CHAPTER XVI
A FRIGHTENED SETTLEMENT
Silence greeted the announcement of Jerry Hopkins, and for a fewmoments all gazed downward on the horsemen below them--that is, all butProfessor Snodgrass. It would need something more than this to take himaway from his notebooks.
“Just show ’em that we don’t care about ’em,” proposed Ned. “Scootdown toward ’em, Jerry, and then speed up for all you’re worth. We caneasily leave ’em behind.”
“That’s right,” chimed in Bob. “You do that, and I’ll see about gettingsomething to eat.”
“Something to eat!” exclaimed Jim Nestor. “Why, we had breakfast only alittle while ago.”
“You don’t know Chunky,” said Jerry, with a smile. “From now on he’sgoing to live in the cooking galley.”
“I am not!” indignantly exclaimed the stout lad. “And if I did, I guessyou fellows would be glad of it, for you’re generally as hungry as Iam.”
“All right, Chunky, we’ll forgive you,” spoke Ned.
“But, how about fooling Noddy, Jerry?”
“I guess it won’t do any harm. Here goes.”
He went back to the engine room, and while the others in the partywatched those below them, who sought to get on the trail of the sixtynuggets of gold, Jerry sent the _Comet_ down until they could hear theexcited shouts of one of the horsemen with Noddy.
“That’s the grub-staker!” exclaimed Ned. “He doesn’t know much aboutairships, and I guess he thinks we’re going to smash into him.”
“Noddy and Bill are taking it calmly enough,” observed the tall lad, asindeed the two plotters were, for they could be seen gazing up at themotorship as if they knew its power and what it would do. But the otherman was yelling excitedly, and urging his steed to one side.
The motor boys were too far away to permit them to hear what was beingsaid, but it was evident that Noddy and Bill were trying to reassuretheir companion.
“Now show ’em our heels!” cried Ned and, as Jerry set the motor to fullspeed ahead, the _Comet_ leaped forward on an upward slant and soon wasbut a speck in the sky, while the disappointed horsemen tried in vainto follow its flight.
“They’ve given us the slip!” exclaimed Bill Berry.
“Never mind, we’ve seen in what direction they started,” declaredNoddy. “And you know the best place to head for; don’t you?” he askedof the other man.
“I reckon so,” replied the grub-staker. “But I never thought they couldhandle an airship so. Why, they might ram us!”
“Oh, it’s easy enough to handle one of those things,” spoke Noddy, halfcontemptuously. “I have done it.” But in his own heart he knew he hadnever managed a craft with the skill of the motor boys.
Our friends continued on their upward flight until they lost sight ofthe horsemen, and they knew they, themselves, must be but a mere speckin the sky.
“Now let ’em follow--if they can!” exclaimed Jerry, as he set theautomatic steering gear. “How about that grub you spoke of, Bob?”
“It’ll be ready soon. What did I tell you?” demanded the vindicatedstout lad, with a laugh. “I said you’d be hungry as soon as I was.”
“Well, this high altitude--ahem!” laughed the tall lad. “Serve it up,Bob!” he added, with assumed dignity.
During the meal they talked over their plans, and it was decided, firstof all, to stick to the original scheme of pretending to be attachedto the professor’s scientific party.
“We’ll go to Bolton,” said Jim Nestor. “That’s the nearest settlementof any account this side of the Border, and near the valley you spokeof, Harvey.”
“Yes, I guess Bolton would be the best place,” assented the prospector.“I was there just before I made my strike, and from there I can lay outthe course to the valley. There’s only one thing bothering me, though.”
“What is that?” asked Jim.
“Well, you see the only way I can locate that valley is by thelandmarks on the surface. There are two or three things by which Icould tell when I got to the head of it. But, being up in the air thisway, I don’t see how I’m going to recognize ’em.”
“Oh, that will be easy,” asserted Jerry. “We can make a descentwhenever we want to, and look about. If you see any signs that wouldtell us we were near the valley, then we can rise above the hillsagain, and move along until we are hovering over the big gash. Then wecan drop down into it.”
“Drop down into it!” exclaimed the prospector, for he had not yetgotten used to hearing Jerry and the others speaking so naturally of a“drop” from the clouds.
“Well, that is, drop gently,” explained Jerry, with a smile.
This plan appealed to all as a good one, and it was adopted. That daythey skimmed along, not going at any great speed after they had leftNoddy and his cronies behind. At night, to prevent being blown too faroff their course, in case a wind should spring up, they descended intoa little valley, where they anchored. Harvey Brill recognized the placeas one where he had once prospected without results.
“We’re not many miles, as the crow flies, from the Border valley,” saidthe old prospector, as he looked about him; “though it took me a goodwhile to make that distance, traveling on foot.”
The night passed uneventfully, but, when morning dawned, they foundthat a stiff gale was blowing. Sheltered as they were, they did notrealize the strength of it, but, when they ascended, the _Comet_ wasalmost pitched on her “beam ends” once she was above the shelter of thehills.
“Say, this is fierce!” cried Ned, who was in the pilot house, helpingJerry, while Bob attended to the engine room. “We’d better go down,Jerry!”
“I think so--myself!” panted the tall lad, struggling to pull over thelever of the deflecting rudder. “I want to--but this is stuck!” hecried. “It’s gotten jammed in some way!”
“What can we do?”
“Scud along--that’s the only chance until the wind slackens. Then, whenthere isn’t so much pressure on the planes, I can work the rudder.”
And scud they did, their speed being increased by the power of thewind. They were not flying high, and Jerry dared not send the craft upany farther for fear of getting into a still breezier stratum of air.
“I hope we don’t hit anything!” he murmured, as he watched the speedand pressure gauges in the pilot house. Ned stood beside him, ready tohelp, and Jim Nestor had been pressed into service in the motor room.The professor was, as usual, busy over his books, and Harvey Brill wasmoving restlessly about, half fearing the danger he knew surroundedthem.
It was about noon when Ned, who was looking from the forward port ofthe pilot house, exclaimed:
“Jerry, I think we’ll have to go up whether we want to or not. There’sa big cliff just ahead of us, and we’re heading right for it.”
Jerry sprang to his chum’s side, and quickly made some calculations.
“I think we can just about clear it,” he said. “If we can, so much thebetter, for I have a notion that it’s blowing great guns higher up. Ithink we can clear it.”
He and Ned watched anxiously, their hands on the levers ready to sendthe _Comet_ up if necessary. But, as they approached the cliff, theysaw that they could clear it by a small margin.
“And a good thing, too,” declared Jerry, with a glance aloft at thescudding clouds.
They crossed the pinnacle of the small mountain, and on the other side,saw, stretched before them, a level plain. On the far edge could bemade out a small village or settlement.
“There’s Bolton!” exclaimed Jim Nestor. “We’re near the Border now!”
On rushed the _Comet_, and, as it came nearer the town, under bettercontrol now, for the wind had fallen off somewhat, a curious scene waspresented. There was an outpouring of men and a few women--a horde ofhorsemen, and all gathered in a compact mass to watch the oncomingmotorship.
As it approached nearer, cries of wonder could be heard, and then,as the craft swept straight for the settlement, with Jerry in thepilot ho
use looking for a smooth place to make a landing, the wholepopulation turned, and fled as though some pursuing demon was afterthem.
“They’re scared out of their wits!” cried Ned. “I guess they never sawan airship before.”