CHAPTER XIV
TO THE RESCUE!
The next morning before dawn had penetrated the jungle, Dick awoke froma troubled sleep with a voice sounding in his ears.
"Arise my son! Now is the time to set forth."
Springing from his bed of leafy branches and soft skins, Dick saw hisfaithful Kurt pacing back and forth near by, while Kurul, stretchedunder a mango tree, was snoring heavily.
The two devoted tribesmen had guarded him, taking shifts through thenight. Near his resting place Ray and Dan were still sound asleep,exhausted by the excitement of the night before.
Dick paused a moment to look at the sleeping girl, whose flushed cheeksand dark tumbled hair made a pretty picture, but again the voice was inhis ears, and he recognized it as the Mahatma's.
"Take the horses and set out to find your father. Now is the time."
Dick could not see the Hindu. A few drowsy natives were stirring aboutthe camp, but the wise man had sought a hiding place in some hut. Yetthe Boy King knew that his adviser was guiding him by sending hismessage as before, and he hurried to get his force together.
Snatching a hasty bite as he moved about, Dick made up a party ofpicked men. First he selected Kurt, Kurul and Raal, dependablefighters; then Mutaba, for his knowledge of the jungle, and then anumber of first class warriors from the Gorols and Taharans, as many asthere were horses to mount.
Mutaba seemed to require no explanation. It seemed as though theMahatma had told him where to go and what to do.
In a few minutes the party set out, with Ray and Dan following in therear, rubbing their eyes sleepily. Veena rode with them, looking veryfresh and happy. Since Raal had won her heart by rescuing her, thelittle savage girl was no longer jealous of Ray and wanted to be herfriend.
As for the Mahatma, he stayed in the camp, promising to guide them fromhis resting place.
The trail of the fleeing Arabs was not hard to follow, as there wereplenty of hoof prints in the soft earth of the forest, and theundergrowth gave them no chance to stray from the narrow path.
Yet Dick saw how wise had been the Mahatma's advice to make no attemptto follow in the previous night's darkness. The way was crooked as asnake's trail and passed on narrow strips of hard ground betweentreacherous swamps, while sometimes a fallen tree was the only bridgeacross a sluggish stream.
The mist hung heavy over the forest, so that the depths were veiled ingray shadow and the sun could not penetrate the low-hanging fog, thoughit soon warmed it until it resembled the steam room of a Turkish bath.
"Glory be!" exclaimed Dan, yawning and mopping his wet brow. "This isa terrible place to be lost. I'd rather be back on the desert. Thereyou can see where you are going, at any rate!"
"Don't make a noise," cautioned Ray. "We don't know what enemies maybe lurking about."
"That's a fact. Mobogoma and his blacks may be behind any of thosetrees, waiting to shoot us full of arrows and make us look like apincushion."
"Yes. Or the Arabs may be close by. And that terrible Jess Slythe."
"I hope he is!" Dan exclaimed. "I'd like to get my hands on thatfellow."
"Don't, Dan! It makes me shudder to think of it. He wouldn't thinktwice about killing you in cold blood."
"I'm not scared of him!" boasted Dan, who always liked to show off alittle before his sister. "If I could meet him in a fair fight, I'dsoon show you who is the better man."
He was interrupted by the sound of a distant drum. The noise came fromsome native camp, that might be miles away and the message it tappedout in code seemed to convey a lugubrious warning.
"Gosh, that's enough to make a fellow want to creep in and hide,"muttered Dan. "Suppose it is a signal for some war party to attack us!"
"It does scare a person," Ray admitted. "Here in the jungle everythingis so terrifying and the drums get on my nerves."
Dick was far in advance at the head of the party with Mutaba.
"What do you make of that drum?" he asked.
The guide shook his black head and grinned.
"Is it a war drum?"
"No, Bwana Dick."
"Is it a warning from Chief Mobogoma to some other tribe?"
"No, Bwana Dick. Pay no attention to that drum."
"Tell me. If we are in danger I've got to know about it."
"I tell you, Master," said Mutaba. "The black fellows have drums forwar. They have drums for other things, too. This drum tells a man'swife, 'I am on Snake Island, hunting with my friends and we killed muchmeat."
"Is that all?"
"No. Listen, now it says more. It says, 'I ate so much last nightthat I am too heavy to walk. I won't come back until tomorrow night.'"
Dick laughed. "That's like a 'phone call from the office. What doesthe man's wife say?"
"Nothing." Mutaba grinned. "Wait until he get home. Then she sayplenty!"
"I guess it's the same the whole world over," smiled Dick. "Say, thisis fine! The fog is lifting. And look, we are getting out of theforest."
Mutaba cautioned for silence and, dismounting, ran ahead to see whatwas before them, while Dan halted the column.
He awaited anxiously until the guide returned and explained inawe-struck tones:
"Ahead of us is a wide clearing on high ground. A great bird is therewith broken wings. It is terrible magic."
"Are the Arabs there? And did you see Jess Slythe?"
"Yes, Bwana Dick. Slythe is there, but the others are leaving. Ithink they are afraid of the giant bird with broken wings."
"Well, I'm not!" cried Dick. And he shouted back to his followers."Forward men! Let's go!"
The warriors let out their horses and on approaching the cleared spacethey scattered among the open trees and charged in from differentangles. Before Dick's eyes was what he expected, from Mutaba'sdescription: the _Meteorite_ crashed and helpless.
Instantly he guessed what had happened.
Slythe had landed there with his prisoners whom he had taken toMobogoma's camp. Then after being driven out he had tried to escapewith Professor Oakwood, his remaining captive, and had crashed on thetake-off.
As Dick neared the plane he could see Jess working about it, while hisfather, tied by the wrists, sat on the ground, looking very wretchedand hopeless. No Arabs were in sight.
"Don't worry, Dad! Your troubles are over!" shouted Dick as hegalloped forward, while behind him thundered the hoofs of his rescueparty.
The professor gave a great shout of delight. Jess Slythe cursed anddrew his revolver, firing wildly, but the range was too great. Heemptied his gun without effect and before he could reload, thetribesmen were almost upon him, yelling and brandishing their weapons.Already arrows were whistling about his ears, as the riders shot fromthe saddle and Jess Slythe saw that his only chance for safety was inflight. Cursing like a madman he waved his empty gun at the riders,then dashed for his own horse and put spurs to it.
"After him, men!" shouted Dick, and he saw the riders hot in pursuit.But as for himself, he was not so keen to overtake Jess Slythe as tohold his father in his arms.
Out of the saddle he leaped and the next instant he was embracing theold man and laughing, almost crying in excitement.
"Oh, Dad, this is wonderful!"
"My boy! My boy!" the older man exclaimed, and after giving Dick a bighug he held him off at arm's length and surveyed him.
Dick made a splendid showing in his garb of a savage king, clad in theskin of a wild beast and carrying primitive weapons, and his father wasproud of him as well as astonished.
"I always trusted you to come out all right!" he exclaimed. "RexCarter said I did wrong to let you run loose in Africa, but I told himyou were able to take care of yourself better than most men."
"But at that, you never expected to hear of me crowned with the ancientdiadem of the Taharans and Gorols," laughed Dick. "Say Dad, what doyou think! I found a Hindu wise man who says that crown was once ownedby King Solomon himself."
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nbsp; Professor Oakwood did not try to laugh off this story. Instead heanswered seriously, "There are more strange things in the wilds ofAfrica than I ever dreamed of. I must talk to your wise man."
The father and son had much to say to each other. The professorexplained how Jess Slythe had tried to fly with him that morning butthe plane had made a faulty take-off and crashed before it got far fromthe ground.
"And Jess had a stiff row with the Arab scoundrel, Abdul," saidProfessor Oakwood. "That's why the Arabs left in a huff, and Jess wastrying to patch up the plane."
Dan and Ray had joined the party now, while most of the tribesmengathered about, staring at the damaged _Meteorite_. One by one, themen who had been pursuing Jess Slythe returned. The clever scoundrelhad given them all the slip, and as he was mounted on a fresh horse,there was little chance of catching up with him.
"Give it up as a bad job!" observed Dan. "Say, I'll meet that crooksome day and, boy! How I'll make him suffer!"
"He will be punished sooner or later," said Professor Oakwood. "Novillain escapes in the long run. Sometimes the penalty is delayed, butsomehow, sometime, the evil-doers pay for their wickedness."
"Is that why you never get excited, Dad?"
"Yes, Dick, I am philosophic about life. Believing as I do, I can takethings as they come."
"You and the Mahatma would have a lot to talk about," said Dan eagerly."Say, that wise old bird has everything all figured out. He'swonderful!"
Ray laughed.
"Dan is funny," she said. "First he disbelieves everything, but oncehe is convinced, he swallows all he is told."
"Oh, come now, Ray," exclaimed her brother. "You should be the firstto admit that Old Santa Claus--I mean the Mahatma--is the real thing.Why, without him we would have been killed by the savages and you wouldnot have been rescued."
Dan went on to explain the Hindu's power to send his thoughts throughspace and to control animals by his mysterious gift.
"Seeing is believing!" laughed Ray. "When I actually _see_ all that,I'll believe it."
But Professor Oakwood was inclined to take the Mahatma seriously. "Iam anxious to talk to this wise man from the East," he said. "There isnothing I should like better than to learn more about his occult power."
"You will have the chance today," said Dick. "He is waiting for us atthe camp."
"That's where you're wrong," said Dan. "Some mysterious power tells methat he is on his way here."
He gravely closed his eyes, placed one hand on his forehead and raisingthe other one spread his fingers rapidly and closed them again."Hocus-pocus! Abracadabra! Now-you-see-it. Now-you-don't! Herecomes the Mahatma now!"
Ray saw a suspicious twitch at the corner of her brother's mouth andcried, "Dan Carter, you're spoofing us!"
Dick looked hastily in the direction of the jungle trail by which theyhad come and saw figures moving through the trees.
"Say, you foxy rascal!" he exclaimed. "It's easy to guess what'mysterious power' told you that the Mahatma is on the way. It wasjust good eyesight!"
Sure enough, the litter bearers were now at the edge of the clearingand the Hindu could be seen plainly moving toward them.
"I told you so!" cried Ray. "All this crystal gazing and the othermiracles can be explained just as easily. I bet the Mahatma has beenlaughing at you all the time."
Both Dick and Dan paid no attention to her outburst. Already they wererunning to meet the old man, whom they regarded as their benefactor,and soon they were leading him in triumph to the plane where ProfessorOakwood was standing.
Dick introduced his father and the two elderly gentlemen shook hands.They were totally different in appearance, the professor so spare anderect with thin, alert features and the Mahatma, stout, even pudgy,with his flowing beard and dark intelligent eyes.
"I am grateful to you for helping us out of a great danger," saidProfessor Oakwood. "My son tells me that you have used your strangescience to save our lives."
"I know but little," said the Mahatma gravely, "but what littleknowledge I have is at your service."
"How can I ever repay you?"
"Your son has offered to repay me a thousand times over," replied theMahatma. "When he shows me the ancient crown, engraved with symbols ofknowledge, I shall be the happiest man in the world."
"That's right," Dick cried. "I'll take you back to the land of theGorols. That's where the crown is guarded."
"It's going to be a long hard trek for a fat man," blurted Dan. Thenhe blushed and stammered, "Excuse me! You're not so _terribly_ fat!What I mean is, it's a hot trip across the desert. I minded it myself."
The Mahatma smiled. "Don't apologize, my son! And have no fear aboutthe long journey, for my crystal tells me that we shall fly therethrough the air."
"Oh, you mean in the plane. That's where we are all out of luck. JessSlythe crashed it this morning."
"So my crystal told me," said the Hindu. "But we do not need thatplane. Another one is on the way now. It is many times larger thanthis one and can carry us with ease."
"You mean my father's plane?" Dan was excited at the prediction.
"Did you not say that your father had an airplane that could fly withus--even to Holy India? Behold, it is flying toward us even now."
Dick, Dan and Ray all searched the sky for a glimpse of Rex Carter'scabin plane, but there was not a speck in the blue.
"False alarm!" laughed Ray. "Lucky we have horses!"
"You're going to admit that you're wrong," teased Dan.
Dick produced his binoculars from the case that hung over his shoulderand studied the heavens but there was no trace of a plane to be seenanywhere.
"Not yet, my son!" said the Mahatma. "We can go to the fringe of theforest and rest in the shade. It will be an hour before the planeappears from the west."
He signalled to his bearers and they carried his litter to the nearestclump of trees, while Professor Oakwood walked alongside, conversingearnestly with the wise man.
The others followed and soon all were comfortably seated in the shade,and happy to be out of the blistering African sunlight.
Ray, Dan and Dick had plenty to talk about for a while but presentlyRay became drowsy in the heat and yawned.
"I need a good sleep," she declared. "I've had too much excitement."
"What I crave is a good lunch," said Dan. "Why didn't somebody bring apicnic basket?"
His head sank between his knees and he dozed off but suddenly Dickshook him by the shoulders and the distant roar of engines was thefirst thing he heard.
At first Dan thought he was dreaming, then he sprang to his sister andshouted in her ear, "Wake up! Wake up! Look, Ray! There comes theplane!"
Ray ran out into the clearing, shouting and waving her arms.
Dan and Dick followed her and yelled at the top of their voices.
"This is silly," said Dick, finally. "What's the use of shouting? Wecould never be heard above the noise of the engines."
"It's too far away to see us," groaned Dan.
"But they are sure to see the wrecked _Meteorite_" Dick assured him.
"That's so. If they keep straight on, they will pass right over it,"said Ray, then her voice broke as she exclaimed, "Look, Dan. It'sbanking for a turn. The plane is starting the other way!"