CHAPTER XI.
THE FIRST LEG.
The country now began to be more thickly settled. In fact, the boyspassed a constant series of surprised villages and frightened farms.While they were passing above one hillside farm, in fact, they werereceived with a demonstration of more than surprise. A man in blue jeanscame running out into his barnyard with a shot-gun, and fired thecontents of both barrels upward at the young navigators. At the heightthey were flying, however, a shot-gun could not harm them.
A short time later Harry lay down for a nap, after both boys had eatensome of the cold lunch they had packed at Remson. He slept underprotest, but Frank insisted that after their harrying night trip theyboth needed sleep. He agreed to take his turn later. In the meantime, inthe auto, Billy Barnes and Witherbee dozed off and shared watches withLathrop and old Mr. Joyce. Neither the miner nor the inventor coulddrive an auto, so it was necessary to divide up the hours of sleep inthis way.
While the lads are taking a rest, it may be as well to turn back to thelone farm at which the _Despatch_ party had decided to stop forbreakfast. So engrossed had they been over the meal, and so busy had thefarm folks been serving them, that none of the party had noticed theboys' aeroplane fly over, and they made very merry at the thought thatthey were miles ahead of them. Fred Reade was sure they had broken down,and his confidence that they had met with an accident was shared byLuther Barr, Slade and the red-bearded man, whose name was Ethan Aram,and who was Slade's substitute driver.
"I feel like lying down for a nap," said Luther Barr, after breakfast,but his desire was overruled by the others. It was pointed out that hecould take a nap in his auto just as well.
"We want to beat those cubs good while we are at it," said Reade, andthis stroke of diplomacy won over old Barr. Taking turns at snoozing,therefore, the party pressed on at a leisurely rate, little dreamingthat the Boy Aviators were far ahead and nearing Pittsburg. There wasanother reason for their decreased speed, also. They wished to takeadvantage of what they considered a great stroke of good luck to lettheir engine cool off thoroughly.
As the aeroplane flashed above Lockhaven, Pa., the wires began to getred-hot with news of their close approach to Pittsburg. In the SmokyCity huge crowds gathered and awaited patiently for hours the coming ofthe air racers. Every park and open space held its quota of excitedpeople, and flags were run up on every building.
Frank and Harry had both had a sleep before. Pointing to the southwestof their course Harry indicated a heavy dark pall that hung against thesky.
"That must be the Smoky City," he exclaimed, and, sure enough it was.Soon the junction of the Alleghany, Monongahela and Ohio rivers in theirY-shaped formation became visible. Then the dark factory buildings,belching out their clouds of black smoke to make perpetual the city'sinky pall. Then the occasional gushes of flame from foundry chimneys,and the long processions of funereal ore and coal barges on the gloomyrivers.
The boys landed in Schenley Park, a fine expanse of wooded and lawnedlandscape, one of the few beauty spots in the city of gloom. Here itseemed as if at least a quarter of Pittsburg's population was out togreet them. The police had formed hasty lines as soon as it becameevident that the boys meant to land on an open stretch of grass, butthey had a hard struggle to keep back the crowds. They were speedilyre-enforced by reserves from all parts of the city, however, and soonhad the crowd in order.
It had been arranged by telegraph that in case of the contestantslanding in a public park that the city would allow them to keep themachine there as long as they wanted, so that after the boys hadarranged for a guard to be kept over the _Golden Eagle_ and the sheltertent carried in the auto--which came chug-chugging up half an hour afterthe boys had landed--had been rigged, there was nothing to do but to goto the hotel for a wash-up and what Billy Barnes called "a real feed."
Of course the first question the boys had asked when they landed was:
"Anything been seen of the other racers?"
They were delighted to learn that there had not, although they werepretty sure, anyhow, that they were the first to arrive. At the hotel,as the party entered it, having distanced the crowd by speeding throughside streets, the manager bustled up and asked for Mr. William Barnes.Billy replied that he was the person sought.
"Then, there's been a wire here for you more than a day," said themanager. "It has been chasing you around every hotel in the city, Iguess."
He produced a yellow envelope. Billy opened it eagerly, and then gave awide grin.
"Whoop-ee, look here," he cried, extending the message to the boys toread.
"Will you accept position special correspondent with aeroplanes for _Planet_? Owe you an apology for unfortunate mistake. Reade's treachery discovered.
"Stowe, "Managing Editor _Planet_."
Of course Billy Barnes accepted the commission, although for a time hehad a struggle with his pride to do so. However, as Frank demonstratedto him, Mr. Stowe had acknowledged his mistake, and he would only havepresented himself in the light of a stubborn, obstinate youth if he hadrefused to accept his offer.
The young reporter was in the Western Union office that night filing along account of the incidents of the trip, not forgetting the accidentto the dirigible and its subsequent safe arrival at Pittsburg--thoughseveral hours late--when Fred Reade entered. The Slade aeroplane haddescended in Highland Park about three hours after the arrival of theboys, and the chagrin of the _Despatch_ people and of Luther Barr andhis crowd may be imagined when they learned that they had been badlybeaten on the first leg of the trip.
There was a scowl on Reade's face as he sat down and began to write. Hisanger deepened as he saw that Billy Barnes paid not the slightestattention to him. Finally he said sneeringly:
"What are you writing for now, anyhow? I thought you were out of a job."
"So I was till a short time ago," flashed back Billy, "when the _Planet_seems to have found out something about a young man named Reade."
"What do you mean?" asked Reade in a voice he tried to renderblustering, but which shook in spite of himself.
"I'm not going into details; you know well enough," said Billy in aquiet, meaning tone, looking Reade straight in the eye.
The other pretended to get very busy with his writing, but as Billy wasleaving the office, he looked up and exclaimed:
"You and your friends think you are mighty smart, but we'll trim youyet, you see if we don't."
"Well, you'll have to wake up, then," laughed Billy, "you didn't do muchtrimming to-day."
Franke Reade cast a furious glance after the young reporter as he leftthe telegraph office.
"I'll make you pay for that when we get out in the wild country," hesaid furiously.
At the hotel Billy found the boys in conversation with McArthur. He hadmade arrangements to have his ship reinflated that night, he told them,and in future meant to carry with him several cylinders of hydrogen gas.He had telegraphed ahead to Nashville and several other towns on theroute to San Francisco to have supplies ready for him, and anticipatedno further trouble on that score. He had also been lucky enough to get apropeller from a man who had been making dirigible ascensions at aPittsburg park, but who had been injured a few days before in anaccident.
The boys and their party turned in early and slept like tops. They wereup betimes, and after a hasty breakfast motored out to the park. Theyfound the aeroplane in perfect trim, and after replenishing the gasoleneand water tanks and thoroughly oiling every part of the engine, theywere once more ready to start. A big crowd had gathered, early as wasthe hour, and gave them a mighty cheer as they swept into the air. Thenext minute the auto was off, and it was a light-hearted party thatoccupied its tonneau.