CHAPTER XXX
THE AIRSHIP TREASURE--CONCLUSION
"That's the same one!"
"The craft Brown and Black had."
"The one they ordered us away from; I can tell by the peculiar wingtips--at least from what's left of 'em."
Thus spoke Bob, Ned and Jerry in turn as they stood in the littleclearing where they had landed, and viewed the airship wreck that wasjust on the edge of it.
"Jove, but she's certainly smashed up!" went on the stout lad.
"The engine is nothing but junk," said Ned.
"And look where the radiator is," called Jerry. "Up in that beechtree." The cooling apparatus, torn loose from the rest of the machineryhad caught on a great limb and hung there.
"She must have crashed full-tilt into the trees," was Ned's opinion."That tore things loose, and then, if the engine was going, thepropellers threshed around and broke to pieces."
"That last is true, anyhow," observed Bob. "Here is a piece of one ofthe blades," and he held it up.
Professor Snodgrass was observed to be carefully scanning the groundabout the wreck.
"Are you looking for the treasure?" asked Jerry.
"Eh? What's that? Treasure? No, my dear boy, I'm looking for the flyingfrog. This seems a likely place to find one."
"And we'll have a look for the treasure," said Ned, smiling at theodd indifference of the professor. "It ought to be somewhere aroundhere--if Brown and Black, or whatever their names are--told the truth."
After a glance at the wrecked craft the three boys began eagerlylooking for the loot from the bank.
"First we'd better make sure it isn't still aboard," suggested Jerry."They had two or three compartments on their craft where they couldcarry the money."
It needed but the most casual glance, however, to show that none ofthe treasure was now aboard the _Silver Star_. In fact the severalcompartments or boxes of which Jerry had spoken were smashed beyondholding anything. In the corner of one, however, where it had becomejammed, was part of the same curious implement that had first arousedtheir suspicions.
"That's the drill they used to make a hole in the safe door, so theycould put in the explosive," declared Bob.
"Yes, and we'd better take it along for evidence," remarked Jerry, ashe carried the tool to their own machine.
"And there's not so much as a gold-piece here," gloomily went on Ned,after a careful survey of the ground about the wreck. "I guess they'vegot it hidden somewhere."
"I don't agree with you," declared Jerry. "I think it was in the shipafter they were spilled out. How long it remained after that we can'tsay. But I'm going to have a look back over the air path which thismachine took in coming here."
They were hopeful at first, but when, after a walk of several hours,they had not even found a scrap of paper they began to get discouraged.All about them was the vast, silent forest, in which it seemed that thefoot of man had not been set since the Indians had disappeared.
"It's no use," declared Bob, sitting down on a stone. "I wish I'dbrought along something to eat. I'm going back. You fellows can hunt,if you want to."
"Oh, come on, just a little farther," urged Jerry. "Go one more mile,and then, if we don't find something we'll go back, and try it againto-morrow."
"Well, just one mile more," stipulated the fat lad wearily.
They trudged on, poking about in the dead leaves for a sight of gold orpaper. They had about covered the additional mile, and Bob was urginghis companions to return, when, as he impatiently kicked at a stone, heuttered a cry.
"Hurt yourself?" asked Jerry, turning around.
Bob did not answer. He dug his fist down into the leaves and dirt, andwhen he raised his hand his fingers clutched something that glitteredin the sun.
"Gold! Gold!" he cried. "A twenty dollar gold piece!"
"The airship treasure at last!" shouted Jerry.
Almost immediately after that Ned found three of the double eaglesscattered about, and Jerry picked up five more close together. Thenthey hurried along the track, as indicated by the gold, and in a fewminutes they came upon a bundle of papers. The wrappings were tornoff, and then to the delighted gaze of the boys there were disclosedbig bundles of bills, and the other securities that had been stolenfrom the bank vault. Jerry hastily counted them over.
"There's two hundred and six thousand dollars here," he announced.
"That's right," confirmed Ned. "There was four thousand in gold taken.Let's see if we can't pick up some more."
They hurried back to the place where they had first found theglittering coins, and by dint of searching in the leaves managed topick up one hundred and ten of the coins--twenty-two hundred dollars.Then, as it was getting late, and they wanted to make secure the greattreasure they had found, they went back to their craft.
As they came in view of it they saw Professor Snodgrass capering aboutlike a boy.
"Hurrah! Hurrah!" he shouted at the sight of them. "I've found it!"
"Maybe he found the rest of the gold," suggested Ned.
"We've got most of the treasure!" yelled Bob.
"And I've got my treasure--my prize--the flying frog!" exclaimed thescientist. "I just caught it! Oh, but I am the lucky man! Congratulateme, boys!"
"Look here!" called Jerry, showing the big bundle of notes.
"Ah, yes, very good, very good," spoke the professor calmly, "but lookat this," and, trembling with eagerness, he opened a specimen box andshowed the boys a tiny, trembling green frog. "I had rather have thisthan the airship treasure," said the professor. "You ought to see itchange color."
He agreed with the boys that it was useless to spend any more timehunting for the rest of the gold. It had evidently been scattered whenthe airship turned over, spilling out the other valuables, just beforecrashing into the trees.
"The bank will be glad enough to get that back, and with the capture ofthe robbers, to pay you the reward," said the professor.
The airship treasure was carefully put aboard the _Comet_ and then,rising high in the air, the nose of the craft was pointed toward theeast, and she began her swift flight again over the pathless forest.
"Well, something was doing on this trip, almost all the while,"remarked Ned, a day or so later when they were nearing Harmolet.
"Yes, it was one of the most exciting ones we've had," agreed Jerry.
But it was not the last voyage of our heroes, for they were destinedfor other adventures, which will be related in the next volume, to beentitled, "The Motor Boys After a Fortune; Or The Hut on Snake Island."
"I'd like to know the secret of the cloth on the statue and how Noddy'sand Bill's names came in the torch," said Bob.
They did learn a little later, at the trial of the robbers. It becamenecessary to have evidence about the queer bicycle tires, and Noddy,being a witness, explained how he had purchased a set exactly likethose on the _Silver Star_ from a supply left by Brown and Black.
It developed at the trial that Noddy had proposed to Bill the daringscheme of sailing around the head of the statue in the park, andlifting off a loose portion of the torch as a trophy. Noddy thought itwould show his skill as an aviator, and that the people of Harmoletwould be much surprised when they found the piece of bronze gone. Itwas this scheme he was proposing to his crony, when Jerry overheardhim. Noddy had been in Harmolet before, and knew about the statue.
But Noddy had a slight accident in his machine after leaving the Coltongrounds, and so could not start to circle the statue until after dark.Then the park was deserted and no one saw him. He had his trouble forhis pains, and found it impossible to take away a piece of the bronze.He and Bill went too close, and tore one of their wing tips. Noddy didmanage to toss his name and Bill's into the hollow torch, a foolish andrisky trick.
They escaped police detection, which Bill was afraid of, but gainednone of the notoriety for which Noddy thirsted. Then the two went offon an auto trip that lasted until they were summoned to court.
"It's no wonder though, af
ter what happened, and remembering Noddy'stalk, that we suspected them for a time," said Jerry; and his chumsagreed with him.
The trial of the two robbers, who went under various names, was shortand summary. They had recovered from their accident when taken tocourt. The evidence against them, given by the boys, was so conclusive,that they did not offer a defense, and were quickly convicted.
It developed that the day they were in the little country town, wherethe boys first saw them, they were planning the robbery, and themention of Harmolet so startled them that they betrayed a nervousnessthat drew the attention of our friends to them.
The boys had found nearly all the gold, for what was missing had beenspent by the thieves. The evil doers were sent to prison for long terms.
Of course our heroes received the ten thousand dollars reward, and thethanks of the bank officials. The prize money was divided among them,Professor Snodgrass getting his share. Nor did the boys forget thefriendly policeman, Mr. Thompson, but for whose aid they might not havegotten on the trail of the thieves.
Professor Snodgrass returned to the museum, the proud possessor of theflying frog, as well as many other specimens gathered on the trip.As for the boys, they had several more trips in the _Comet_ and thenprepared to return to school in the fall. Anxiously then, they awaitedthe next summer, when they planned to do great things.
And now, for the time being we will say good-bye to the motor boys,trusting to meet them soon again.
THE END