CHAPTER XXI
OFF FOR THE PACIFIC
"Look out for him!"
"Go up in the air again!"
"Has anybody got a gun?"
"Start the motor!"
These, and other excited cries, came from those in Dick Hamilton'sairship as they saw the charging buffalo. The animal was the largestin the captive herd, probably the leader. It seemed a strange thingfor a modern airship to be threatened with an attack by a buffalo inthese days, but such was the case.
"He may damage us!" cried Dick. "We've got to do something!"
But there seemed nothing to do. Before they could get out of the cabinof the airship, which now rested on the ground within the buffalorange, the frightened and infuriated animal might rush at the craft.
And, though he would probably come off second best in the odd battle,he might damage some of the frail planes or rudders.
"Come on!" cried Paul. "Let's all rush out at him at once, and yell ashard as we can. That may scare him off."
But there was no need of this. Before the buffalo had time to reachthe airship a mounted police officer rode rapidly up to the fence ofthe enclosure, and, taking in the situation, novel as it was, at aglance, he fired several shots from his revolver at the rushing animal.
None of the bullets was intended to hit the buffalo, and none did. Butsome came so close, and the noise of the shots was so loud, that thebeast stopped suddenly, and then, after a pause, in which he snorted,and pawed the ground, he retreated, to stand in front of the herd ofcows and other bulls, probably thinking he constituted himself theirprotector against the strange and terrible foe.
"Well, that's over!" exclaimed Dick, with a sigh of relief. "Say,isn't this the limit? If we bad an airship out on the plains fiftyyears ago it wouldn't have been any surprise to be charged by abuffalo. But here in New York--well, it is just about the extremeedge, to my way of thinking!"
"All's well that ends well," quoted Innis. "Now let's get breakfast."
But it seemed that something else was to come first.
"Get your craft out of there," ordered the police officer, who hadfired the shots.
"I guess we'd better," said Dick to his chums. "That buffalo mightchange his mind, and come at us again."
"How are we going to get out?" asked Mr. Vardon, as he noticed theheavy fence around the buffalo enclosure. And there was hardly roominside it to get the necessary start to raise the big airship.
"I'll unlock this gate for you, and you can wheel her out," said theofficer, who seemed to know something about aircraft. He rode over toa double gate, which he soon swung open, and Dick and his chums, byconsiderable exertion, managed to wheel the airship out on the walk.The slope of the buffalo enclosure was downward or they might not havebeen successful.
"Now then," went on the mounted policeman, when he had locked the gateto prevent any of the animals from straying out, "who's in charge ofthis outfit?"
"I am," admitted Dick, as his chums looked at him.
"Well then, I'm sorry, but I have to place you under arrest," spoke theofficer. "You'll have to come with me."
"Arrest! What for?" gasped Dick.
"Two charges. Entering the buffalo enclosure without a permit, andflying an airship over a city. I saw you come from down New York way."
For a moment those of Dick's aviation party hardly knew whether totreat the matter as a joke or not, but a look at the face of theofficer soon convinced them that he, at least, was in earnest.
"Under arrest!" murmured Dick. "Well, I guess the two charges aretrue, as far as that goes. We did fly over the city, but there was noharm in that, and--"
"Hold on--yes, there was!" exclaimed Mr. Vardon. "It was stupid of meto forget it, too. It is against the law now for an aeroplane to flyover a city, and contrary to the agreement of the association ofaviators."
"You are right!" exclaimed Lieutenant McBride. "I should have thoughtof that, too, but I was so interested watching the working of themachinery I forgot all about it. The rule and the law was made becauseof the danger to persons over whose heads the aeroplanes mightfly--that is, not so much danger in the flying as in the corning down.And then, too, as a general thing it might not be safe for the aviatorsif they were forced to make a landing. But we've gone and done it, Iguess," and he smiled frankly at the officer.
"As for coming down in the buffalo enclosure, I was sorry we did itwhen I saw that old bull coming for us," remarked Dick. "But it seemedthe best place around here for us to land, after our motor stopped. Isuppose it won't do any good to say we're sorry; will it?" he asked thepoliceman, with a smile.
"Well, I shall have to do my duty, and arrest you," said the officer,"but I will explain to the magistrate that you did not mean to landcontrary to the law."
"Who is the magistrate before whom we shall have to appear?" askedLarry Dexter.
"Judge Scatterwaite," was the answer.
"Good!" cried the young reporter. "I know him. My paper supported himin the last campaign, and I believe he will be glad to do a favor forme. Is there a telephone around here?" he asked the officer. "Oh, wewon't run away," he hastened to assure the guardian of the peace. "Ijust want to talk to the judge. I'm Larry Dexter, of the Leader."
"Oh, is that so? I guess I've heard of you. Aren't you the reporterwho worked up that stolen boy case?"
"I am," admitted Larry, modestly. "There's a telephone right overthere, in the Rocking Stone restaurant," went on the officer, whoseemed to regard Larry and his friends in a different light now. "Youcan call up the judge. He'll probably be at his house now. I'll gowith you. It may be that he will want to speak to me, and will dismissthe complaint."
"We'll wait here for you, Larry," said Dick. "There's nothing likehaving a reporter with you when you break the law," he added, with alaugh.
The officer rode his horse slowly along with Larry, going to the placewhence a telephone message could be sent. Larry was soon talking withthe judge, who, on learning the identity of the young reporter, andhaving heard the circumstances, spoke to the officer.
"It's all right!" exclaimed the policeman, as he hung up the receiver."I'm to let you go. He says he'll find you all guilty, and willsuspend sentence."
"Good!" cried Larry. "That's the time my 'pull' was of some use."
"And I'm glad I didn't have to take you to the station," the mountedman proceeded. "I'm interested in airships myself. I've got a boywho's crazy about them, and wireless. He's got a wireless outfit--madeit all himself," he added, proudly.
There was nothing further to worry the aviators, on the return of Larrywith the officer, so they prepared to have breakfast, and thenLieutenant McBride said he would arrange to have the official start inthe prize race made from Fort Wadsworth.
"But we'll have to fly over New York again," suggested Dick, "and ifwe're arrested a second time--"
"I think I can arrange that for you," said the army man. "I will havethe war department make a request of the civil authorities who will, nodoubt, grant permission to soar over the city."
"Good!" cried Dick. "And now for breakfast. Didn't that officer saysomething about a restaurant around here?"
"Yes, I telephoned from one," spoke Larry. "Then let's go there andhave breakfast," suggested the young millionaire. "We'll have a littlemore room than in the airship, and Innis won't have to do the cooking."
"Oh, I don't mind," the stout cadet put in.
"What about leaving the airship all alone?" asked Paul, for already acrowd had gathered about it.
"I'll look out for it while you're gone," promised the officer.
"Isn't there some shed around here where we could leave it, so it wouldbe safe?" asked Innis.
"What's the idea of that?" Dick wanted to know. "We'll be sailing downto the fort in an hour or so."
"Why can't we stay over a day or so in New York?" went on Innis. "Idon't get here very often, and I'd like to see the sights."
"You mean you'd like to
see the girls!" declared Paul, laughingly.
"Have your own way," murmured Innis. "But, if the airship would besafe up here in the park, in a shed, we could take our time, and nothave to hurry so."
"I guess that would be a good plan," agreed Dick. "I'd like to see thegirls myself. We'll do it if we can find a shed."
The obliging officer arranged this for them, and the airship was soonsafely housed, a watchman being engaged to keep away the curious. Thenour friends went to breakfast, and, later, down town.
Mr. Vardon wanted to call on some fellow aviators, now that it had beendecided to postpone the start a day, and Larry Dexter had some businessto transact at the newspaper office.
"And we'll go see the girls!" cried Dick.
Mabel Hanford, Grace Knox and Irene Martin, the three young ladies inwhom the boys were more than ordinarily interested, had come on to NewYork, after their school closed, and our friends had made ahalf-promise to meet them in the metropolis. Now the promise could bekept. They found the girls at a hotel, where they resided part of theyear, and, sending up their cards, were ushered to their sitting-room.
"And did you really come all the way from Hamilton Corners to New Yorkin your airship?" asked Mabel of Dick.
"We surely did," he answered. "And we're going to start for SanFrancisco tomorrow. We just stopped overnight to see you."
"We appreciate the honor," laughed Irene, with a bow.
"Have you any engagement for tonight?" asked Innis.
"We were going to the theatre," said Grace.
"Isn't there any place we could go to a dance?" inquired Paul.
"Say, he's crazy on these new dances!" exclaimed Dick. "I caught himdoing the 'lame duck' the other night, with the broom for a partner."
"Oh, do you do that?" cried Mabel.
"A little," admitted Paul.
"Will you show us how the steps go?" asked Irene.
"And I know the 'lace glide,' and the 'pivot whirl,'" put in Dick. "Youneedn't think you can walk off with all the honors," he said to hischum, laughingly.
"Oh, let's stay at the hotel and dance tonight," suggested Mabel."Mamma will chaperone us. It will be more fun than the theatre."
"We'll have to hire dress suits," said Innis. "We didn't bring them inthe airship."
"No, we'll make it very informal," Grace remarked. "There is a littleprivate ballroom we can engage."
So it was arranged, and the young people spent an enjoyable evening,doing some of the newest steps.
"We'll come down to the fort in the morning, and see you start for SanFrancisco," promised Mabel, as she said good-night to Dick.
"Will you!" he exclaimed. "That will be fine of you!"
An early morning start was made for the fort, after the airship, whichhad been left in Bronx Park all night, had been carefully gone over.An additional supply of gasolene was taken aboard, some adjustmentsmade to the machinery, and more food put in the lockers.
"There are the girls!" exclaimed Dick, after they had made a successfullanding at the fort, which they would soon leave on their long flight.
"Oh, so they are! I hardly thought they'd come down," observed Paul,as he waved to the three pretty girls with whom they had danced thenight before.
"I wish we were going with you!" cried Mabel, as she greeted Dick.
"Oh, Mabel! You do not!" rebuked Irene.
"Well, I just do!" was the retort. "It's so stupid just staying at asummer resort during the hot weather."
"We'll come back, after we win the prize, and do the 'aeroplane glide'with you," promised Innis.
"Will you?" demanded Irene. "Remember now, that's a promise."
Final arrangements were made, and everything was in readiness for thestart for the Pacific. The army officers had inspected the craft, andcongratulated the young owner and the builder on her completeness.
"Well, good-bye, girls," said Dick, as he and his chums shook handswith their friends who had come to see them off. The aviators tooktheir places in the cabin. A hasty inspection showed that everythingwas in readiness.
"Well, here we go!" murmured Dick.
He turned the switch of the electric starter, and, an instant later,the Abaris shot forward over the ground, rising gracefully on a long,upward slant.
Then Dick, who was at the steering wheel, headed his craft due West.
From the parade ground below them came cheers from the army men andother spectators, the shrill cries of the three girls mingling.
"I wonder what will happen before we dance with them again?" spokePaul, musingly.
"You can't tell," answered Innis, as he looked down for a last sight ofa certain pretty face.
"Well, we can only hit the ground twice between here and SanFrancisco," remarked Dick, as he turned on more power. "If we have tocome down the third time--we lose the prize."
"We're not going to lose it!" asserted Mr. Vardon, earnestly.
Of course there were many more entrants for the prize than DickHamilton. Two airships had started that morning before he got off inhis craft, and three others were to leave that afternoon. Oneprominent birdman from the West was due to start the next day, and onthe following two from the South were scheduled to leave. There werealso several well-known foreigners who were making a try for the fame,honor and money involved.
But this story only concerns Dick Hamilton's airship, and the attemptof himself, and his Uncle Ezra, to win the prize, and I have space forno more than a mere mention of the other contestants.