CHAPTER XVII
A GRATEFUL FRIEND
The oncoming night in the dreary solitude with which the young airmenwere environed seemed filled with alarms. All three listened intently.
At a further distance away than at the first, the renewed howling of thewolves broke forth. The pack seemed to have chanced upon some new trailof prey.
“Why,” Hiram was the first to break the thrilling silence, “do you hearthat, fellows?”
“Sleigh bells!” cried Elmer, instantly.
“Yes, and I hear the neighing of horses,” added our hero. “More thanone. Listen!”
Muffled yet unmistakable, the sound of sleigh bells jangling sharplybroke upon the air. There followed loud echoing neighs. Then there rosea sudden scream.
“Oh, Dave!” gasped Hiram, “it was a human voice! A man’s scream, I’llwager! There it is again!”
“One of you keep with me,” shouted Dave, in an urgent tone. “This way!”
Seizing the reflector lantern, the young aviator dashed along thearcade. It was Hiram who first heeded his order. He had grabbed up theheaviest club at hand. At the end of the arcade Dave halted for amoment, confused by the blinding snow eddies and the dim obscurity.
“That way, straight ahead,” panted the wrought up Hiram, as another wildscream rang out.
It was mingled with the echoes of the sleigh bells in quite anotherdirection. It was mixed with the baying and howls of the wolves nearerat hand.
The pilot of the _Comet_ dashed on. The snow was deep and clogging.Hiram labored at his heels. The eye of light showed nothing until theyhad gone nearly fifty feet. Then its rays illumined a startling picture.
Upon the snow, lying upon heavy fur robes, was a man. Supporting himselfupon one elbow, he was slashing about him with a short, horn-handled,thick-bladed knife. Around him more than a dozen wolves were seeking tospring upon and disable him. The minute the light dazzled the ravenouspack, they drew away, baffled.
The rescued man was clad in heavy furs. His cap, the gloves he wore, hiswhole equipment indicated comfort and wealth. He seemed to take in thesituation at a glance. As he struggled to his feet, a motion of his handshowed deep gratitude.
He shuddered as he bent his ear to catch the retreating bayings of thewolves. Just a faint echo of the sleigh bells was now audible. A look ofsatisfaction came into the man’s face as he discovered this. He spokesome words in a language the young airmen could not understand. Davepointed to the campfire, and the man bowed. Then Hiram helped him pickup the scattered sleigh robes. Dave leading the way, all hands startedfor the arcade.
“Who is he?” whispered the curious Elmer to Hiram, as the trio camewithin the radius of the cheery blaze he had built up with great armfulsof wood.
“Russian, I guess,” replied Hiram. “He can’t tell us, though, for wedon’t understand him.”
“Did the wolves attack him?”
“It looks that way. I think the horses got frightened and ran away. Theyseemed to have tipped him and the sleigh robes over into the snow. Itell you, we reached him just in time, or those hungry brutes would havehad him.”
The rescued man came up to the fire, removing his gloves and extendinghis chilled hands towards the grateful blaze. One coat sleeve had beenripped from end to end in his encounter with the wolves, his face bore adeep scratch. Otherwise he seemed uninjured from his recent thrillingexperience.
He glanced strangely and then with interest at the three boys in turn.He stared hard as his eye fell upon the biplane. His glance lingeredupon it in a puzzled, studious way. Finally he turned to its pilot, andextended his hands upwards, as if imitating a bird flying. Dave nodded.
Then the man spoke. From the deep gutterals, mingled long drawn outwords and “skis.” Dave decided that he was speaking in the Russiantongue, and shook his head. More mellow and natural sounding, some wordsfollowed which Dave took to be French. He smiled, but showed that he didnot yet understand.
“It is English, then?” spoke the man, with very fair pronunciation.
“Yes, English—American,” replied Dave, pleased to be understood. “Westopped our airship here on account of the storm.”
“It is so?” answered the man. “A few versts further, and you would havereached the station. That is Mokiva. I am the superintendent. You shallcome there to share the best I have. You have saved my poor life.”
And then quite solemnly the man went the rounds. He shook each of hisyoung friends by the hand, looking them steadily in the eyes.
Hiram hurried up the meal, got some hot coffee ready, and passed itaround. It warmed up, and acted as an excellent accompaniment to somecanned pork and beans, some toasted cheese, and plenty of crackers.
The glow of the fire was penetrating and comforting. They were seated onthe thick, heavy robes. Hiram was quite jolly over their pleasantsituation.
The rescued man had to talk slowly and pick his words to make themunderstand him. He told them that his name was Adrianoffski. He was atrader, and lived at Mokiva, about twelve miles distant. He had been atanother station across country, and had started to return home, notdreaming that he could not reach it before dark. The unexpectedsnowstorm had overtaken him, and the wolves had gotten after the sleigh.The tragic climax had been averted by the prompt action of DaveDashaway.
It more than compensated the boys for their trouble as they got betteracquainted with the man. It seemed that he had agents, friends, andtrading stations, all through Russia and in several Asiatic countries.With some of these he only exchanged goods, while others he owned. Atthe end of two hours the interested young airmen had learned more ofreal geography right on the spot than they had ever picked up at school.
The storm let up finally. An adverse wind, however, had set in.
“I hardly think we had better risk the hard work and danger of a runto-night,” our hero advised his helpers. “We are fairly comfortablehere.”
“That’s right,” assented Elmer, who had been enjoying it immensely,writing up his “log.” “We’ll have great fun when we get home in somesnug and cozy corner, telling our friends of what a real snowstorm is.”
“There’s something!” exclaimed Dave, suddenly, starting up from hisresting place on the robes.
“Why, it’s another sleigh!” cried Hiram. “If they see our fire, whoeveris coming, we will have some more company.”
“Ah, it is well,” broke in Adrianoffski, his eyes brightening. “I muchthought they would seek me.”
The speaker reached inside his heavy coat and drew out a whistle, andproceeded to blow on this. It was so small that the boys were fairlyamazed at the shrill, clear, far-reaching sound it made. The Russiansent out a dozen or more calls. They seemed timed to some rhythmicsignal, for as the boys listened there was a response.
Going to the end of the arcade, they noticed lights approaching. Theseoutlined three horses attached to a sleigh bearing lamps. The vehiclecame directly up to them and halted. Two men leaped from the sleigh andapproached their employer with pleased words.
“My horses ran home, as I thought they would,” Adrianoffski explained tothe boys, after conversing with his servants in their native dialect.“My people at once started out to find me. Ah, this is excellent. Youshall partake of the best at Mokiva this night.”
“We would be glad to go with you,” said Dave, “but we dare not leave ourmachine unguarded.”
“Unguarded?” repeated the Russian with forcefulness. “My friends, youknow not the fidelity of these, my people. They shall remain here allnight, and your airship shall be guarded as though it were pure gold.Fear nothing, these men are trusty and tried.”
A thought of all Adrianoffski might tell them of practical details oftheir route ahead, induced the young airman to agree to his wishes. Hemade sure that the Russian instructed his servants as to duewatchfulness in their vigil. It was understood that they should bebrought back to the camp very early in the morning. Then the boys,muffle
d up in cold-defying fur robes, took a real bracing Russian sleighride.
They found that the station comprised two large warehouses. In one ofthese Adrianoffski had his living quarters. They were comfortable, evenluxurious. Nothing would do but that another meal should be served. Thenthe host of the airship boys took them to his office and librarycombined.
Our hero had explained at the camp on the steppe about their proposedrace around the world. Adrianoffski was deeply interested. He had alarge globe showing the world, and he made Dave indicate the route theyhad come, and the proposed one ahead. In turn, with considerable pridehe showed red crosses he had made in red ink all over European andAsiatic Russia, Persia, Turkey and Northern Africa.
“I have learned something of many languages and peoples,” he said. “Asyou see, I have posts or stations all over this part of the world. Yousaved my life. Let me direct you to good friends, who will surelycherish you for that kindly act.”
Dave passed his finger over that part of the globe marked Thibet. For along time he questioned the trader.
“There is a wonderful city there, called Lhassa,” observed the youngairman. “You know of it?”
“I know of it,” assented Adrianoffski—“ah, well, indeed. It is here, afew versts only from Lhassa, that my trusted partner, Ben MahanondAdasse, has his great depot. He trades solely in Thibet. You would gothere?”
“To Lhassa, yes,” answered Dave.
“Impossible!” exclaimed the Russian, with almost startling force. “Myson, you know not what you say. Lhassa—it is the city of mystery, thesacred metropolis of the tried and chosen. For an outsider to appear atits gates is capture—life imprisonment. For a foreigner to penetrate toits secret recesses, is sure death.”
“But your partner, this Ben Mahanond Adasse?” questioned the youngaviator, “I could visit him without risk?”
“With certain welcome,” promptly responded Adrianoffski. “He ispowerful, he is favored. He could protect you. But go no further thanhis home, lest you go to your doom. As to my partner—see, I give you atalisman, a token.”
The Russian removed from his finger a large seal ring, and pressed itinto the hand of Dave Dashaway.