the motors -effectually checked verbal communication, but Jimmie -pointed significantly to the machine ahead and -then nodded determinedly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Let her go,” muttered Jimmie under his breath. -“We had a race something like this in Old Mexico, -and the other machine brought up in the Pacific -ocean. That was a race that ought to have been -written up!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>In the meantime, those watching from the camp -saw the strange aeroplane dart swiftly over the -ridge and head into the succession of valleys running -to the west of the range. A few moments later -she was followed by the <i>Louise</i>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’d like to know what those crazy boys are -doing!” exclaimed Mr. Havens, rather impatiently.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’re trying to catch that machine!” laughed -Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But why should they take the chance of an -accident by running at such speed in the night-time?” -asked the millionaire. “There are holes in -the air just as there are holes in the surface of the -earth, and the first thing they know they’ll drop -down about a thousand feet and tip over! It’s a -risky proposition!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s what it is!” returned Carl shaking his -head gravely. “It’s a risky proposition, and if you -say the word I’ll jump on the <i>Ann</i> and go and tell -them to come back!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>The aviator laughed at the innocent manner of -the boy, and the Englishman regarded the two with -a stare of wonder.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I never saw anything like it, don’t you know!” -the latter said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re likely to see something like it several -times before you get out of the mountains!” -laughed Carl. “Say, Mr. Havens,” the boy went on, -“we don’t want that strange machine to come here -and beat us in a race, do we? I don’t think the -<i>Louise</i> is making much of a show, and so, if you -don’t mind, I’ll take out the <i>Ann</i> and run ’em both -down. It would be a lovely race!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wouldn’t mind going with the lad, don’t you -know!” exclaimed DuBois showing great excitement.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you do go,” replied Mr. Havens, “you’ll get -fined a year’s salary if you don’t catch both -machines!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, I’ll catch ’em all right!” Carl exclaimed. -“The <i>Ann</i> can run around both those old ice -wagons, and then have plenty of time to spare!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The <i>Ann</i> can beat any aeroplane that was ever -built!” replied Mr. Havens. “She was built for a -record-breaker.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>To tell the truth, the aviator was not exactly -pleased at the idea of remaining alone in the camp -while the two engaged in the race, but the sporting -strain was strong in the man’s blood, and he was -proud of his matchless machine, so he consented, -principally because he wanted the <i>Ann</i> to win in a -race which promised to be a hot one!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wish the other machines would keep in sight -so I could watch the struggle,” he said as Carl -sprang toward the <i>Ann</i>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you know,” the Englishman observed, “I -rather like the spirit of the lad!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He’s all right,” replied the millionaire. “But,” -he added, “I didn’t think you had the courage to -get into such a game.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“To tell you the truth,” DuBois replied, “I was -tolerably well frightened during my ride here, but I -think I can now trust myself in any place that lad -is willing to go.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Mr. Havens saw the <i>Ann</i> rise swiftly into the -air; rise to a height which must have chilled the -blood of those on board, and then flash off to the -south. The two aeroplanes were still in view although -their lights showed dimly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>From his position in the tent the aviator could -not determine whether or not the <i>Louise</i> was gaining. -He saw that the great light of the <i>Ann</i> was -rapidly closing the gap between the nearest lamp -and herself, and had no doubt of the outcome of the -race.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>While he gazed one of the lights ahead dropped. -Without knowing which machine had fallen, he -crept to a corner of the tent on his hands and knees -and brought out a night glass.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span> - <h2 id='chap4760' class='c012'>CHAPTER XIV.<br /> <br />THE END OF THE FLIGHT.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>When the <i>Ann</i> rose above the valley Carl saw -the <i>Louise</i> some distance to the south. The strange -machine was still in the lead, but the boys appeared -to be gaining on her. Both were going fast.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The sky was now tolerably clear, although a brisk -wind driving in from the west was bringing fleecy -clouds from the Pacific coast. There would be a -moon sometime between midnight and morning, but -the prospects were that there would be a bank of -driving clouds stretched over the earth before she -showed herself.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman, unfamiliar with aeroplaning, -began asking questions of the boy as soon as they -were in the air, but, as the racing of the motors -and the rush of the air drowned his voice, he soon -lapsed into silence and contented himself with such -views of the distant summit as he could secure. -Several times he flung out an arm—including the -shining stars, the drifting clouds, the wide stretch -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>of mountain and valley in the sweep of it—and -Carl understood that he was saying in the only -language available there how much he loved the wild -beauty and the majesty of it all.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a time the strange aeroplane began to seek -the higher levels. She climbed up, up, up until the -summit showed white and sparkling under her flying -planes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl saw the <i>Louise</i> following the stranger into -the snow zone and wondered at it. To the boy it -seemed that the distance traveled upward might -better be gained in level flight. Every unnecessary -foot of altitude seemed to him to be a foot lost in -the race.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ben doesn’t have to follow the stranger in the -air,” he mused as he shot the <i>Ann</i> ahead on the -same level he had been traveling. “All he has to -do in order to overtake her is to keep her in sight -and go faster than she does. He lost several yards -by following her up to the summit.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a time the stranger changed her tactics -turning to the west and seeking the valley again. -The <i>Louise</i> followed in her wake as before and -seemed to be gaining. The <i>Ann</i> was traveling much -faster than either of the others and would soon be -within striking distance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>That was a mad race under the stars. The -stranger seemed to develop new speed possibilities -as she swept along. The <i>Louise</i> appeared to be -losing ground. The <i>Ann</i> swept forward relentlessly -and was soon close to the rear machine.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>Then a remarkable thing happened. The aeroplane -in advance dropped like a plummet. It seemed -to Carl, watching her light eagerly from his seat on -the <i>Ann</i>, that she ceased her forward motion and -lost her buoyancy at the same moment. He could -not, of course, see the bulk of the machine but he -could see her light.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The light seemed to be down to the surface of -the earth in a minute. The <i>Louise</i>, following on, -dropped, too. To the watching boy the falling of -the two aeroplanes seemed as if they had dropped -over a precipice.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Although not a very old or experienced aviator, -Carl sensed what had taken place. The machines -had dropped into a hole in the air! As is well-known -to those conversant with the navigation of -the air, there are actually “holes” in the atmosphere—holes -into which machines drop as they -would drop into a pit on the surface of the earth. -There are also cross currents which tug at the planes -in a wholly unaccountable manner.</p> - -<p class='c011'>These holes in the air result, of course, from conditions -of temperature. They are dreaded by all -aviators, and one of the first things taught in schools -of aviation is to keep such control of his machine -as will enable him to handle her successfully when -such pitfalls and cross currents are encountered.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>Carl had learned this lesson well under the tuition -of Mr. Havens, and his first act when the <i>Louise</i> -fell was to shift the <i>Ann</i> far away to the north of -the place of descent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He dropped down, too, in a moment in order to -see what had happened to the other machines. The -stranger lay a wreck in a rocky valley below and -the <i>Louise</i>, some distance in the rear, was fluttering -down. It seemed to Carl that some of her guy -wires had been broken during the strain of the fall, -and that she was almost beyond control of his chum.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Circling about the wrecked machine and the one -which appeared to be in danger of being wrecked, -Carl dropped lower and lower until at last his light -disclosed a level bank at the side of a stream where -he believed a landing might be effected.</p> - -<p class='c011'>By this time the <i>Louise</i> lay on the ground. He -could not tell whether she had fallen with a crash -or had gradually settled down. However, her lights -were still burning, and he could see one of the boys -moving about. The lights of the other machine -were out.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The <i>Ann</i> came very near tipping over into the -stream as Carl landed and a growth of bushes at -the water’s edge scraped the ends of the planes -cruelly as she settled down. Without stopping to -inspect any damage that might have been done to -the aeroplane, Carl dashed over to the <i>Louise</i>.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>The boys were at that moment leaving their -machine, turning their footsteps in the direction of -the stranger. It was quite dark in the valley, as the -timber line extended far up on the easy slope, and -the boys were using their electrics as they moved -along.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Are you boys all right?” asked Carl, as he came -panting to their side. “I thought I heard one of -you groaning!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’re all right!” exclaimed Jimmie. “The -<i>Louise</i> strained her guy wires when we struck that -hole in the air, but we managed to flutter down. -Except for the broken guy wires the machine is as -good as ever she was. We can fix the guy wires -right here!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But the other machine fell!” Ben added. -“When she went into the hole the driver wasn’t -attending to his business, so she twisted sideways -and turned turtle a hundred feet from the ground. -We’re going over there now to see if the man is -dead.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This ends my after-dark journeys in the air!” -declared Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s no sense in it!” added Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>DuBois, the Englishman, now came stumbling -through the darkness and paused in the circle of -light made by the electrics. He was still shivering -with cold, although the <i>Ann</i> had not mounted to a -high level.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s the bloody trouble?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>“You’re right about the trouble being a bloody -one!” Jimmie replied. “The man we were chasing -wrecked his machine.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>DuBois looked the <i>Louise</i> over critically.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This one fell, too, don’t you know,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, we always come down like that!” declared -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman stood leaning against the <i>Louise</i> -when the boys left for the wrecked machine. It -was all new to him, but he seemed to be taking in -the situation slowly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the boys reached the wreck the aviator -who had driven the machine lay on the ground, a -dozen or more feet away from the seat he had -occupied. He appeared to be quite dead. The body -had the appearance of having fallen free of the -machine some distance up in the air and crushed -down upon the soft grass of the valley.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben stooped over the still figure for a moment -and then turned to his chums with a queer look on -his face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you remember the heavy man in brown who -stood in the corridor at the door of Colleton’s -room?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We certainly do!” answered Jimmie. “I’ve -been thinking about that husky man in brown ever -since Mr. Havens told us the story.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What brings that to your mind now?” asked -Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>“Look at this body!” answered Ben. “Look at -the heavily-bearded face. Look at the brown suit. -Look at the refined and yet business-like makeup of -the man. Even in death he seems domineering and -forceful.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That man was no aviator!” Jimmie exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“His handling of the machine showed that!” -Carl put in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And do you think?” asked Jimmie in a moment, -“that——”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boy was interrupted by the sudden appearance -of the Englishman, who came out of the darkness -with his hands pushed far into his pockets and -his teeth rattling with the cold. The boys stepped -aside as he drew near the body on the ground and -waited for him to speak.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t you remember,” Jimmie whispered to -Ben, “that DuBois bought that hand-bag of a -porter on the Pullman-car which carried a sick man -in a private stateroom across the continent?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s that got to do with it?” demanded Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Wait a moment!” advised Jimmie. “Watch -the Englishman’s face to see if he recognizes the -dead man.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is this another page out of your dream-book?” -asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How do we know” demanded Jimmie impatiently, -“that DuBois didn’t see a score of times -on that trip the man who occupied the stateroom -with the man who was sick?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>“Oh, I see!” Carl said. “You think this man -lying here dead is the man who stood at the corridor -door that day?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I didn’t say so!” whispered Jimmie. “I said -to watch for some sign of recognition in the -Englishman’s face.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman bent over the dead man, searching -outline of face and figure under the dim light -of the stars. The boys heard a little exclamation of -impatience, and then DuBois motioned to Ben to -advance his searchlight so as to bring the dead face -under its rays.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben did so immediately and the Englishman stood -for what seemed to be a long time looking downward -with a puzzled face. He brought his hand to -his brow several times as if seeking to urge his slow -brain into action and finally turned away without -saying a word.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That was a bad fall!” Ben said, seeking to -engage the Englishman in conversation. “We came -near lying where he does this minute.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“A bad fall!” repeated the Englishman. “Do -you know who the man is?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Never saw him before to-night!” replied Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You might look in his pockets, don’t you -know!” suggested DuBois.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>“That’s a good suggestion!” cried Jimmie who -had been listening to the conversation. “I’ll see -what I can find right now, if you’ll hold the light, -Carl,” he added.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl advanced with the light and a thorough -search was made of the dead man’s clothing. The -pockets were entirely empty save for a watch, a -pocket-knife, a fountain pen and a collapsible tube -of adhesive material. The underclothing, shirt, -collar and cuffs were new and bore no name or -laundry mark. The collar of the coat bore the -trade mark of a well-known firm of manufacturers -dealing only in ready-to-wear clothing. On the inside -of the right sleeve was the union label of the -garment workers. The serial number of the label -was blurred and could not be read.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben opened the watch case eagerly but found no -initials on the inside. There was nothing whatever -about the man to give information as to his name, -occupation, or place of residence. That he had been -a business man and not a professional aviator was -clear to the boys but their information went no -farther.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman stood by while the articles taken -from the dead man accumulated on the grass but -said nothing. Now and then he stepped closer and -looked down into the white face.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>“Don’t you know,” he said presently, “I think -I’ve seen that man before!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie nudged Carl impulsively but said nothing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You might have seen him in Washington,” suggested -Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No,” answered the Englishman. “The man is -not associated in my mind with anything that took -place in your capital city.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“On the boat coming over?” suggested Carl -with a wink at Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No-o,” hesitated the Englishman. “I can’t associate -that face with anything on board the -steamer. It might have been on the train coming -across the continent,” he went on in a musing tone. -“It might have been in the Pullman on the way -over.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If your recollection is so indistinct,” Jimmie put -in, “it must be because you didn’t see much of him -on the train. Perhaps he remained in his stateroom -most of the time.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s clever of you, don’t you know!” the -Englishman drawled. “Your suggestion of the -stateroom brings it all back. This dead man, don’t -you know, often passed in and out of the stateroom -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>door and we noticed his goings and comings because -he never permitted any one to see inside the -door, don’t you know.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did the man lose anything on the train?” asked -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, he told the porter he had lost his bag.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span> - <h2 id='chap5117' class='c012'>CHAPTER XV.<br /> <br />THE MAN IN THE STATEROOM.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“Did he make much of a row about it?” asked -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced -him that it had accidentally fallen from the -vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes. -The fellow seemed glad to know that it was gone!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How could it get lost from the vestibule?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The fellow admitted leaving it somewhere outside -the stateroom after taking it to the toilet with -him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did it ever occur to you,” asked Jimmie, “that -you bought the hand-bag the porter stole from the -man lying here dead?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a queer suggestion, don’t you know!” -said the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, how did the porter come to have the bag -to sell if he hadn’t picked it up somewhere on the -train?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a clever question!” asserted the Englishman. -“But look here,” he went on, “why should -a man like this one have a false shirt front and a -false beard in his luggage?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>“I think I could tell you why if I tried very -hard,” answered Jimmie, “but we’d better pass that -up for the present.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” Ben said, “I think we’d better give this -man decent burial, repair the <i>Louise</i> as far as possible, -and start back to camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t see how we’re going to open a grave,” -Carl said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We can make a shallow one, I guess,” Ben answered, -“and then use plenty of stones for covering. -Of course we’ll notify the mounted police as -soon as we get to a station, and they will undoubtedly -take the body out. Somewhere, undoubtedly, -this man had relatives and friends, and -they ought to know the manner of his death.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was not very difficult making a shallow grave -in the soft soil, although the boys had no suitable -tools to work with. When at last the body was -wrapped in a canvas shroud, composed of material -taken from the planes of the wrecked machine, and -laid into the grave it was covered to a considerable -height with heavy rocks taken from the slope.</p> - -<p class='c011'>This task completed, the boys took guy wires from -the now useless aeroplane and repaired the breakage -on the <i>Louise</i>. The tanks of the <i>Louise</i> being about -half empty, the gasoline was drawn from the disabled -motors of the wreck and added to the supply.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>“It seems lonesome, don’t you know,” the -Englishman said, as he took his seat on the <i>Ann</i>, -“to go away and leave that poor fellow all alone -in the valley, with no companionship save that of -the stars and the wind!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It gives me a shiver to think of it!” declared -Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Jimmie said in a tone far more serious -than was usual with the boy, “every step he has -taken since his birth has tended to this place. A -million years ago, it was decreed that he should lie -here, and that’s all there is of it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Quite true, quite true!” agreed the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Aw, you can’t make me believe a man’s life is -mapped out for him like that!” declared Carl. “I -guess a fellow has some show!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the boys reached the camp the eastern sky -was ruddy with the approach of sunrise, and Mr. -Havens sat well wrapped in blankets before the fire. -His face was pale and showed suffering.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I thought you’d never come back!” he said. -“I saw one of the machines drop, but I couldn’t for -the life of me tell which one it was.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Two of them dropped,” Ben explained, and in a -short time the story of the adventures of the night -was told.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>“It seems wonderful,” Mr. Havens said, “that -we should drop into a region, almost by accident, -whither so many things connected with the Kuro -case were tending. When the Englishman brought -the bag, I thought that the most remarkable occurrence -in the world. But now the man who stood in -the corridor at Colleton’s door seems to lie over -yonder in the valley. It seems like a chapter out of -a fairy book!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, it’s all simple enough!” Jimmie argued. -“In fact, it’s the most commonplace thing in the -world. This big man stripped Colleton of his disguise -in the stateroom and put the articles into the -bag, intending to throw it off the train the first time -he got a chance. He set the bag out into the -corridor or the vestibule so it would be handy when -the right time came and the porter stole it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is this a new edition of the dream-book?” -asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then DuBois lost his hand-bag, and asked the -porter to provide him one. For all we know the -man just killed may have stolen the Englishman’s -bag for his own use. Anyway the porter brought -DuBois the bag he stole from the man who has just -been killed.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Go on!” advised Ben with a grin.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The porter neglected to remove the contents of -the bag, and so the articles used in the disguise of -Colleton come into the possession of the purchaser. -The Englishman sets out on a hunting trip in the -Rocky mountains, strays away from his companions, -and turns up at the smugglers’ place with -the bag in his hands.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>“You’re only relating the obvious now,” Ben -criticised.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And then,” Jimmie went on, “the big man -brings Colleton into some hiding-place in the mountains, -using an aeroplane as a means of communication -with the cities. His machine is spied by boys -who think their own machines can go some and the -race follows. The big man drops his aeroplane into -a hole in the air and is killed. The Englishman who -bought the stolen bag, recognizes him as the man -in charge of the sick man in the stateroom. Now, -if that isn’t all perfectly simple, I don’t know what -is!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You take it for granted that Colleton is hidden -in this vicinity, then?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If he wasn’t, the big man wouldn’t have shown -up here!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When the big man came in and landed his aeroplane -on the other side of the ridge,” Ben suggested, -“he brought two men with him. When we went -up in the <i>Louise</i> we saw two men walking about -the ledge with lanterns in their hands.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“One of them may be Colleton!” shouted Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know about that,” Jimmie went on, -“but I’ll tell you there’s some connection between -the bunch that stole Colleton and the bunch the -Canadian officers arrested for smuggling whiskey -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>over the Canadian border. I don’t believe the red -and green signals we saw night before last were -entirely for the benefit of the smugglers. I’ll bet -the big man who was killed because he didn’t know -how to bring a machine out of an air-hole knew the -language of those red and green lights!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Mr. Havens was assisted back to his tent, and the -boys busied themselves getting breakfast. The -Englishman wandered about the camp for a long -time without speaking. It seemed to the boys that -he was studying over the events of the night.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie even suggested to Carl that the Englishman -might be searching his memory for some -incident connected with the journey across the continent -which would place him in the possession of -additional information concerning the man who had -been killed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When breakfast was ready, the Englishman took -his seat by the white cloth spread on the grass but -ate sparingly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Have you lost your appetite?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That was quite a shock, don’t you know!” was -the answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Are you sure the man we buried is the man who -occupied the stateroom on the Pullman-car with the -sick man?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Quite sure!” was the slow reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you notice him talking with any one in the -car?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>“Indeed he was quite intimate with one of the -travelers,” the Englishman replied. “They went -to the smoking room together and played cards frequently. -They were quite chummy, don’t you -know.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Would you know this second man if you saw -him again?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, of course,” answered the Englishman. -“This second man, Neil Howell, is the gentleman -who formed the hunting party I joined at San -Francisco. He was quite anxious for me to go with -him, don’t you know.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When did you leave your party?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Early yesterday morning,” was the reply. “I -wandered about in the mountains until I came to -the camp-fire where I was found.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Could you make your way to your camp now?” -asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is in some of the wrinkles of the mountains,” -he said, “but I couldn’t even make up my mind -which way to set out if I started to find it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Your sense of direction must be deficient!” suggested -Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It must be!” was the answer. “You see,” he -went on, “I wandered around this way and that, so -long that I couldn’t tell whether my camp was east, -west, north or south. During the last few hours -of my wandering I was half dazed with hunger -and fatigue, so there is little hope of my being -able to locate the camp of my friends.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>“Well, we can find it all right!” Jimmie declared. -“I can take you up in the machine after we -get done breakfast, and after we get last night’s -kinks out of our systems, and we can find your camp -if it’s anywhere within a thousand miles.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman appeared thoughtful for some -moments before making any reply. Jimmie nudged -Carl and whispered:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here, Cully, I don’t believe he wants to -find that camp again! I don’t believe he wants to go -back!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” returned Carl, “the quiet, peaceful, uneventful -life we are leading seems to appeal to -him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We may be able to find the camp,” the Englishman -said after a pause, “but really, you know,” he -went on, “I wouldn’t want to take another ride in -the air to-day!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, we can go to-morrow just as well,” laughed -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After breakfast the boys advised the Englishman -to spend most of the day in sleep. They had had -another hard night, and were in need of rest themselves. -It was a warm, sunny day, and the lads, -well wrapped in blankets, slept until almost noon. -After they awoke and prepared dinner, Mr. Havens -noticed Carl and Jimmie looking longingly in the -direction of the machines.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>“What’s on now, boys?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I want to find the answers to two questions,” -Jimmie replied.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where are the answers?” asked the aviator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In the air,” grinned the boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What are the questions?” continued Mr. -Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The first one is this: Who are the men the -dead man brought in with him last night?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And the other one?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where is the Englishman’s camp?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Two very pertinent questions!” suggested Mr. -Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s another question,” Jimmie continued, -“that I want the answer to, but I don’t see how -I’m going to get it right away.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps I can answer it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ll give you a try at it,” Jimmie laughed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, what is it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did the Englishman accidentally lose his camp -or did he lose it on purpose? Can you answer that -question?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ve been watching the Englishman for some -time,” the aviator replied, “and I think I can give -you the answer. He left it on purpose!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I noticed,” Jimmie said, “that he didn’t seem -very anxious about my helping him find it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>“Well, whether he wants to find it or not,” Mr. -Havens continued, “I must insist on you boys locating -it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You want to know about this man Neil -Howell!” laughed Jimmie. “Perhaps you have -a notion that by finding him we can get track of the -dead man’s associates. You want to know why he -induced DuBois to make the mountain trip. In -fact, there’s a whole lot of things you want to know -about Neil Howell.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s just the idea,” Mr. Havens replied. -“I’m certain that DuBois left the camp voluntarily. -There might have been a quarrel, for all I know. -I half believe, also,” he continued, “that the Englishman -knew what the bag contained when he left -camp with it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know about that,” Jimmie replied, “but -I do know that a man going out for a walk in the -mountains wouldn’t be apt to carry a hand-bag with -him if he intended to return.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span> - <h2 id='chap5480' class='c012'>CHAPTER XVI.<br /> <br />STILL ANOTHER GUEST.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“You bet he wouldn’t!” declared Carl, who had -come into the tent during the progress of the conversation. -“He’d be more apt to carry a gun! -What did he want to lug his toilet articles away -for?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps he wanted to get that bag out of -camp!” suggested Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s the answer to that?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Suppose this Neil Howell recognized that bag -as one formerly owned by the man he played cards -with?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s another dream!” Carl laughed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Anyhow,” Jimmie said, “I’m going up in the -<i>Louise</i> and find that camp!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And I’m going with you,” Carl grinned.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Can’t I go anywhere without one of you boys -tagging along?” demanded Jimmie in mock anger.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It’s a shame for you to say such things!” declared -Carl. “After the number of times we’ve -saved your life!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>“All right!” laughed Jimmie. “Come along if -you want to!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If I were you,” Mr. Havens advised, “I -wouldn’t try to land near the camp if you succeed -in locating it. The song of the motors can be heard -a long way off, you know, and the campers will be -sure to know that an aeroplane is in the vicinity.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a good idea!” Carl agreed. “We ought -to find the camp and sail over it, and around it, and -then duck away as if we belong out on the Pacific -coast somewhere. Then we can go back on foot, if -it isn’t too far away, and see what sort of a crowd -the Englishman traveled with.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s my idea of the situation,” Mr. Havens -said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And we ought not to say anything to the Englishman -about where we’re going!” Jimmie suggested. -“Because he’ll be eager to know what -we find out, and may decide not to remain with us -at all after we discover why he left his companions.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We don’t know that he hasn’t told the absolute -truth about his departure from camp,” Mr. Havens -suggested, “but it will do no harm to work on the -theory that a man merely in quest of mountain adventure -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>would not leave his camp carrying a hand-bag. -As Carl says, he’d be more likely to carry a -gun!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben came into the tent and stood listening to the -conversation. He agreed with the others that there -was something queer about the Englishman’s sudden -appearance with the hand-bag, but said that the fellow -had really possessed a gun when he reached the -fire where he had been found.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He told me,” Ben went on, “that Crooked -Terry had taken his gun and other articles, including -his money, from his person.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why didn’t you snatch Crooked Terry bald-headed -and make him give ’em up?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Because DuBois didn’t tell me about his being -robbed until after we had left the crook asleep in -the cavern. I think, by the way,” Ben continued, -“that I’d better go up to the smugglers’ den to-day -and see what I can learn regarding those two men.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is this a conspiracy to leave me all alone in the -camp again?” asked Mr. Havens. “I’m getting -about enough of solitude.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, there’s the Englishman,” suggested -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t you ever think he won’t want to go, too,” -Ben laughed. “He’s the craziest man about flying -machines I ever saw.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>“But early this morning,” Jimmie argued, “he -said that he didn’t care about going into the sky -again to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps that’s because you suggested hunting -up his camp,” laughed Ben. “Somehow he don’t -seem to want to find that camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Suppose,” suggested Mr. Havens, “you boys -go in relays. Let Jimmie and Carl go and look up -the camp first, and after they return Ben and DuBois -can visit the smugglers’ camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s all right,” Ben exclaimed. “I’ll remain -here until Jimmie and Carl return, if they’re not -gone too long!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you see anything of intruders while we -were gone?” asked Jimmie turning to Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why,” replied the aviator, “I did see a man -looking toward the camp from the valley to the -north, but no attempt to molest me was made.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“So that’s why you don’t want to be left alone!” -laughed Jimmie. “You think perhaps those fellows -are hanging around here yet!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They may be, at that!” Carl suggested.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>“We have the faculty of getting into a storm -center,” Jimmie complained. “We get a collection -of humanity around every camp we make! If we -should go and make a camp on top of the Woolworth -building, in little old New York, people would -be making a hop-skip-and-jump from the sidewalk -and inviting themselves to dinner!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, go on out and stir up another mess of -visitors,” laughed Mr. Havens. “And when you -find this camp,” he added, “don’t land anywhere -near it and try to creep in on the campers. All -you’ve got to do is to come back and tell us where it -is!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right!” laughed Jimmie. “I’ll make a map -of the country so any one can find it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The two boys were soon away in the <i>Louise</i>, and -then Ben and the Englishman went to Mr. Havens’ -tent to further talk over the situation. The millionaire -was very much inclined to ask the Englishman -just why he had left his camp, but finally decided -not to do so.</p> - -<p class='c011'>DuBois was very thoughtful and not inclined to -join in the conversation. More than once they saw -him step to the flap of the tent and look out over -the valley. On such occasions he seemed nervous -and anxious.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>“Are you expecting company?” Ben asked after -one of these visits.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I heard some talk about people watching the -camp, don’t you know,” the Englishman replied, -“and it rawther got on me mind!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There won’t any one come here in the daytime,” -Ben urged.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you see the faces of the men who came this -morning?” asked the boy turning to Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I didn’t say that I saw men,” smiled the aviator. -“I said that I thought I saw a man looking toward -the camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you see his face?” insisted the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I did not!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Can you describe him in any way?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m afraid not!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman walked to the flap of the tent -again and looked out.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“For instance,” he said looking back into the -tent, “was the general appearance of the fellow anything -like the general appearance of the man who is -approaching the fire from the other side?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>The aviator gave a quick start of surprise and -Ben sprang to his feet and walked out to the fire, -closely followed by the Englishman. The man approaching -from the south was evidently not a mountaineer. -He was remarkably well-dressed, although -his garments showed contact with mountain thickets, -and his walk was unsteady and like that of -one unfamiliar with rough ground. He wore a -derby hat, a silk tie, and a gold watch-chain traversed -his vest from left to right. He was, in fact, -about the cut of a man one would expect to meet in -the business district of New York.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Instead of watching the visitor, Ben turned his -eyes toward the Englishman, determined to see if -any signs of recognition showed on the face of the -latter. His first impression was that this man had -in some way found his way there from the camp -which the Englishman had deserted.</p> - -<p class='c011'>DuBois’ face expressed only curiosity and surprise -as the visitor came closer to the fire. Ben -turned to the newcomer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Good-afternoon!” he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Same to you!” replied the other. “You can’t -understand,” he added with a faint smile, “how -glad I am to see once more a face that reminds me -of civilization.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>“That’s me!” laughed Ben winking at the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s both of you, and the man in the tent, -too!” laughed the other. “I’ve been wandering -around this everlasting, eternal, Providence-forsaken -valley for three or four days, living on ground -squirrels and seeking to become intoxicated on river -water.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you lose your camp, too?” asked Ben with -a chuckle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I never had any camp in this country!” was the -reply. “I came in by way of Crow’s Nest, with a -pack of provisions on my back, looking for land -worth squatting on. I ate my provisions the first -week, lost my way the second, and traveled on my -nerve the third.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did it make good going?” asked Ben with a -grin.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Fairly good!” was the reply. “You see,” he -went on, “I had a couple of automatic guns and -plenty of cartridges, so I’d shoot red ground squirrels -when ever I got hungry and build a fire in -among the tall trees and cook ’em. Then I’d go to -sleep by the fire and wake up that night, or the next -morning, or the day after the next morning, or any -old time. And that’s the kind of an existence I’ve -been having.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>“That’s the wild, free life, all right!” Ben -agreed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ve been chased by bears, and kept awake at -night by lynxes, and wolverines, until it seems to -me as if I had butted into the Central Park Zoo! -And right this minute,” he added, looking around -the camp with wistful eyes, “I’m about as hungry -as a human being can be and stand on his feet. I -haven’t had a drop of coffee for a month!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I was waiting for that!” Ben grinned as he -moved toward the coffee-pot and provision box. -“Everybody that comes here is hungry! I’ve got -so I make a break for the coffee-pot and the grub -the minute I see a stranger approaching.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m glad you’ve got the habit,” laughed the -other. “I’ve butted into camps in this country before -now where a man wasn’t welcome to take a -second breath out of the atmosphere!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Recently?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, only three or four days ago,” the stranger -answered, “I struck a camp where they had tons -and tons of provisions, and they wouldn’t give me -the second meal! Yes, sir, they fired me out after -I’d had a few egg sandwiches and a cup of coffee -substitute.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>“How long ago was this?” asked Ben, glancing -quietly at the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Three or four days ago!” was the answer. -“I’ve been traveling nights to keep warm, and to -keep out of the clutches of the wild animals, and -sleeping days so long that I’ve lost all track of time. -It may have been three days ago and it may have -been four days ago.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Can you give me the direction of this camp?” -asked the Englishman. “I’d like to know something -about the fellows there, if you don’t mind.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, I don’t know which way it is from here. -I couldn’t find it if I wanted to, and I’ll give you a -straight tip right now that I don’t want to! Just -for company’s sake, understand, I tried to get a -night’s sleep within sight of their camp-fire. I -rolled myself in a blanket and was just dreaming -that I was eating a porterhouse steak at Sherry’s, -when the midnight concert at the camp began. I -guess they were all good and drunk before morning.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you know,” began the Englishman, “that -I half believe that you found the camp I belonged -in!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>“If you were in the camp when I tried to sleep -near it,” the stranger went on, “you probably got a -good souse before morning.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman turned away to the tent, and -Ben busied himself in preparing dinner for the -stranger who gave his name as Martin Sprague.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I see,” Sprague went on, while the dinner -cooked, “that you boys have a couple of fine flying -machines. Was that your machine that lit out over -the valley a short time ago? When I saw that machine, -I said there must be a camp in this side of the -valley, so I followed my nose and here I am.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a time, Ben placed a substantial meal before -Sprague and then, to an answer to a gesture -from the Englishman, hastened back to the tent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you know,” DuBois said, as the two stood -together at the flap, “that fellow who just came in -was with Neil Howell in San Francisco! I saw the -two together there often. If he went to our camp, -he found Neil Howell there, and he received no such -treatment as he reports.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then you think the fellow’s a fraud, do you?” -asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>“I don’t know about that!” the Englishman replied, -“but I do know that he is trying to deceive -you, and my private opinion is that he came to this -camp for a purpose, and with the consent of Neil -Howell.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span> - <h2 id='chap5839' class='c012'>CHAPTER XVII.<br /> <br />CARL GETS INTO TROUBLE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>The sun shone warm on the planes of the -<i>Louise</i> as Jimmie and Carl sailed over the broken -country to the west of the camp. They passed -a ridge so high that the timber line broke a -couple of hundred feet below the summit, and then -dropped, shivering, into a depression wider but -not so green as the one in which their tents -stood.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys were taking their time, and, in the low -altitude of the valley, conversation was possible as -they moved along, looking to right and left for some -sign of a camp.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The Englishman’s friends ought not to be -much farther away,” suggested Carl, after an hour. -“We are at least fifteen miles from our tents already.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” agreed Jimmie, “the ridge we crossed -takes up a good deal of room. If they are not in -this wrinkle, they may be in the next one.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>“Wrinkle is exactly the word,” Carl grinned. -“This country looks as if some one had taken a -level plain and crowded it together until the surface -broke into seams and crags. It makes me think -of the undulating surface of an old boot!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys traversed the valley from north to -south but saw no indications of tents or camp-fires. -The ridge to the west ran out at the north end of the -valley, and the boys turned there, preferring not to -ascend into the cold air again unless it became necessary.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The valley in which they now found themselves -ran in a northeasterly direction and broke into a -canyon at the end farthest to the east and north. -The boys turned as they swung around the point of -rock and whirled along the new depression. Presently -Carl caught his chum by the arm and handed -him the field-glass with which he had been looking -over the country. Jimmie used the glass for a moment -and then turned back to Carl with a pleased -look on his freckled face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You know what that is, don’t you?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Sure!” Carl answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>“That’s the north end of our own valley, we -see,” Jimmie went on, “and the shelf we have just -come in sight of is the one from which the red and -green signals were shown night before last.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s right!” grinned Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then, don’t you see,” Jimmie went on, “the -signals were made for the benefit of some one in -this valley.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s the idea!” Carl chuckled.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, suppose we find the tent the Englishman -left in this vicinity,” the boy went on, “what would -that mean?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It would suggest to me,” Carl replied, “that -the signals were made for the benefit of some one -in that camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Right-o!” replied Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But where is this blooming camp?” Carl -asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ll find it here somewhere!” Jimmie answered, -confidently.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Directly the boys came to a canyon which opened -at the west of the valley and led to a grassy plateau -higher up. At some distant time the place now occupied -by the plateau had doubtless been an enlargement -and extension of the canyon. However, as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>the years passed, the rocks had crumbled under the -action of water until the great dent had become -filled.</p> - -<p class='c011'>One look to the left as the boys moved slowly -past the mouth of the canyon was sufficient. A -fire was blazing high in the center of the plateau and -half a dozen tents were scattered about. On every -side the walls of rock came down to the green grass -which lay like a carpet over the floor of the plateau.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Here and there the boys saw dark openings in -the walls, similar to the one they had observed at -the smugglers’ camp.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Those old rocks,” Jimmie commented, “are -honeycombed with caves, and it’s a hundred to one -that those hunters are obliged to keep things moving -nights in order to drive away wild animals.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“From all accounts,” Carl agreed, “wild animals -don’t stand much show with that bunch!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course, they’ve seen us,” Jimmie observed -as the aeroplane shot by the canyon and the tents -were no longer in sight. “If they’re not asleep -they know we’re here. Now, what’s the best thing -to do?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Walk right along just like we never noticed -them!” replied Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>“Perhaps,” Jimmie suggested, “they’re looking -for an aeroplane to put in an appearance.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you mean to say that they knew something -of the machine that was wrecked over to the south -last night?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s what!” replied Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t believe it!” Carl answered. “That supposition -connects the San Francisco hunters with -the Kuro gang, and I can’t believe that to be a -fact!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How far do you suppose that canyon is from -our camp?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Probably twenty miles!” suggested Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a good guess,” Jimmie agreed. “Now, -look here,” he went on, “if you think I’m going -back to camp and leave the machine and then hike -twenty miles to investigate that camp, you’ve got -another think coming!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s what you promised to do!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not on your life!” replied Jimmie. “That’s -what Havens told me to do! But then, you know,” -he added with a laugh, “Havens had no idea at the -time he gave the advice that we’d find the camp so -far away. He probably thought we’d run across -it within easy walking distance of our own tents. -Isn’t that the way you look at it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>“Sure!” replied Carl, glad of any excuse for -landing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then, I’ll tell you what we’ll do!” Jimmie -argued. “We’ll fly straight over the ridge under -which the camp nestles, slow down gradually, so -our motors will sound like they were getting farther -away every moment, and then land. We ought -to be able to climb back to the top of the ridge in a -few minutes and look down into the camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Aw, what’s the good of just looking down into -it?” demanded Carl. “We ought to get near -enough so we can see and hear what’s going on!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t care how near we get to it!” grinned -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The plan suggested by the boy, reckless as it was, -was carried out. The <i>Louise</i> found a resting-place -to the west of the ridge and the boys sat down to -consider future movements.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Honest, now,” Jimmie said, looking up at the -fairly easy slope which led to the summit lying between -the aeroplane and the camp, “one of us -ought to stay by the machine!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>“All right!” Carl agreed. “You remain here -and I’ll hike down and see what I can find out. -But, look here,” the lad continued, “you mustn’t -go prowling around! You mustn’t leave the machine! -I may come back on the jump, and want to -get into the air in about a quarter of a second!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Huh!” grinned Jimmie. “You went off and -left the machine when you were on guard near the -smugglers’ camp. I wouldn’t talk about prowling -around, if I were you!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This is different!” urged Carl. “When I left -the machine then I didn’t know that there were a -lot of mountain brigands ready to grab it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right!” Jimmie acquiesced. “I’ll stay here -by the machine for an hour. If you don’t come back -by that time, I’ll come after you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, you’ll come after me!” cried Carl. -“You’d better stay where you are! How would -you know where to look for me in that mess over -on the other side?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you don’t come back in an hour,” repeated -Jimmie, “I’ll come after you! In an hour it will -be time to leave for home.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl went away up the slope, climbing swiftly, -and soon disappeared from view. Jimmie threw -himself down on the ground close to the framework -of the <i>Louise</i>, in a measure protected from view by -the planes.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>“Gee!” mused the boy. “It’s lonesome, waiting -like this. Next time we go out on a scouting expedition, -we’ll bring some one along to stand guard. -This waiting makes me tired.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>But the period of waiting was destined to be a -short one. Hardly had Carl disappeared over the -summit of the ridge when three figures appeared -there, sharply outlined against the sky. Jimmie -crawled closer under the planes and lay perfectly -still for some moments.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He saw the men pointing toward the aeroplane, -heard them shouting to some one on the other side. -Then they came on down the slope, half-running, -half-sliding in their haste.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, that’s a nice thing!” the boy mused. -“They are probably wise to what we were up to, -and stood ready to make a run as soon as we landed. -I wish I knew whether Carl butted into them or -whether he got away.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>All doubt regarding the matter was settled the -next moment, for Carl appeared on the summit, accompanied -by three husky-looking men. The men -beckoned to Jimmie and called out to those who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>were running down the slope. It was clear that -they were inviting him to remain where he was until -the others came up.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie could not see the face of his chum, of -course, the distance being too great. In fact, he only -knew that it was Carl because of his being smaller -than the others. He could, however, distinguish -motions made by the boy, and these motions commanded -him, as plainly as words could have done, -to get the <i>Louise</i> away before the arrival of the men -who were descending the slope.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Unwilling to leave his chum without knowing -more of the situation, Jimmie hesitated. As he -did so, he saw Carl drawn violently over the ridge. -The last movement he saw was made by the boy’s -outstretched arms, commanding him to take the -<i>Louise</i> into the air as soon as possible!</p> - -<p class='c011'>He hesitated no longer but sprang to the seat and -set the motors in motion. The machine lifted -clumsily, for the landing had not been a smooth -one, but finally got her into the air, not more than -a score of feet distant from the men who were -rushing down upon her.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>The boy anticipated a serious time in getting -away, but, although the men below flourished revolvers -threateningly, no bullets were fired. He -brought the machine around to the east in a moment -and swept over the heads of the men below. The -group remained at the summit as he passed over, -swinging down over the camp.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was naturally great excitement below, and -the boy would have enjoyed the situation immensely -if he had been sure of the safety of his chum. The -occupants of the camp rushed out of their tents and -threw their hands and voices into the air as he -moved along, only a few yards above their heads. -Again weapons were displayed but no shots came.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boy circled the camp twice, but was unable -to catch sight of Carl. Realizing that the boy had -undoubtedly been taken to one of the tents, he -turned the machine down the gorge to the valley -and swept straight on toward the shelf of rock -from which the red and green signals had been -shown on the first night of their arrival in that -vicinity.</p> - -<p class='c011'>By keeping to this route he was not obliged to ascend -to the summit in order to leave the valley -where the hunters’ camp was situated. When he -came closer to the shelf of rock where the signal -fire had burned, he saw three men standing in plain -view.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>“I reckon the whole population of British Columbia -is centering in these hills,” the boy mused. -“There must have been a dozen or more people in -the hunters’ camp when I passed over it not long -ago, and now here’s three more probably belonging -to the same crowd.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the boy came within a few paces of the -rock he whirled away to the south, not caring to -seek a landing on the other side of the snowy ridge. -As the machine lifted he saw two more men in the -gorge or canyon which led from the summit down -to the shelf.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If the men who abducted Colleton and brought -him into this country sought a location filled with -peace and solitude, they will probably get out of it -at the earliest moment,” Jimmie mused.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As the boy turned on full speed in the direction -of his camp he caught sight of an object which -caused him to hesitate and then set out in a circling -tour of the valley.</p> - -<p class='c011'>What he saw was the plane of a flying machine -lifting above the top of the ridge to the east.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span> - <h2 id='chap6179' class='c012'>CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> <br />THE MYSTERIOUS SIGNALS.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>When Carl reached the top of the slope lying between -the spot where the <i>Louise</i> had landed and -the camp occupied by the hunters, he found himself -confronted by two men who were climbing up -from the tents below.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The men addressed him civilly, asking about the -aeroplane which had just passed over the camp, and -suggesting that the two boys join them at dinner. -They were well-dressed, pleasant-appearing fellows, -evidently products of city life.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t think we can accept of your hospitality -to-night,” the boy answered, “because we can’t both -leave the machine at the same time. And besides,” -he went on, “it will soon be sundown, and we -ought to be getting back to our friends.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>“Why, we’ll send a man over to watch the machine,” -one of the hunters argued. “Or, better -still,” he continued, “you can bring the machine -right into the camp. So far as I’m concerned, I -wish your friends were with you. New faces are -always welcome in a mountain camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Seeing how insistent the men were, Carl determined -to bring the interview to a close immediately, -and turned back up the westward slope which he -had started to descend.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Just thought we’d call for a minute,” he said. -“If you don’t mind, we’ll come over early in the -day before long and have a good visit.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The two men who were now joined by a third -followed the lad back to the summit arguing all the -way that he ought not to take his departure so -soon. When the <i>Louise</i> came into view they began -beckoning and calling to Jimmie, as the reader -already knows, and also shouting to those in the -camp below.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Tell your friend to come on up!” argued one -of the men. “You may as well cross the ridge at -this point as farther up. We’d like to have a look -at your machine. Besides, you really must have a -cup of coffee with us before you go away. We -can’t lose our guests so soon.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>During this conversation the men had been beckoning -to Jimmie, inviting him by gestures to bring -his machine to camp. Seeing that the men were -not inclined to let him depart at that time, the boy -began signaling to Jimmie to get away in the <i>Louise</i> -before the men got to her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Here, kid!” shouted the man who had been doing -most of the talking, “don’t do that. He’ll -think you want him to go away and leave you -here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I want him to get the machine away all right!” -Carl answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re an obstinate little rascal!” replied the -man. “Here, Bob,” he added, turning to one of -the others, “take this kid down to the camp and -keep him there until I return.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was at this point that the men came chasing -down the slope and Jimmie got away in the machine. -Carl saw the aeroplane gliding over the -camp with a great deal of satisfaction. He had -been forced into one of the tents near the great -fire, but could see the airship distinctly through the -opening in front. Directly the man he had talked -with on the summit entered the tent and sat down by -the boy’s side.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>“My name is Frank Harris,” he said abruptly, -“what’s yours?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Carl Nichols,” the boy replied, with a grin -which brought a smile to the other’s face. “What -do you want to know that for?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where are you from?” was the next question.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The Big Puddle,” replied Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Meaning New York?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Sure,” answered Carl, “there’s only one big -puddle in the world.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What became of the flying machine you boys -were chasing the other night?” asked Harris after -a moment’s reflection.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“She dropped into a hole in the air and the -aviator was killed,” replied the boy gravely.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Harris sprang to his feet with a muffled oath -and paced up and down in front of the tent for -some time without speaking. When he returned to -the boy’s side his face wore an expression blended -between suspicion and dismay. Carl remained -silent until the man spoke again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is that right?” Harris asked. “Are you telling -me the truth?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>“Sure, I’m telling you the truth!” replied the -boy. “The aviator fell into a hole in the air and -didn’t know how to get out of it. We made a -shallow grave and piled about a ton of rock on top -of it. If you want to get the body we’ll show you -where it is any time.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you know,” Harris began rather angrily, -“I hardly believe this story about the man falling -into a hole in the air! Are you sure he didn’t come -to his death as the result of a conflict with some -member of your party?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You don’t think we murdered him, do you?” -demanded Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, I didn’t say that!” Harris hastened to -say. “I only want you to understand that the matter -isn’t yet settled in my mind. What about the -machine which you say was wrecked?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“So far as I know,” answered the boy, “it still -lies where it fell, and just as it fell, except that we -removed some guy wires to strengthen our own -machine. I don’t think the motors can be used -again. We used the canvas of the planes for a -winding sheet, and brought away the gasoline.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ll get the poor fellow out to-morrow!” -Harris promised, “and send the body east to his -friends.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You knew him, then?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>Harris hesitated, colored a trifle, and began a -busy pacing of the ground in front of the tent -again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I reckon he sees that he’s made a mistake in -claiming any knowledge of that fellow!” the boy -mused with a quiet chuckle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What was it you asked?” inquired Harris, -pausing in front of the tent. “Oh, I remember,” -he went on, “you wanted to know if we knew this -aviator who was killed in the race with you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, yes,” Carl replied. “You seemed to -know where he lived and who his friends were. I -thought perhaps you might know all about him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We know nothing whatever about him!” replied -Harris, rather angrily. “He landed at our -camp the day before the accident and visited with -us a long time. He seemed to be a very pleasant -and intelligent man. So far as his friends are concerned, -we know nothing about them. When I remarked -that we would forward the body, I did so -under the supposition that papers in his possession -would inform us as to his name and residence.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I see,” replied Carl with a knowing smile which -the other was not slow in understanding. “How -did you people come to know about the race?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>“Why, one of our men was up on the summit -when the race began and saw the aeroplanes flying -south. We know nothing further than that!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m sorry for what took place,” Carl said, “but -the man was sailing over our camp in a suspicious -manner, and we thought we’d find out what he -wanted. As a matter of fact, he needn’t have run -away when our machine took after him. There -was no need of that.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The fact was, as the reader well understands, -that the dead aviator had not been circling the boys’ -camp at all. The race, as Carl well knew, had -started in the vicinity of the smugglers’ cave where -the <i>Louise</i> had taken up the chase. The boy made -the above statement half expecting that Harris -would contradict him, and so show some further -knowledge of the race and the man who had been -killed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Harris looked suspiciously at the boy for a moment, -half-opening his lips to speak, but finally decided -to remain silent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s another thing I want to ask you about,” -he went on after a moment. “You have a young -Englishman named DuBois in your camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How did you know that?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>“Why,” was the rather embarrassed reply, “our -boys are traveling over the country in search of -game, and we naturally know what’s going on -around us! Besides, we know something about -that Englishman. When he left us, we had a notion -that he would go to some nearby camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If he tells the truth,” Carl replied, “our camp -hadn’t been pitched when he left yours.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is my impression,” Harris answered, “that -DuBois reached your camp on the evening of the -day he left ours. Did he have a valuable looking -burro with him when he came to you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He was on foot,” replied Carl, “and we saw -nothing of anything like a burro. He appeared to -be completely exhausted with walking.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That was a bit of acting on his part! When he -left us he took with him a burro worth at least two -hundred dollars. Large sums of money also disappeared -from the tents that same morning. The -boys learned to-day that he was at your camp and -they’re going over to get him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Will they take him to prison?” asked Carl -wonderingly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m afraid not!” was the significant reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What then?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>“Justice is mighty slow and terribly uncertain in -this country,” Harris answered. “In fact,” he continued, -“there’s only one judge who tries cases to -the liking of the people.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You mean Judge Lynch!” suggested Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s his name,” laughed Harris heartlessly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You don’t mean to say that they’d lynch DuBois -without giving him a hearing?” demanded the -boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m afraid they would!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You don’t approve of such outrages, do you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Certainly not!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then, why don’t you send some one over to the -camp to warn DuBois? Or send an officer who -might take him to Field and turn him over to the -law? That would be the right thing to do!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ve been thinking of doing that!” replied -Harris. “I wish your friend had remained with -the machine. Then we could have sent an officer -over to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He might have remained if you people hadn’t -made such a rush for him!” laughed Carl. “You -frightened him away.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>“You’re a pair of bright boys!” laughed Harris. -“I wish I could find a young fellow just like you to -put into my Wall street office. If you showed the -same courage and resourcefulness there that you do -in the mountains, you’d be apt to make the money-kings -sit up and take notice in a few years. Such -young men are needed in New York!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t think I’d care to enter on a Wall street -career,” Carl replied, not at all deceived by the -gilded bait so cunningly extended.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Think it over,” continued Harris. “You may -change your mind after you leave the mountains. -It’s a fine opening for you!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The lad promised to consider the proposition -seriously, and Harris went away. He returned in -a few moments with a bountiful supper, which he -shared with the boy. All through the meal he continued -his questions regarding the race, the Englishman, -and the purpose of the boys in visiting that -section of British Columbia.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl answered the questions truthfully whenever -he could. He understood, however, that the attitude -of the man who seemed to be so friendly was absolutely -hostile. After supper Harris went away -and Carl sat in the door of the tent watching for the -return of the flying machine. He rather expected -that Jimmie would return with one of the boys in -order to find out the exact situation.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>The tent in which he had been placed faced the -south and was directly in front of the fire. As -darkness fell he saw members of the party gathering -about the blaze with tin cans in their hands.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now,” he mused, “I wonder what they’re going -to do. Looks like they might about to warm -up lobster or canned roast beef for supper.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>When it became quite dark in the valley the boy -was amazed at seeing one of the men pour a powder -from one of the cans into a long-handled shovel and -drop it from there into the fire. The blaze flared up -as red as a police danger-signal.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl came nearer to the flap of the tent and looked -out to the north and east. Greatly to his astonishment -he saw a green flame on the shelf of rock -which cut the mountainside at the foot of the canyon -in which lay the smugglers’ cave.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the red light in front of his tent died down -it was succeeded by a green flame. A glance at -the distant shelf at that instant revealed a red one. -The boy drew back into the tent with a soft chuckle.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>“I guess we didn’t dope it out correctly when -we figured that the signals on the shelf were not intended -entirely for whiskey smugglers,” he said. -“It seems to me that these hunters who talked about -Wall street and money-kings are pretty thick with -the outlaws!”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span> - <h2 id='chap6535' class='c012'>CHAPTER XIX.<br /> <br />A SURPRISE FOR JIMMIE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>When Jimmie saw the planes of the flying machine -on the east side of the summit he dodged -away in order that the aviator still below the line -of the ridge might not catch sight of the <i>Louise</i> -until he was himself well in the air. The boy -wanted to know, before coming to close quarters, -whether this machine was a new one in that vicinity, -and whether the man in charge was in sympathy -with those on the shelf below.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As soon as the aeroplane came into full view, -however, the boy chuckled and swung close over. -It was the <i>Bertha</i>, and Ben occupied the aviator’s -seat. Jimmie pointed toward the men on the shelf, -asking mutely whether he ought to land, and Ben -shook his head warningly.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>Rather to the disappointment of Jimmie, Ben -speeded the <i>Bertha</i> toward the valley instead of -circling the gully and the shelf where the men stood. -However, he was somewhat mollified when he saw -Ben seeking a landing-place. In a very short time -the two machines lay side by side on the grass, and -the boys were conferring together.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Twilight was falling fast, and the light of the -fire on the shelf brought the scene there into distinct -view. The boys were not so far away that they -could not recognize one face and figure standing by -the fire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At first Jimmie could hardly believe that he saw -aright, but in a moment his impression was confirmed -by his chum.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s DuBois doing with those men?” -Jimmie asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He’s trying to get away!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Who are the men?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’re from Neil Howell’s hunting camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I thought so!” replied Jimmie. “But what do -they want of DuBois?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’ve got him under arrest!” replied Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a nice thing, too! What have they got -him under arrest for?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They claim that he stole a horse or a mule or a -burro and a lot of money from their tent.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>“You don’t believe it, do you?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I certainly do not!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What are they going to do with him?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’re going to take him back to their camp. -One of the men said they’d probably lynch him -when they got him there.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did they get him out of our camp?” asked the -boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No,” answered Ben, “I’m the one that’s to -blame for his being in his present predicament. I -set out in the <i>Bertha</i> to see what was going on at -the smugglers’ camp, and let him go with me. -When we landed those fellows came rushing out -with guns in their hands and grabbed the Englishman. -I had a gun with me, but of course I couldn’t -do anything against three husky men like the hunters.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And that leaves Mr. Havens alone, of course!” -Jimmie said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He thought we’d better go before dark,” Ben -explained. “And now,” he continued, “what have -you done with Carl?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie explained what had taken place at the -hunters’ camp, and the two boys looked into each -other’s faces with no little anxiety showing in their -eyes. Ben was first to speak.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>“What did they geezle him for?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I couldn’t imagine at the time,” Jimmie answered, -“but I think I see through the scheme now. -When DuBois left their camp and came to ours -they naturally understood that he would tell us all -he knew about what was going on at the place he -had just left.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There wasn’t much to tell,” suggested -Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We don’t know whether there was or not!” -answered Jimmie. “That Englishman hasn’t told -us all he knows about the doings there by any -means! He probably knew about the signals. That -is, if they had been in action on previous nights, -and he probably knew whether the aviator who was -killed had made any visits to the hunters. You -probably noticed how thoughtful DuBois looked -when we told him that the aviator was dead and -that there were no identifying marks or papers -about him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course I noticed that!” Ben said.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>“I don’t believe the Englishman told us half he -knows about that bunch,” Jimmie declared, “and -it’s my private opinion that he never stole a thing at -that camp! I guess when we know the truth about -the matter, we’ll find that he knows too much about -those fellows, and that’s why they want to get hold -of him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You still believe in the Englishman, do you?” -laughed Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You bet I do!” answered Jimmie. “And I -just believe they got him into the mountains because -they suspected he knew what was going on in that -Pullman stateroom. If you leave it to me, some of -the hunters over there are mixed up in the abduction -of Colleton!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That would be too good to be true!” exclaimed -Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why would it,” demanded Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Because it’s a long step in the game we’re playing -to find the men who actually took part in the -plot against Colleton. If we have found them in -that bunch over there, we’ve made mighty good -progress!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, when it all comes out at the end,” Jimmie -insisted, “you’ll find that some of those fellows are -in the deal, all right! And you’ll find that they got -DuBois out into the mountains for the reasons I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>have already given. They doubtless expected they -could keep him with them until the whole thing -blew over. But he ran away for some reasons of -his own and they’re afraid he’ll talk!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re the wise little Sherlocko!” laughed -Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie arose, seized his chum by the shoulders, -whirled him around so that his face looked out toward -the shelf of rock, and gave him a playful -punch in the back.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m the wise little Sherlocko, am I?” he demanded. -“If you think I’m not right, just look -there.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What does it mean?” asked Ben as red and -green signals alternated from the blaze at the foot -of the gully.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It means that the hunters who have grabbed -DuBois are communicating with the same sort of -signals we saw before with the men in Neil Howell’s -camp!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps they are explaining that they’ve captured -DuBois.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t care what they’re explaining,” Jimmie -exclaimed impatiently. “What I’m trying to get -through your thick head is the fact that they’re -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>using the same kind of signals the smugglers used. -They are also using the red and green fire the smugglers -carried to their rendezvous.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I understand!” Ben exclaimed. “That establishes -the connection, all right! Now, what are we -going to do about it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You got DuBois into that mess,” Jimmie -grinned, “and it’s up to you to get him out. It’s a -wonder they ever let you get away with your machine -after grabbing him! They overlooked a bet, -there.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They didn’t want me to get away with it,” Ben -answered modestly. “In fact,” he continued, -“they placed a man down there to see that I didn’t -get away with it. While they were busy putting -DuBois through the third degree, I slipped down to -the machine and caught the guard when he wasn’t -looking. Then I got away with the <i>Bertha</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Caught him when he wasn’t looking, did -you?” chuckled Jimmie. “What did you do to -him?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I bumped him on the coco with the butt of my -automatic!” was the reply. “I guess probably he’s -laying on the ground there yet!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>“You’re the wise little sleuth, too!” laughed -Jimmie. “And now,” he continued, “have you any -idea how we’re going to wedge our way into that -mess of pirates and cut out DuBois?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I haven’t an idea in my head!” answered Ben. -“And I think we’d better go back to camp and talk -to Mr. Havens about it. Probably he’ll know what -to do!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He ought to be consulted in the matter anyway,” -said Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, and by the time we get done talking with -Mr. Havens those outlaws will have DuBois halfway -over to their camp,” grumbled Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, you proposed talking with Mr. Havens -yourself!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, but I didn’t think that time was an important -element in this case just now. Do you think -you can climb that slope and get up to the place -where those fellows are without being seen?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We can climb the slope all right!” Jimmie answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And we ought to do it without being seen,” -Ben went on, “because it’s going to be darker than -a stack of black cats.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’ll we do when we get there?” asked -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>“We’ll have to settle that question on the -ground!” answered Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here!” cried Jimmie. “I’ve got a -hunch!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s the answer?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When we sneak up the slope, we’ll make for the -place where the whiskey is stored. If Crooked -Terry is there at all he’ll be drunk, and we’ll talk -immunity, and a lot of other stuff to him, until he -thinks we’re there to save him from a life sentence -in the penitentiary. That will give us the run of -the cavern, and we ought to be able to sneak out at -some time during the night and get DuBois away.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If they leave him there all night!” Ben replied.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s no danger of their making a hike to -the hunters’ camp in the darkness,” Jimmie replied. -“Those fellows are not mountain men, and they’d -break their necks before they had gone halfway -down the slope.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I guess you’re right,” Ben answered, “and I -don’t think we’ll have much trouble making a sneak -into the cavern. The only thing about the plan that -doesn’t look good to me is the fact that we must -leave our machines here alone in the valley. I -don’t like that!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>“Unless a grizzly bear or a wolverine should -take a notion to go out on a midnight joy-ride,” -Jimmie declared, “no one will disturb the machines. -Of course it would be safer if we had some one -here to watch them, but we haven’t, and we’ve got -to do the next best thing. However, I think they’re -safe enough.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Extinguishing all the lights and emptying the -store boxes of automatics, cartridges, and searchlights, -the boys pushed and pulled the machines into -as secluded a place as they could find and started -up the slope.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was very dark and they dare not use their -electrics, so they were obliged to proceed slowly -until they came to the smooth ascent which led directly -to the shelf. Then, although the climbing was -arduous, they proceeded more rapidly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When they came close to the fire they saw three -men standing by the blaze. DuBois was not there. -The supposition, of course, was that they had -stowed him away in some secure hole in the cavern -from which it would not be possible for him to escape.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>“It’s dollars to dill pickles,” whispered Jimmie -as they softly skirted the fire and crept up the gully, -“that the Englishman has been left in the charge of -that old crook. If that’s the case, we ought to be -able to get him without much trouble if we don’t -send an avalanche of stones down this gully before -we get to the top.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The gully presented no avalanche of stones to -send down. It was quite evident, even in the darkness, -that the rough trail had been used enough recently -to clear the way of anything which might go -rolling and tumbling to the bottom. When the boys -came to the mouth of the cavern they saw the crook -sitting with his back against one of the walls, an -automatic in his hand. He recognized them instantly -as they came up, and seemed glad of their -company.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It will be remembered that he had been promised -immunity by Dick Sherman, the mounted policeman, -and that the boys had been associated with the -officers. In fact, the fellow cast an inquiring glance -down the gully as the boys appeared as if he expected -to see the officers following along behind -them. It did not take the lads long to convince the -half-drunken crook that he ought to produce the -Englishman. Believing that any favors shown the -boys would be appreciated by the man whom he expected -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>to save him from a long imprisonment, Terry -retired into the cavern and soon returned with -DuBois.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’ll crack me crust when they find he’s -gone!” Terry said as the boys and the Englishman -started away together.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then perhaps you’d better come with us,” suggested -DuBois. “You’ll be safer at the boys’ camp -than here, I’m sure!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The crook agreed to this and the four got away -without any difficulty whatever. In an hour they -were at the camp.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span> - <h2 id='chap6897' class='c012'>CHAPTER XX.<br /> <br />THE SECRET HIDING-PLACE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>When the two machines reached the camp they -found Mr. Havens very anxious over the long delay.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I thought I had lost you all this time!” the -aviator said. “I had company for a time, but he’s -gone now.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You came very near losing me, don’t you -know!” DuBois exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And I did lose Carl!” Jimmie confessed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And I came near losing the <i>Louise</i>!” Ben -added.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And Terry here,” Jimmie cried pushing the -crook forward, “lost his stock of wet goods when -he left the cave!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Terry, who had been very nervous during the -ride through the air, and who now lay sprawled out -on the ground as if he never intended to leave solid -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>earth again, gravely took two pint bottles filled with -brandy from his pockets and set them out on the -grass at his side. Then he rolled over and took a -bottle of whiskey from another pocket. This he -ranged with the others standing them all in a row -so that the firelight gave their contents deep ruby -tints.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It’s a cold day when I get left for a drink!” he -exclaimed, with a cunning leer, as he pointed to the -three bottles.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After the boys had related their adventures they -proceeded to cook supper, and while this was being -consumed they discussed the situation at the camp -which DuBois had deserted.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s the idea of accusing you of stealing that -burro?” asked Jimmie turning to the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a beastly shame, don’t you know!” exclaimed -DuBois.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You didn’t steal the burro, of course?” asked -Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here!” exclaimed the Englishman. “Do -I look like a person who would be apt to steal a -mountain burro?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You certainly do not!” replied the aviator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course, it’s a frame-up!” declared Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>“What’s a frame-up?” asked DuBois innocently.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When a man’s jobbed,” answered Jimmie, -“they call it a frame-up!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>This explanation was no explanation at all to the -Englishman, and so the boys explained that in their -opinion, the hunters were, for reasons of their own, -trying to send an innocent man to prison or cause -him to be lynched. When at last DuBois understood -he nodded his head vigorously.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s the idea, don’t you know!” he said. -“It’s a frame-up, and they want to job me! I’ll remember -those terms, don’t you know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why?” asked Mr. Havens. “Why should they -want to job you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They think I know too much!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you do,” cried Jimmie, “you haven’t told it -to us!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Besides,” DuBois continued, “this Neil Howell -caught sight of me bag one day, don’t you know.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, it’s all as clear as mud!” cried Jimmie. -“I know all about it now! You ran away to escape -being robbed of the bag!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Something like that, don’t you know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I guess if you hadn’t run away,” Ben put in, -“you would have been dropped down a precipice -some dark night!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>“Do you know,” asked DuBois innocently, “that -that is just the way I figured it out?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, you figured it out right,” Mr. Havens answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What will they be apt to do with Carl?” questioned -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They won’t be apt to injure him,” DuBois replied. -“They’ll get all the information they can -from the lad and turn him loose just before they -get ready to leave the country.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You think they’ll leave the country right -away?” asked Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think they will!” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You remember the sick man in the stateroom?” -asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I never saw him, don’t you know.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You suspected there was something mysterious -about the manner in which he was being carried -across the continent, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Indeed, I did!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you know at that time, or have you -learned since, that a post-office inspector named -Colleton had been abducted from the post-office -building in Washington?” continued the boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>“I read about it in the papers at San Francisco.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you see in the newspapers in San Francisco -a description of the younger man who stood in the -corridor at the door of Colleton’s room?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think I did!” answered DuBois.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When you found the sporty coat, the false -beard, and the dickey with the wing collar and the -red tie, and the hat in the valise you bought of the -porter, did that remind you of anything?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman nodded and waited eagerly for -the boy to go on.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You knew those things were in the valise you -bought before you came to our camp, didn’t you?” -asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Indeed, I did,” was the reply, “although I tried -to make you boys believe that I had then discovered -them for the first time.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I understand,” Jimmie said, “and I think,” he -went on, “that I understand your motive in telling -that little white lie at that time. You wanted to -see what effect the production of the articles would -have on us, didn’t you? You suspected that we -were here on some mission connected with the disappearance -of Colleton, but you weren’t sure!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>“That’s exactly right, don’t you know.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And you knew that if we were on such a mission, -the appearance of the articles in our camp -would create a sensation!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Very cleverly stated, don’t you know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Isn’t Jimmie the cute little Sherlocko, though?” -asked Ben winking at Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m going to get that kid a job on the New -York police force!” laughed the millionaire aviator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t you do it!” advised Ben. “Let the boy -lead a respectable life as long as he can!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Before you came here,” Jimmie asked turning -to the Englishman, “you doubtless understood the -motive of this man Howell in getting you away on -the hunting trip. You understood that he wanted -to keep you out of sight for a while?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, I understood all that!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And now here’s the big question!” grinned -Jimmie. “As the attorney for the defense says in -the criminal courts, I want you to consider well before -you answer. Do you know whether Colleton -was brought into this country or not?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I haven’t the slightest idea, don’t you know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>“You believe with us that the man who was -killed in the race was the man who left the post-office -building with Colleton, and that Colleton was -disguised in the articles you now have in your -valise?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think that’s quite plain,” answered the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But you don’t know whether Colleton was left -in San Francisco, or sent out on a voyage across -the Pacific, or brought into British Columbia.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There has never been a hint of Colleton in the -camp, so far as I know. In fact,” he went on, “the -men in the camp, as a rule, are business men who -know nothing about the abduction of Colleton or -the motive of Howell in bringing me here. That is -the reason why I say that your chum will not be -injured in the camp.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m glad to know that they’re not all crooks!” -Mr. Havens declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“At the time of the abduction of Colleton, don’t -you know,” the Englishman went on, “according -to the reports in the newspaper, several valuable -documents were taken from his office.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Some very important documents,” Mr. Havens -commented.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>DuBois arose and walked swiftly to the tent to -which he had been assigned. In a moment he reappeared -with the bag in his hand. He took the -articles it contained out one by one and laid them -carefully on the grass. His own possessions made -a small heap, but the sporty coat, the false beard, -the hat, and the dickey with the wing collar and the -red tie made quite a pile.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did we miss something on the first search?” -asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You didn’t make any search at all, don’t you -know,” replied the Englishman. “You didn’t look -through the bag.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The articles being all removed, he opened the -mouth of the bag to its full width and drew out a -false bottom. Under the bottom lay several folded -papers which he proceeded to remove one by one.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I can smell iodoform now, can’t you?” asked -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What do you mean by that?” demanded the -Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Didn’t they use iodoform in the private stateroom -where the sick man was?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How did you come to know that?” asked the -Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>“Smell of the papers!” advised Jimmie. “They -used iodoform in the stateroom, and these papers -were opened and examined there! Do you begin -to see daylight?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you know why they used iodoform in the -stateroom?” asked Mr. Havens. “Is it possible -that they wounded Colleton and found the use of -the drug necessary?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know about that,” DuBois answered, -“but I do remember now that there was a smell of -iodoform whenever the man in brown opened the -stateroom door.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, let’s see the papers,” Mr. Havens suggested.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie got one look at the documents as they -were being passed to the aviator and jumped about -four feet into the air!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s pretty poor, I guess!” he shouted.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What is it?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Looks to me like the papers stolen from Colleton’s -office!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The aviator took the papers into his hand and -examined them intently for a moment. Then he -turned to Jimmie with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You’re right!” he said. “These are the papers -described in my instructions! And they’re all -here—every one!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>“Look here!” chuckled Jimmie. “If some guy -should come down to New York some day and steal -the Singer building, and you should be sent out to -find it, and should get into a submarine and dive -down to the bottom of the China sea, you’d find the -Singer building right there waiting for us to come -and get it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s the kind of luck we’ve had in this case!” -admitted Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Luck?” repeated Jimmie. “There ain’t any -luck about it! We’ve just loafed around camp, and -taken joy-rides in flying machines, and the other -fellows have brought all the goods to us.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It strikes me,” Mr. Havens suggested, “that -we ought to get rid of Mr. DuBois and his hand-bag -just about as soon as possible. I have no doubt that -the fellows over in the other camp recognized the -hand-bag lost by the man in brown.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And that means that they’ll knock DuBois’ head -off if they get a chance!” Jimmie cut in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It means that they’ll murder every person in -this camp,” Mr. Havens continued, “rather than -permit the papers in the bottom of that bag to get -back to Washington. Mr. DuBois ought not to -remain here another hour!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>“What’s the answer?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How far is it to the nearest railway point?” -asked the aviator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Field is not more than a couple of hours’ ride -away,” replied Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Let me take him there to-night and dump him -on board a train for the east, bag and all!” exclaimed -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s what I was about to suggest,” Mr. Havens -answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But, look here!” interrupted the Englishman. -“I’d rather stay and see the bloody game to the -finish, don’t you know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t blame you for not wanting to run away,” -Ben declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Think it over,” the aviator suggested. “At -least the bag and its contents must be taken out of -the camp to-night. Mr. DuBois can go out with it -if he wants to.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was decided that the Englishman should accompany -Ben out to Field and make up his mind -on the journey whether he would return to the -camp.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>They started away immediately, Ben promising -to be back before daylight. When he returned just -before sunrise DuBois was with him and he bore -an astonishing piece of information.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Here’s another extract from my dream-book!” -exclaimed Jimmie.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span> - <h2 id='chap7275' class='c012'>CHAPTER XXI.<br /> <br />THE BOY AND THE BEAR.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>Carl slept little that night. The man who had -given his name as Frank Harris occupied the tent -with him and the two talked until a very late hour. -The boy saw from the first that his inquisitor was -trying to obtain all the information in his possession -regarding the purpose of the Flying Machine Boys -in visiting British Columbia.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It is needless to say that no mention was made -of the Colleton case. Carl knew that the fellow was -talking round and round the subject, but he did not -see fit to swallow the bait and mention the name of -the abducted post-office inspector.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Harris talked a great deal about Wall street and -the chances for young boys there, and repeatedly -suggested that Carl and Jimmie join his office force. -The boy understood what this all meant, and did -not “fall for the fly,” as Jimmie might have expressed -it.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>“I’d like to know how I’m ever going to get back -to our camp,” Carl said, as Harris mentioned the -possibility of his return the next day.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why,” Harris replied, in apparent amazement -at the remark, “one of your friends will come -after you in a flying machine, I suppose!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know whether they will or not!” answered -Carl. “You fellows scared Jimmie away -so he won’t be likely to return right off.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He needn’t have been afraid,” Harris laughed. -“We wanted to entertain the two of you, and, besides, -some of the fellows wanted to take a look at -the machine!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And you wanted to know all about the Englishman, -too, didn’t you?” chuckled Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, we’ll capture the Englishman without much -trouble,” Harris replied. “As I told you before, -we have men out after him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I should think you fellows would be afraid -of the smugglers!” Carl suggested. “I’ve heard -stories about smugglers being in this country!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What kind of smugglers?” asked Harris.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Whiskey smugglers!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>“Oh, they’re a cheap lot!” declared Harris. -“They wouldn’t dare molest a party of gentlemen -out on a hunting trip!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Had you heard anything about smugglers being -here?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Certainly not!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl chuckled to himself softly in the darkness -of the tent. The red and green signals had, of -course, informed him that this party of alleged -gentlemen was holding communication with some -one on the shelf which had been occupied by the -smugglers, and also holding communication with -the same signals which had been used from the -smugglers’ fire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Naturally the boy was anxious for the safety of -Mr. Havens, temporarily unable to defend himself -in case of attack, and his chums. When daylight -came he moved out of the tent hoping to be able -to get away on foot without attracting attention.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In a moment he was undeceived as to this, for a -burly fellow who was rebuilding the fire motioned -him back to the tent with an oath. The attitude of -the guard disclosed the hostility of the whole -camp, notwithstanding the insincere conversation of -Harris.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>After breakfast Harris beckoned to the boy and -the two proceeded up the plateau to the steep ascent -which led to the summit of the ridge.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There Harris paused and drawing forth a field-glass -looked intently in the direction of the shelf -at the foot of the gully.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Friends over there?” asked Carl knowing very -well what the man was looking for.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, some of our fellows who went out in -search of the Englishman may have brought up -over there!” Harris replied in a hesitating way.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Can you see any of them?” asked the boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I see people moving about on the ledge over -there!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But you can’t tell who they are?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Hardly,” was the reply. “The distance is too -great.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Harris leveled his glass at the distant ledge once -more, and seeing him thus occupied the boy crept -down the incline to the west of the slope, and disappeared -in a narrow and rather dismal-looking -opening in the cliff.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At first he passed only a yard or so into what -appeared to be a rather deep cavern. He knew that -his flight would be instantly discovered and had a -curiosity to know which direction the pursuit would -take.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>Directly he heard Harris calling out:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Hello, kid!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl crept farther into the crevice.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s no use in your hiding,” Carl heard the -man say. “Even if you should get away now, -you’d starve to death in the hills!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Directly Carl heard footsteps scrambling down -the slope, and knew that Harris was not many feet -away from his hiding-place.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Had he been armed the fellow’s life might have -been in danger at that time, but his automatic had -been removed as soon as he had been taken to the -tent. However, a small pocket electric searchlight -had not been discovered when the careless search -of his clothing had been made.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Harris came on grumbling and swearing, and the -boy thought best to move farther back into the -cavern. The chamber into which he made his way -grew wider as he advanced. It seemed to be one of -the caverns formed by the action of water washing -out soft strata of rock.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Looking back he saw the figure of his pursuer -darken the entrance, and so stumbled on blindly in -the darkness, his hands brushing against one side -of the cavern as he advanced.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>For all the boy knew there might be breaks in -the fairly level floor of the cave. He well knew -that subterranean streams often cut through the -floors of such caverns. To fall into such a stream -meant death, but he dare not expose even the tiny -light of his electric, so he kept on in the darkness, -feeling his way as best he could.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Directly he heard Harris calling from the -entrance, using persuasive language at first, and declaring -that the boy would be immediately returned -to his own camp if he gave up his mad attempt -to make his way back on foot. Carl crouched -closer against the wall and remained silent. He -knew from the sounds coming from the entrance -that Harris was creeping into the cavern. He had -just decided to press on farther in spite of the -danger when a blood-curdling growl and a rattling -of strong claws on rocks came to his ears.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl declares to this day that his hair rose so -swiftly at the sound of that growl that half of it -was pulled out by the roots!</p> - -<p class='c011'>He had no weapon with which to defend himself, -and to flash his light into the eyes of the brute would -be to betray his presence to his pursuer.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>Once possessed of the knowledge of his whereabouts, -it would not be necessary for Harris to -follow on into the cavern. He would only have -to wait at the entrance for the boy to make his way -out.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In a moment the boy realized that the bear was -passing the spot where he stood. He could hardly -believe his senses when he heard the clatter of claws -on the floor and saw the black bulk of the animal -obstructing the narrow shaft of light creeping in -from the slope.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Before long he knew by the exclamations of -alarm and the hasty pounding of feet that Harris -was making his way out of the cavern. Remembering -the long, narrow passage through which he had -made his way before coming to the chamber, Carl -followed the animal toward the entrance and, as -soon as the sound of Harris’ flight had vanished, -turned on his light.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The bear was in the narrow passage. His great -bulk almost shut out the daylight. He gave a great -snarl as Carl approached from behind and turned -his head to one side, but the passage was not wide -<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>enough for him to turn around. He must either -pass out and come in head first or back up to where -the subterranean place widened.</p> - -<p class='c011'>For a time the bear seemed undecided as to what -he ought to do. He growled fiercely at the boy, but -could not reach him. He moved toward the slope -occasionally, but always hesitated before pushing -his nose into the daylight. From this the boy -argued that Harris stood near the entrance, and the -bear was afraid to attack him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Carl took out his pocket-knife and stationed himself -at the end of the narrow passage.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He can’t eat me with his hind legs!” he grinned, -“and if he tries to back I’ll give him a few slashes -that will send him out into the open.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The bear tried to back and didn’t like it. He -rushed toward the entrance again snarling angrily, -but, evidently sensing danger there, drew back once -more.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Drive the brute out, kid!” advised Harris from -the outside.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He’ll bite you if I do!” chuckled Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No, he won’t; I’ve got a gun ready for him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You go on away,” Carl suggested, “and I’ll -come out.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>“The bear will escape if I go too far away.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Aw, let him get away if he wants to!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And let you get away, too, I suppose?” suggested -Harris.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why not?” asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Because we want information which we believe -to be in your possession!” replied Harris.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You pumped me dry last night!” insisted the -boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Come, hurry up,” advised Harris. “Give the -bear a couple of pokes and drive him out! I’ll take -care of him, and you, too,” he added under his -breath.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The last part of the sentence was not intended -to be overheard by the boy, but his quick ears caught -the words. He knew that the present situation -could not long continue, but was hoping all the time -that some one would come to his assistance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Men from the camp below now began gathering -about the entrance to the cavern, and many -observations intended to be humorous were passed -to and fro as they grouped about.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Are you coming out?” demanded Harris -directly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No,” answered Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then we’ll come in and get you!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The bear’ll bite you if you come in here!” answered -Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>The men stood talking outside for a long time. -The bear did not back up against the boy again, and -so received no more wounds. The beast was, however, -evidently growing more savage every moment. -It seemed to Carl that he must soon rush out of the -cavern and attack the men in front.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a long time a succession of whines came -from the rear, and Carl knew that the crisis was at -hand. It was plain now that he had entered a bear -home which was abundantly supplied with babies.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the cubs lifted their voices in protest -against the absence of their mother, the animal in -the narrow passage began to back again. The men -outside apparently knew what was taking place, for -the opening was darkened by a sturdy figure as the -animal pressed back to where Carl stood. The boy -hesitated for a long time trying to decide upon the -best course to pursue.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He did not relish the idea of wounding the -mother bear with his knife, but still less did he like -the notion of himself being wounded by the sharp -teeth and claws of the animal. He knew that if he -could keep the bear in the narrow passage his -pursuers could not enter, but at the same time he -understood that this situation could not long endure.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wonder if the old lady would overlook me -long enough to get to her babies if I should let her -pass?” mused the boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>The lad was not called upon to answer that question, -for while he hesitated a shout came from the -outside, and the man who had been creeping in -withdrew, his bulky body giving place to a slant -of sunshine.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’ve got the machine!” he heard some one -saying.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t believe it!” another voice declared. -“If you see a machine it isn’t one of the three belonging -to the boys.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know who it belongs to,” the first -speaker insisted, “but I know there’s a machine -coming this way from the shelf of rock!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps they have captured a machine and they -are bringing that blasted Englishman over,” still -another voice cut in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At that moment the desperate bear in the passage -charged.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span> - <h2 id='chap7629' class='c012'>CHAPTER XXII.<br /> <br />THE DOG IN THE CAVERN.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>When Ben returned with DuBois, Mr. Havens -regarded the Englishman quizzically for a moment -before speaking.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I didn’t expect you to return at this time,” -he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I couldn’t have kept him away with a cannon,” -Ben cut in. “You see,” the boy continued, “when -we got to Field, I had to get a whole lot of folks -out of bed. The clatter of the motors had already -awakened about half the town, and I had to wake -up the rest.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t see why!” said Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Ben explained, “I had to wake up the -express agent to get the hand-bag nailed up in a -peach of a hard wood box, and locked up in his -safe. Then I had to wake up a couple of men to -induce the telegraph operator to come to his office. -He said he wanted to sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why didn’t you let him sleep?” asked Mr. -Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>“I did let him sleep, after I kicked his window in, -until I got the two husky men from a miners’ camp -to pull him out of bed.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You must have made quite a sensation in that -little burg.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t you know,” cut in the Englishman, “I -never felt so conspicuous in all me life.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We were conspicuous, all right!” laughed Ben. -“Well,” he continued, “the operator bucked on -working the wire after we got into the office, but -after DuBois held a private conversation with him -in the corner he set to work like he enjoyed being -waked up nights.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How much did you give him, Mr. DuBois?” -asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Englishman made no reply, and Mr. Havens -went on with his questions.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why did you want to get him to the telegraph -office?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” began Ben, “you remember when we -were talking about the disguise, the dickey, the -sporty coat and false beard and all that? This -little Jimmie had the nerve to say that the abductor -buffaloed Colleton into opening the safe and taking -out the papers.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And I’ll stick to that, too!” declared Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And the rascal said, too,” Ben went on, “that -when Colleton opened the safe, the brigand shut the -discarded clothing into it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>“And I’ll stand by that, too!” declared Jimmie. -“They searched the room, didn’t they? They -didn’t find the articles of clothing, did they? Well, -then, they must have been put in the safe!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s a poor deduction!” declared Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, you go on and tell what you telegraphed -to Washington about,” Jimmie insisted. “Tell the -truth, now!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I didn’t say I telegraphed to Washington,” Ben -insisted.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But you did, though, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here,” Ben exclaimed. “If you’re going -to tell this story, you just go right ahead and tell it. -You’re always butting in!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right!” grinned Jimmie with a wink at Mr. -Havens. “I can go ahead and tell it. I know what -you telegraphed to Washington for, and I know -what you found out!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Go on and tell it, then!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You telegraphed to Washington in Mr. Havens’ -name, and asked if there were any new developments -in the Colleton case.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s right,” admitted Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The people at Washington had to get some one -out of bed, and the person they got out of bed had -to find out whether you were alive or dead, and -whether they had a right to tell you what you -wanted to know, and unwind a lot of red tape, and -then you got the information you sought!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>“What’s the use of sparring for wind?” demanded -Ben. “Why don’t you go on and tell -about it?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You just wait until I turn over another leaf -of my dream-book and I’ll tell you all about it. -That is, I could tell you all about it if I wanted to, -but I ain’t going to.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben was shaking with laughter and the sober-faced -Englishman was actually smiling.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If I wanted to,” continued Jimmie, “I could -tell you that the man at Washington wired that the -safe in Colleton’s office had at last been opened by -an expert. I could also tell you that he admitted -that the coat and hat of the post-office inspector -were found in the safe. I could also tell you that -there began to be a faint suspicion in Washington -that Colleton had walked out of his office with the -man in brown and had been carried out of the city -in the private stateroom of a Pullman-car. But -look here,” the boy continued with a very annoying -grin, “you’ve been making so much fun of my -dream-book lately that I’m not going to tell you a -thing about it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is that the correct story, Mr. DuBois?” asked -Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That comes very near to being the correct story, -don’t you know!” the Englishman replied.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is it?” demanded Jimmie, fairly dancing up -and down.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>“That’s the story they told,” Ben admitted.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Say,” Jimmie shouted, “when I get back to -New York, I’m going to open an office for the -purpose of disclosing the future, and I’m going to -write a new dream-book, and guarantee all the -dreams on an extra payment of five dollars per!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here, kid,” demanded Ben, “how the -dickens did you ever dream this all out?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No dream about it!” argued Jimmie. “Colleton -had to get out of his room, and he couldn’t -go up through the ceiling or down through the -floor. He had to pass out of the door. Anybody -with the sense of geese ought to know that the two -men seen in the corridor had just passed out of -Colleton’s room. It’s the only solution there is to -the mystery!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, it all looks easy now as soon as we get -as far as the hindsight!” said Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Jimmie laughed, “I’ve done a lot of -guessing in this case, and I’m glad I guessed one -proposition correctly. I was just certain that -Colleton’s clothing would be found in the safe, but -still I was a little leary when Ben came back with -his story that he had been using the wire. You see, -I understood without his saying so that he’d been -talking with Washington.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Mr. Havens said after a moment’s -thought, “we’ve got the papers, and we’ve got the -disguise, but we haven’t got Colleton. In fact, -we’re no nearer getting hold of him than we were -the first day we took the case!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>“Don’t you ever think that!” declared Jimmie. -“We’ve connected Colleton with a number of people -who might have had a hand in his abduction. If -this work hasn’t brought us to the man himself, it -has put us in position to find out where he is.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But the man who actually took the inspector -from his office is dead!” Mr. Havens argued. -“We can’t bring the dead to life, and it may be -that no other person on earth knew of the personality -of the men back of the whole plot.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’s the matter with this Neil Howell?” -asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That is only a faint clue!” declared Mr. -Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Anyway,” insisted Jimmie, “we’re on the right -track, and I’m tickled to think that we struck -British Columbia!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wonder if Carl is?” asked Ben with a sudden -drawing down of his face. “I hope the boy will -soon show up!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They won’t permit him to leave their camp, -don’t you know,” the Englishman interposed, “until -they find out more about the exact situation of -affairs. The decent fellows in the camp won’t -stand for his being abused, but he won’t be permitted -to depart.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>“Aw, what right have they got to go and tie a -chum of ours up?” demanded Jimmie. “They’re -a lot of fresh guys anyway, and they called me a -lot of names just because they couldn’t get their -hands on the machine. I wish I’d ’a’ had a hot -water hose. I’d ’a’ cooked their skins good and -plenty! They’re too fresh!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Second the motion!” cried Ben. “Why ain’t -we on our way to Carl instead of loafing before this -fire?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We’ll be on our way there quick enough if Carl -doesn’t show up pretty soon!” declared Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Crooked Terry, who had been sleeping behind one -of the tents, now came staggering up to the fire and -stood weaving back and forth as if he had some -unpleasant communication.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here, you fellows,” he said in a moment, -speaking in the husky tone common to tipplers, “I -forgot something! I’ve got to go back to the -cavern!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You might have brought another bottle with -you, then,” laughed Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Terry meandered deliberately to the rear of the -tent and returned in a moment with two full bottles -of liquor, which he held out to the boys with a -sly wink.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t want to go back after whiskey!” he -said. “I’m stinting myself to a bottle a day for -two days. I’m going to swear off! I never got -into trouble when I was sober. The minute I get -drunk I go and do the very thing I ought not to -do. Therefore, I’m going to swear off!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>“Going to keep sober, are you?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You know it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ve got a picture of your keeping sober!” Ben -laughed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You don’t know what you’ve talking about, -kid!” Terry continued. “It’s easy enough to keep -sober if you can get sober to start with. It won’t -be any trouble for me to keep on the water wagon -after I get the booze out of my system!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You haven’t told us what you’ve got to go -back to the cavern for,” Mr. Havens reminded him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Terry began, dropping his glance to the -ground, “the fact of the matter is that I left a—a—a—dog -fastened up in a hole in the wall back there, -and he’ll starve to death if I don’t go back.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What’d you go and do that for?” demanded -Jimmie. “Why didn’t you let him out before you -came away?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When we came away,” Terry replied with a -ferocious wink, “we wasn’t thinking about dogs -packed away in holes in the walls! I was fuller -than a goat, anyway, and I wouldn’t have thought -of—of—this dog if I’d been walking away under -a peaceful summer sky with no danger in sight.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps the fellows we left on the shelf will -find the dog and feed him,” suggested Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No, they won’t find him!” declared Terry. -“When I hide a dog, they don’t everybody come -along and find him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>“If you fellows’ll fix up a nice breakfast for the -dog and take me up in the machine, I’ll go and feed -him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What should you say this imprisoned animal -would like for breakfast?” asked Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Terry went on with another elaborate -wink, “I have an idea this dog would like some -broiled ham, and some fried eggs, and some German -potatoes, and some bread and butter, and a quart -or two of coffee. You see,” he went on, “this dog -didn’t have any supper last night, on account of -my getting a skate on, and he hasn’t had any breakfast -this morning because I eloped from the whiskey -den last night, and he’ll be pretty hungry.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Jimmie caught the crook by the arm and led him -away to the other side of the fire, winking in the -direction of the others as he did so.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Tell it to me!” the boy said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right!” Terry remarked. “Tell me what to -tell to you!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Tell me who’s hidden in the cavern!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s a dog hidden in the cavern.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Only a dog?” demanded the boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“A dog,” repeated Terry. “I said a dog!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If we go with you with the breakfast in the -machine,” Jimmie asked, “will you tell us all about -how the dog came to be hidden in the cavern and -who helped hide him there?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>“It ain’t no secret about hiding the dog!” replied -Terry.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Just the same,” Jimmie replied, “I’ve got a -hunch that no dog is due for such a breakfast as -you’ve ordered.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span> - <h2 id='chap7979' class='c012'>CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> <br />ARRESTS ARE MADE.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>There was a tremendous din in the cavern as the -bear shot out of the opening. The wailing of the -cubs at the rear, the volley of rifle shots at the -front, and the smell of powder smoke confused -Carl for a moment. Then he crept forward to the -entrance, almost entirely concealed by the smoke, -and looked out into the brilliant sunlight.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The bear lay dead on the slope, but the men -gathered about her were not congratulating themselves -on their victory, or, in fact, paying any attention -to the vanquished enemy. Their eyes were -fixed on an aeroplane which was speeding in from -the west, evidently heading for the summit just -above the camp.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s not one of the machines belonging to -the boys,” Carl heard some one say.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I thought,” another man complained, “that -we were getting out of the zone of civilization when -we struck British Columbia.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>“I thought so, too,” another voice said, “but -we’re running up against impertinent Britishers, -and flying machines, and many other nuisances -which belong entirely on the paved streets and in -the air above the town.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The machine was now so close to the group, and -also to the entrance to the cavern, that the rattle -of the motors well-nigh drowned the sound of conversation. -Still, directly, Carl heard some one -shout that there were three men on the machine, -and that one of them was Dick Sherman, the chief -of the mounted police of that district.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boy uttered a sigh of relief and moved out -of the cavern to be greeted with shouts of laughter -and many alleged jokes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How do you like living with the bears?” one of -the hunters demanded.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Bears are all right!” replied Carl. “There’re -about a dozen baby bears in there! They seem to -be cute little fellows, with good voices.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What do you say, boys; say we all take a baby -bear home with us!” asked one of the hunters.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The question was greeted with applause, and -half a dozen men immediately made a dash for the -cavern. Before long two came out carrying cubs, -probably from four to eight weeks of age.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where are the others?” asked Carl. “Why -didn’t you all get one?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There were only two!” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>“Only two!” repeated Carl. “They made noise -enough for two hundred! I thought all the forty -bears who came out of the wilderness and devoured -the two children were on deck!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I guess you’re mixed in your Sunday school -lesson!” one of the men remarked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps,” Carl admitted. “It might have been -two bears and forty children. I don’t know. What -I intended to convey was the idea that there was -noise enough in there to represent a thousand bear -cubs.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The aeroplane, sailing very low, now passed -almost through the group of men, and Dick Sherman -waved a hand in greeting at the boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you know him?” asked one of the hunters -turning to Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Sure I know him!” answered Carl. “I got -him a supper down at our camp which put two -inches of fat on his ribs.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then if you know him well,” the hunter went -on, “tell him, for the love of Mike, to quit nosing -around our camp looking for some criminal who is -probably in Washington, D. C.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Has he been watching your camp?” asked Carl -in wonder.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He certainly has!” was the reply. “He’s been -nosing about here, at times, ever since we came -in! What do you think he wants now?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think he came after me!” replied Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>The aeroplane was now seen to land on the level -space between the tents on the plateau, and Sherman -and his two companions left their seats and approached -a group of men standing by the fire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>One of the men, Carl saw, was Neil Howell, and -the other was the burly fellow who had ordered him -into his tent that morning. At that time the boy -did not know Howell by sight, although he had -often heard his name spoken there. It was only -after a time that he learned who the second man -was. Before the boy and those with him reached -the tents, they saw a gleam of steel and the suddenness -with which handcuffs were clasped on the -wrists of Howell and his burly companion almost -took their breath away. The men gazed at each -other inquiringly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you know what it means?” one of them -asked Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I haven’t the least idea!” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, that’s Neil Howell, the noted Wall street -operator! I don’t understand what he’s placed -under arrest for!” one of the men declared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I presume Dick Sherman knows what he’s -doing!” Carl suggested.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t doubt that!” the man replied.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The three officers were now walking swiftly -about the camp in opposite directions, evidently -searching for some one not in view. A hunter -standing by the boy’s side glanced his eye over the -group.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>“It must be Frank Harris they want,” he said. -“He’s the only one that isn’t here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Frank Harris went down the slope to the west -not long ago!” another said. “I guess he’s looking -for another bear cub.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>But if Frank Harris was indeed looking for the -third bear cub his search must have been a long one, -for neither then nor at any other time did any -member of the hunting party set eyes upon him -again. Secret service men are looking for him to -this day. How he got out of the wilderness no one -knows, but get out he did, and out of the country, -too, for that matter.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After concluding the search, Dick Sherman came -to where Carl was standing by the machine.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where’s that Englishman of yours?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you want the Englishman, too?” demanded -the boy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course I want the Englishman!” replied -the officer. “Do you think I’d be apt to find him -over at your camp?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I haven’t a doubt of it!” answered Carl. “Although -I haven’t been to the camp since yesterday. -This man Howell and his chums were so stuck on -my sweet society that they kept me here all -night!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’d keep you here about fifteen minutes if I had -my way now!” Howell muttered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He thinks you sent out information which led -to his arrest!” commented one of the hunters. -“He’ll get even with you yet!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>“I didn’t have any information to send out!” -declared Carl.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then who did send it out?” shouted Howell.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You can search me!” Carl replied.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dick Sherman looked over to one of his deputies -with a smile but said nothing. He merely ordered -the two prisoners on to the machine and prepared -to take to the air.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ll take these fellows over to your camp,” he -said to Carl, “and send one of the boys back after -you and my deputies. They can come with one of -your machines, and this one of mine, and bring the -whole crowd at one trip.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All right,” laughed Carl, “I’ll be mighty glad -to get back to that good old camp again! You see,” -he explained, “when we get out on a trip of this -kind, we usually pitch our tents and then go off -and leave them. I haven’t slept there one night -since we built the first camp-fire!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How long will it take?” asked one of the -hunters.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Probably an hour each way,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, we’ll see that the boy is taken good care -of while you’re gone!” the hunter said with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And when you get settled down to conversation -with this kid,” suggested another hunter, “you just -ask him to tell the story about the two bear cubs in -the cavern. He’s a nervy little fellow!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>In something less than two hours, two machines -came sailing over the valley, making for the plateau. -When at last they landed, Carl was greatly surprised -at seeing Mr. Havens seated on the <i>Ann</i>. Dick -Sherman was riding his own machine.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I thought you couldn’t get out of bed!” shouted -Carl to the millionaire.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’m fit to ride a thousand miles to-day,” smiled -the millionaire, “but I don’t think I could walk -ten feet to save my life!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When I got over to your camp,” Dick Sherman -explained, “I found Mr. Havens alone. He says -you boys have left him alone every minute of the -time since the camp was built.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not quite so bad as that,” laughed the aviator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It’s pretty near as bad as that,” Carl admitted.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When I got over to the camp,” the official went -on, “Mr. Havens told me that the others had gone -to the smugglers’ cavern. There’s something queer -going on over there,” the official continued, “but -Mr. Havens wouldn’t tell me what it is. He said -for me to tie my prisoners up good and safe and -come along with him, if I wanted to find out what -was doing.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I hope you tied ’em up good and safe!” Carl -suggested.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They’re safe enough!” replied Mr. Havens.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>Carl now stepped into the <i>Ann</i> with Mr. Havens -and the two, after bidding good-bye to the friendly -hunters, shot away down the valley toward the -smugglers’ cavern, closely followed by the official -machine and the three officers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As soon as the machines departed the hunters -set about breaking camp, as they had decided to -leave that night.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ever since we’ve been here,” one of them declared, -“we’ve been heels over head in trouble. -Who introduced us to this Neil Howell and Frank -Harris, anyway?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ll be blessed if I remember,” another answered. -“The first time I saw Harris he came to -us in company with the Englishman and asked me -to join in a hunting trip.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“By the way, where is the Englishman?” asked -the other.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s one of the mysteries of the camp,” the -first speaker replied. “He disappeared most unexpectedly -one morning and Howell and Harris both -began calling him a thief and telling what he’d -stolen.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I heard that story about his stealing a burro and -a lot of money,” said the other, “but I never believed -it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No one believes it!” was the reply and the -hunters standing about quickly assented.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>“And here’s another thing I never understood -about this camp,” another declared, “and that’s the -red and green signals we’ve seen in the fire nights. -What did they mean?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Harris and Howell said they were sending -beacons to a friendly camp across the valley,” one -of them answered, “but I never believed that. Who -knows what Howell and Chubby were arrested -for?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>No one knew at that time, and no one suspected, -until they read the sensational stories of the Colleton -case in the San Francisco newspapers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At sundown the men had their mules brought in -from pasture and given a feed of oats preparatory -to the work of the next day.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They went to sleep with their belongings all -made up into neat bundles, and by sunrise they were -away, headed for the nearest town on the Canadian -Pacific line.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span> - <h2 id='chap8304' class='c012'>CHAPTER XXIV.<br /> <br />CONCLUSION.</h2> -</div> -<p class='c010'>“You’re sure that’s a dog in the cavern?” demanded -Ben as the three crossed the summit and -entered the gully, after leaving their machine on the -shelf to the east.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Sure it’s a dog in the cavern!” insisted Terry. -“And look here,” he went on, glancing keenly -about, “there’s two fellows hanging around here -somewhere. They’re the chaps who set me to -watching the Englishman early last night. They -claim to be connected with the business men who -are hunting over on the other side of the valley, but -I guess they are just plain mountain hoboes who -have been hired to do the dirty work for the sportsmen.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t see them anywhere around!” Ben -suggested.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t think they’re here, don’t you know!” -DuBois put in, looking far down the gully. “You -see,” he continued, “the camp-fire has gone out, -and there hasn’t been any breakfast cooked here -this morning.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>“They probably made a sneak after you got -away,” Ben replied. “They knew they wouldn’t -get any money for what they did after that, so they -probably took to their heels.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They may be watching around, don’t you -know,” the Englishman insisted. “I don’t like the -idea of hanging around here without knowing -whether they are watching us from some of these -bloody rocks.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The three hunted faithfully for a long time, -notwithstanding the fact that Terry was constantly -complaining that the dog would be almost starved -to death. At last, however, they gave over the -quest and moved on to the entrance to the cavern.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Just before they entered, Ben caught the Englishman -by the shoulder and faced him around toward -the valley.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look who’s here!” he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>What they both saw was the <i>Ann</i> and a strange -aeroplane moving swiftly in their direction.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I guess Mr. Havens is moving the whole camp -over!” Ben suggested. “And I haven’t got a word -to say against it if he is! It’s rotten the way we’ve -left him alone.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think that’s Mr. Havens in the <i>Ann</i>!” declared -Jimmie handing the field-glass to Ben. “And -I think that’s Carl with him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben inspected the approaching flying machines -through the glass and declared that Mr. Havens and -Carl were on board the <i>Ann</i>, and that Dick Sherman -and two unknown men were on the strange machine.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>“I’d like to know what they’re coming here -for!” Jimmie exclaimed. “Just as we get the -thing all ready to make a home run, and get a -hungry dog out of a hole in a wall, they come -butting in to split the glory!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And the reward!” added Ben with a grin.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know where the machines can land, -don’t you know!” suggested DuBois.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The aviators, however, found landing-places. -Mr. Havens lighting on the shelf where the fire had -been, and Dick Sherman coming to earth close beside -the machine Ben had brought.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In a short time the two parties met almost -directly in front of the cavern. To the surprise -of the other members of the party, Dick Sherman -called the Englishman aside and spoke to him -earnestly for a few moments. At the conclusion -of the conversation, the Englishman’s face fairly -beamed with good nature.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’d like to know what’s coming off here!” cried -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That’s what I’d like to know,” put in Terry -tipsily. “Here we’ve got a perfectly good breakfast -in this basket getting cold, and I don’t know -what that dog’ll say when we give him a frosty -meal! I wish now that I’d gone and fed him while -you boys were hunting for those two outlaws you -didn’t find!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>“What do you think, Mr. DuBois,” Carl broke -in. “Dick Sherman arrested Neil Howell and -Chubby over there at the hunters’ camp and left -them handcuffed and tied up in one of our tents.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, he was just telling me about that, don’t -you know,” replied the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well, how the old scratch did he get any information -against them?” demanded Ben. “If -he’s got them under arrest for complicity in the -abduction of inspector Colleton, why doesn’t he say -so?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Suppose they are implicated in the abduction -case,” demanded Carl, “how did Officer Sherman -come to know anything about it? He hasn’t been -working on the case.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ben broke into a shout of laughter, and Terry, -who was beginning to think the breakfast never -would be needed, turned hastily into the cavern.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look here,” Ben said in a moment, “I didn’t -tell you boys everything that took place at Field -last night. After I got done telegraphing, Mr. -DuBois took the wire and held a long conversation -with Officer Sherman. How he found Sherman I -don’t know, but the operator seemed to help a lot, -after Mr. DuBois gave him a roll of bills that would -choke a cow, and in the end they routed out the -officer, and the arrest of Howell and Chubby is the -result of that conference.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>“Oh, come, don’t you know!” pleaded the -Englishman. “I only told Mr. Sherman what I -suspected. You see this man Howell appeared to -recognize that bag, and his manner showed me that -he was in cahoots with the man in brown who was -killed in the race.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Come on, come on!” yelled Terry. “I’ve got -a patient in here starving to death!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We really ought to hurry,” advised Ben. “I’m -afraid we’ve been too full of our own schemes to -appreciate the exact situation.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Come along, then,” advised Terry.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The whole party, save Mr. Havens, trooped into -the cavern and turned to the left when they came -to the rock which split the subterranean place into -two chambers. Keeping straight on, illuminating -the cavern with their searchlights as they went, they -came to an opening in the south wall which had -been temporarily barricaded with rocks and timbers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Ben held the searchlight to the small opening -between the top timber and the roof of the -chamber a pale and frightened face looked out.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Hello, Colleton!” exclaimed Ben.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Thank God!” was all the imprisoned man said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In a short time the barricade was down and the -inspector, safe and sound, was out in the open air, -talking earnestly with Mr. Havens who, of course, -had not entered the cavern.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I never expected to see the light of day again!” -the inspector said in a trembling voice.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>“Now, don’t begin to tell us the story of your -life,” warned old Terry, advancing with the basket -of provisions. “You eat this good breakfast!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But, look here, Terry,” Jimmie grinned. “You -said you wanted that breakfast for a dog!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Sure!” exclaimed the old crook. “I forgot all -about the dog!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He raced back into the cavern and soon returned -carrying a little puppy in his arms.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He was asleep when you brought me out!” -Colleton explained. “I forgot all about him. He’s -been a great deal of comfort to me!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you mean to say, Terry, that you ordered -all that breakfast for that little puppy?” demanded -Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” replied the old crook, “I really wanted -the breakfast for the dog, but I didn’t know but the -man might eat part of it! You see,” he continued, -“I promised the outlaws that I wouldn’t tell where -this man,” pointing to Colleton, “was, and I -promised that I wouldn’t lead any one to him, so I -had to keep my word, don’t you see?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But you did tell us where he was and you did -lead us to him!” laughed Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No, I didn’t,” argued Terry, “I told you where -there was a hungry little puppy, and I took you to -where he was. Of course, if you discovered the man -when we went to feed the puppy, I’m not to blame -for that.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>“You’re an old fraud, Terry!” cried Jimmie.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, he’s an old fraud,” laughed Dick Sherman, -“but I’m going to see that he gets out of this little -scrape and leads a decent life. He’ll be all right -if he only quits the booze act.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I’ve quit now!” insisted Terry. “I’ve limited -myself to two pint bottles a day!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” Mr. Havens said, “so far as I can see, -the case is closed. The man who abducted Colleton -is dead. Two of the men who assisted in his -abduction are under arrest, and the proof which -points to the Kuro mail-order company as the -principal in the crime is complete. All that remains -for us to do is to see that the prisoners get to -Washington and that the proof is placed before the -grand jury. That will close the case so far as we -are concerned.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then,” said Jimmie with a sly grin, “I move -we stay in the mountains a couple of weeks and -have a little fun before we go to Washington.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That would please me!” replied Dick Sherman, -“but I’ve got to get busy getting this whiskey out, -and looking up proof against the smugglers now -under arrest.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>All the others returned to the old camp, from -which the prisoners were taken that night by the -officer, and a great feast was spread in honor of the -victory which had been gained.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>The boys hunted game, fished in the clear mountain -streams, and sailed over valley and mountain -in their aeroplanes for two glorious weeks and then -returned to New York.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When they reached the big city, the Colleton case -was entirely disposed of. Howell and Chubby had -pleaded guilty and received long sentences, and the -members of the fraudulent mail-order company had -been convicted and sentenced to ten years each.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The large reward which had been offered for the -discovery of Colleton and the arrest of the perpetrators -of the outrage was paid to Mr. Havens, -according to his previous bargain with the secret -service department. In time, of course, the most -of the cash found its way into the hands of the -three boys.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Colleton came to relate the story of his -abduction it was discovered that Ben and Jimmie -had actually reasoned out the events practically as -they had taken place. The inspector had been -drugged in his office by a cigar, disguised there, -forced to open the safe and desk and bring out the -papers, and had been taken across the continent -in a Pullman stateroom as stated. He remembered -little or nothing after opening the safe in his own -office in Washington until he found himself in the -smugglers’ cavern, having been kept under the influence -of opiates during all that time. To this day -Colleton occasionally asks Jimmie if every one of -the excerpts from his “dream-book” come true.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>The Englishman remained for some months in -New York, the guest of Mr. Havens at the hangar -on Long Island, and on many occasions he was -asked to tell the story of the mysterious hand-bag -bought of the porter on the Pullman train, and to -relate in full the adventures of the bag and its contents -until the day the disguise and the documents -it had contained landed a prominent and wealthy -mail-order firm in the penitentiary, and Mr. Havens -was often called upon to relate the events leading -up to the Capture in the Air.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>THE END.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>The Boy Spies Series</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>These stories are based on important historical -events, scenes wherein boys are -prominent characters being selected. They -are the romance of history, vigorously told, -with careful fidelity to picturing the home -life and accurate in every particular wherein -mention is made of movement of troops, -or the doings of noted persons.</p> -<div id='fig8742' class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/ad-i-255.jpg' alt='A book' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SPIES WITH LAFAYETTE. The story of how -two boys joined the Continental Army. -By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SPIES ON CHESAPEAKE BAY. The story -of two young spies under Commodore Barney. -By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SPIES WITH THE REGULATORS. The story -of how the boys assisted the Carolina Patriots to drive -the British from that State. -By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SPIES WITH THE SWAMP FOX. The story -of General Marion and his young spies. -By James Otis. Cloth. 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The story of -two boys and their adventures in the war of 1812. -By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE ON THE PICKERING. A -boy’s story of privateering in 1780. -By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE NAVY BOYS IN NEW YORK BAY. A story of -three boys who took command of the schooner “The -Laughing Mary,” the first vessel of the American Navy. -By James Otis. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE NAVY BOYS IN THE TRACK OF THE ENEMY. -The story of a remarkable cruise with the Sloop of War -“Providence” and the Frigate “Alfred.” -By William P. Chipman. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE NAVY BOYS’ DARING CAPTURE. The story of -how the navy boys helped to capture the British Cutter -“Margaretta,” in 1775. -By William P. Chipman. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE TO THE BAHAMAS. The -adventures of two Yankee Middies with the first cruise -of an American Squadron in 1775. -By William P. Chipman. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE WITH COLUMBUS. The -adventures of two boys who sailed with the great Admiral -in his discovery of America. -By Frederick A. Ober. Cloth. Price 60 cents.</p> -<hr class='c015' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of</div> - <div>price by the publishers,</div> - <div>A. L. BURT COMPANY, 52-58 Duane St., New York.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>The Boy Chums Series</span></div> - <div>By WILMER M. ELY</div> - <div>Handsome Cloth Binding. Price, 60 Cents</div> - <div>Per Volume.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c003' /> -<p class='c013'>In this series of remarkable stories by Wilmer M. -Ely are described the adventures of two boy chums—Charley -West and Walter Hazard—in the great -swamps of interior Florida and among the cays off the -Florida Coast, and through the Bahama Islands. These -are real, live boys, and their experiences are well -worth following. If you read one book you will surely -be anxious for those that are to follow.</p> -<div id='fig8867' class='figcenter id006'> -<img src='images/ad-i-257.jpg' alt='A book' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY CHUMS ON INDIAN RIVER, or The Boy -Partners of the Schooner “Orphan.”</p> -<p class='c013'>In this story Charley West and Walter Hazard meet deadly -rattlesnakes; have a battle with a wild panther; are -attacked by outlaws; their boat is towed by a swordfish; -they are shipwrecked by a monster manatee fish, and -pass safely through many exciting scenes of danger.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY CHUMS ON HAUNTED ISLAND, or Hunting -for Pearls in the Bahama Islands.</p> -<p class='c013'>This book tells the story of the boy chums, Charley -West and Walter Hazard, whose adventures on the -schooner “Eager Quest,” hunting for pearls among -the Bahama Islands, are fully recorded. Their -hairbreadth escapes from the treacherous quicksands -and dangerous water spouts; how they lost their -vessel and were cast away on a lonely island, and their -escape therefrom are fully told.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY CHUMS IN THE FOREST, or Hunting for -Plume Birds in the Florida Everglades.</p> -<p class='c013'>The story of the boy chums hunting the blue herons -and the pink and white egrets for their plumes in the forests of Florida is full of danger -and excitement. How the chums encountered the Indians; their battles with -the escaped convicts; their fight with the wild boars and alligators are -fully told.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY CHUMS’ PERILOUS CRUISE, or Searching -for Wreckage on the Florida Coast.</p> -<p class='c013'>This story of the boy chums’ adventures on and off the Florida Coast -describes many scenes of daring and adventure, in hunting for ships -stranded and cargoes washed ashore. The boy chums passed through many -exciting scenes, on shore and island; and the loss of their vessel, -the “Eager Quest,” they will long remember.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY CHUMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, or a -Dangerous Cruise with the Greek Spongers.</p> -<p class='c013'>This story of the boy chums, Charley West and Walter Hazard, hunting -for sponges, is filled with many adventures. The dangers of gathering -sponges are fully described; the chums meet with sharks and alligators; -and they are cast away on a desert island. Their rescue and arrival home -make a most interesting story.</p> -<hr class='c014' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of</div> - <div>price by the publishers,</div> - <div>A. L. BURT COMPANY, 52-58 Duane St., New York.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>The Boy Scout Series</span></div> - <div>By HERBERT CARTER</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>New stories of Camp Life, telling the wonderful -and thrilling adventures of the Boys of the -Silver Fox Patrol. <span class='sc'>Handsome Cloth Bindings.</span></p> -<hr class='c003' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>PRICE, 60 CENTS PER VOLUME</div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c003' /> -<div id='fig8962' class='figcenter id007'> -<img src='images/ad-i-254.jpg' alt=' A book' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SCOUTS FIRST CAMP FIRE; or, -Scouting with the Silver Fox Patrol.</p> -<p class='c013'>This book, every up-to-date Boy Scout will want to read. It is brimming over -with thrilling adventure, woods lore and the story of the wonderful experiences -that befell the Cranford troop of Boy Scouts when spending a part of their vacation -in the wilderness. The story is clean and wholesome in tone, yet with not a dull -line from cover to cover.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE BLUE RIDGE; or, Marooned -Among the Moonshiners.</p> -<p class='c013'>Those lads who have read The Boy Scouts First Camp Fire and followed the -fortunes of Thad Brewster, the Young Patrol leader, will be delighted to read this -story. It tells of the strange and mysterious adventures that happened to the -Patrol in their trip through the “mountains of the sky” in the Moonshiners’ -Paradise of the old Tar Heel State, North Carolina. When you start to read you -will not lay the book down until the last word has been reached.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SCOUTS ON THE TRAIL; or, Scouting through -the Big Game Country.</p> -<p class='c013'>In this story the Boy Scouts once more find themselves in camp and following -the trail. The story recites the many adventures that befell the members of the -Silver Fox Patrol with wild animals of the forest trails, as well as the desperate -men who had sought a refuge in this lonely country, making most delightful reading -for every lad who has red blood in his veins. This is a story which every boy -will be glad to read and recommend to his chums.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE MAINE WOODS; or, The New -Test for the Silver Fox Patrol.</p> -<p class='c013'>In the rough field of experience the tenderfoots and greenhorns of the Silver -Fox Patrol are fast learning to take care of themselves when abroad. Many of -the secrets of the woods, usually known only to old hunters and trappers, are laid -bare to the eyes of the reader. Thad and his chums have a wonderful experience -when they are employed by the State of Maine to act as Fire Wardens, since every -year terrible conflagrations sweep through the pine forests, doing great damage.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SCOUTS THROUGH THE BIG TIMBER; or, The -Search for the Lost Tenderfoot.</p> -<p class='c013'>A serious calamity threatens the Silver Fox Patrol when on one of their -vacation trips to the wonderland of the great Northwest. How apparent disaster -is bravely met and overcome by Thad and his friends, forms the main theme of -the story, which abounds in plenty of humor, rollicking situations, hairbreadth -escapes and thrilling adventures, such as all boys like to read about. If you ever -dream of camping out in the woods, here you may learn how to do it.</p> -<p class='c013'>THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE ROCKIES; or, The Secret of -The Hidden Silver Mine.</p> -<p class='c013'>By this time the boys of the Silver Fox Patrol have learned through experience -how to rough it upon a long hike. Their last tour takes them into the wildest region -of the great Rocky Mountains, and here they meet with many strange adventures -that severely test their grit, as well as their ability to grapple with emergencies. -This is one of the most interesting of the stories in the Boy Scout Series,—the -experiences of Thad Brewster and his Cranford troop abounds in plenty of humor, -and hairbreadth escapes.</p> -<hr class='c014' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of</div> - <div>price by the publishers,</div> - <div>A. L. BURT COMPANY, 52-58 Duane Street, New York.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c016'> - <div><span class='large'>Transcriber’s Notes:</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>Punctuation has been standardized. Minor spelling and typographic errors -have been corrected silently, -except as noted below.</p> -<p class='c018'>On page 24, the line "All right, go it!" has been left as is, -although it is possible it should be "All right, got it".</p> -<p class='c018'>On "The Boy Scout Series" ad page, the last two lines have -been reformatted to match the other ad pages.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret -Service, by Frank Walton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON SECRET SERVICE *** - -***** This file should be named 50824-h.htm or 50824-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/8/2/50824/ - -Produced by Rick Morris and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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