CHAPTER IX.
LUTHER BARR FORMS AN ALLIANCE.
At daybreak Frank was out of his cot and after dashing cold water overhimself--the liquid being carried from a clear stream in a neighboringfield in a bucket he aroused his companions and breakfast was soonsending an appetizing odor into the air. The boys fell to with heartyappetites, and after leaving several telegrams and post cards to beforwarded to their friends and parents in New York, they startedactively in on preparations for the resumption of their long journey.The new wheel was soon fitted, and found to answer perfectly. The brokenwire was also soon adjusted.
The work had just been completed and the auto and aeroplane fed withfresh gasolene, lubricants and water when Witherbee, the miner, who hadslept at a hotel in the village, came hurrying up.
"Call me a horn-toad of the sagebrush desert if here ain't a go, boys!"he exclaimed.
The boys looked up at their new friend and saw that his face was paleand he looked dismayed.
"Whatever is the matter?" they demanded.
"Matter?" echoed the miner; "call me a gila monster if that theredod-gasted Barr and his companions ain't stolen my pocketbook."
"Did it have much money in it?" asked Frank in a sympathetic tone, forthe poor miner's distress was very real.
"Why, it had two hundred dollars. All I have till I can get back toArizonee. Call me a doodelbug, if that ain't tough luck."
"It certainly is," sympathized Harry; "perhaps we could lend you----"
"Not a cent," broke in the miner. "Bart Witherbee ain't borrowing moneyfrom kids. But if you'd give me a seat in that benzine buggy of yoursI'll be grateful to you for the rest of my life. Maybe I can help you,too, in the far west. You see, I know that country, and if we run intoany bad Indians or cowboys, I can maybe be of some use to you."
"That's so," agreed Frank; "do you think there would be room in theauto, Billy?"
"Sure," replied the young reporter. "If there isn't, we'll make it. Wecan't leave Bart Witherbee here penniless."
"Say, boys, it was the luckiest day of my life when I struck you--callme a comical coyote, if it warn't!" exclaimed the miner gratefully. "ButI'll make it all up to you when I locate my mine."
The red-faced man from whom they had leased their camping-place readilyagreed to take charge of their letters and telegrams. Indeed, any one inthe crowd that gathered to see the start of the boy aviators on thesecond day of their long trip would have been willing to do anything forthem in their enthusiasm over the daring young adventurers.
With a cheer from the crowd the auto bowled off first, vanishing downthe road to the west in a cloud of dust. Hardly had it started whenthere was a loud whirring noise, and down the road came two other motorcars. In the first sat Fred Reade and the red-bearded man, who acted ashis assistant, it seemed. In the other, to the boys' amazement, rodeLuther Barr and his two companions of the night before--the westerngamblers. Apparently Barr and Reade were on friendly terms, for, as thetwo machines shot by, Reade turned back in the tonneau and shoutedsomething to Barr, who answered with a wave of the hand.
"Hullo! That looks bad," exclaimed Harry, as the cars shot by.
"What does?" asked Frank, who had been busy adjusting the engine, andhad not seen the motor cars.
"Why, Reade and Barr seem to have joined forces. Depend upon it they areup to some mischief."
Had the boys known that the night before Luther Barr and the two othershad been guests at Reade's camp, they would have had even more reason tofeel apprehensive. In his chase after the Boy Aviators and BartWitherbee, old Barr had mistaken the road and branched off down aside-track that soon brought him to Reade's camp, where he and hiscompanions were working over their aeroplane by kerosene flares. The oldmillionaire recognized Reade at once, stopped and hailed him.
Reade soon explained to him that he was in the aeroplane race as therepresentative of the _Despatch_. On Barr inquiring how he came to leavethe _Planet_, Reade explained that his leaving was due to Billy Barnes.
"That interfering cub lost me my job," he said angrily.
Old Barr was interested at once. Here was another enemy of the BoyAviators. Perhaps it would be possible to join forces to harass them.
"I see you like the boys as little as I do," he ventured cautiously.
"Like them," exclaimed Reade angrily, "I hate them. I hope they losethis race. I mean to prevent them winning by fair means or foul, if Ican."
"Good," was Barr's reply; "that's just the way I feel about it. Now Ihave a proposition to make to you."
There followed a long conversation in low tones, the result of which wasthat old Barr agreed to accompany the _Despatch's_ party as far asArizona and the mine, the location of which Witherbee was hiding. He hadinstantly made up his mind that Reade was a valuable ally.
"I am sure that Witherbee means to let those boys know where the mineis, and give them part of it," he declared; "and if we can find itfirst, we can divide it among ourselves."
Luther Barr had no intention of giving away any part of the mine if hefound it. He wanted it all for himself. But he thought that to hold outsuch a tempting bait would make Reade an even more faithful ally. As forthe reporter, he was delighted to have found an enemy of the BoyAviators. He was a coward, and had been afraid that his party was toosmall to openly cause them much trouble. Now, however, he was highlypleased at the idea of traveling in such powerful company, and promisedhimself a "lot of fun with those young cubs."
And so it came about that Luther Barr and the _Despatch_ auto traveledin company when they broke camp the next morning.
The two autos had hardly passed down the road and out of sight when ashout from the crowd announced that the aeroplane of Arthur Slade was insight.
"Come on, we've got no time to lose," cried Frank, as he saw the rivalaeroplane coming rapidly into view.
Both boys scrambled into their craft, and a moment later, amid a roarfrom the crowd, they shot upward. As they did so, Slade shot by. He wasa powerfully built man, with a mean expression of countenance, andseemed to harbor a spite against the boys, doubtless because he did notlike to be pitted against such youthful antagonists.
"I'll win this race hands down," he shouted, as he swept by.
As the boys' aeroplane gathered velocity, however, they overhauled him,and all day the two air-craft fought it out desperately. There seemed tobe little difference between them, and the boys resolved that they werein for the tussle of their lives if they meant to win the race. Thedirigible hung doggedly on, about three miles in the rear. Her crew didnot seem to be urging her. Doubtless they reasoned that in a race ofsuch length it was a good plan to husband their resources and not urgetheir ship forward too fast.
"The gasolene is running low," announced Harry, shortly after noon, "andwe need some more oil."
"All right; send out a wireless, and we'll drop in a convenient place,"replied Frank.
The auto was some distance behind, but a reply to Harry's message soonflashed back to the occupants of the aeroplane, and a few minutes afterthey had landed in a smooth, green meadow the auto came chugging up. Thetank was replenished, and a hasty luncheon eaten. By this time both therival aeroplane and the dirigible were out of sight. As the boys hadseen nothing further of the autos occupied by Reade and Luther Barr,they concluded they must be traveling on another road--which was, infact, the case.
"Aren't you scared to let the other aeroplane get such a long lead?"asked Billy, as the boys made ready to resume their flight.
"They won't get very far," said Frank lightly. "You see, they will haveto come down for fresh gasolene, just as we did. They have got anair-cooled engine, too, and if they run it too long it will get heatedand stop, so that they will have to quit for a while, too."
"How about the dirigible?"
"The only chance it has to win this race is for both the aeroplanes tobreak down," said Harry. "We can pass it even if it got a twenty-milelead."
The _Go
lden Eagle_ flew on during the afternoon without incident. It wasgetting toward sundown, and Frank was thinking of descending and campingfor the night, when, as they were passing high above a spot where fourcross-roads intersected, they spied below them the two autos of Barr andReade drawn up near to the rival aeroplane, which, as Frank had said,had been compelled to come down to replenish her tanks.
Through his glasses Harry scrutinized the group. They were gatheredabout Slade's aeroplane, and seemed to be discussing excitedly.
"I thought so," said Harry, as he put the glasses back in their pocketat the side of the pilot house.
"Thought what?" asked Frank.
"Why, I guess there's something the matter with their cylinders.Over-heated, I guess. They were pouring water on them when I lookedthrough the glass."
Hardly had he spoken when there was a singing sound in the air close byhis ear. It was like the droning of a big June bug.
"Pretty high for a bug to be flying," commented Harry.
"That wasn't any bug, Harry," contradicted Frank, "it was a bullet."
"What! they are firing at us again?"
"Evidently."
There came another whistling in the air, as a second projectile whizzedby.
"We ought to have them arrested," exclaimed Harry indignantly.
"How are we to prove who fired the shots?" rejoined Frank.
He was right. At the time they whizzed by the aeroplane was over a clumpof woods which effectually concealed from her occupants the identity ofthe wielder of the rifle. Barr's party had evidently speeded their autosin under the trees and were firing from them. No more bullets came,however. Probably the shooters saw the futility of trying to get goodaim through the thick foliage.
Camp that night was made beside a small river, in which Witherbee sooncaught a fine mess of yellow perch. These, cooked with the oldplainsman's skill, made an agreeable variation from the usual camp fare,and were despatched by the hungry boys in an incredibly short time.
Of the other aeroplane they had seen nothing since they passed her inthe afternoon.
"This means we get a good long lead," rejoiced Frank.
But the boys were doomed to disappointment, for shortly before midnightthe whirring noise of an engine was heard overhead, and, looking upward,the adventurers, awakened by Billy, who was on watch, saw a dark bodypass overhead.
"It's Slade's machine!" cried Frank.
Shortly afterward the dirigible also went by, with several lightsdisplayed about her decks. The boys shot up a ray of light from thesearchlight on the auto, and were greeted by a cheer from the men on thedirigible.
"Well, if those fellows think they can steal a night march on us, we'llfool 'em," exclaimed Frank. "Here, Harry, let's have a look at that map.I must lay out a course, and then we'll get after them. You fellowsbreak camp and be ready to follow us in the auto."
There was a lot of bustle and excitement while Frank, by the light of anauto-lamp, with compasses, dividers and measured rule, worked out acourse. A route was soon devised.
"All ready?" he cried at last, when final directions had been given.
"All ready," said Billy, tightening the ropes that held the tarpaulincovering the supplies in the auto.
"Then we're off," cried Frank, as he and Harry jumped into the _GoldenEagle_, and with a rattling roar of explosions glided into the air.