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diff --git a/old/50165-0.txt b/old/50165-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index bfda7e2..0000000 --- a/old/50165-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6958 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Flying Machine Boys on Duty, by Frank -Walton - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Flying Machine Boys on Duty - The Clue Above the Clouds - - -Author: Frank Walton - - - -Release Date: October 9, 2015 [eBook #50165] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON DUTY*** - - -E-text prepared by Stephen Hutcheson, Rick Morris, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 50165-h.htm or 50165-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50165/50165-h/50165-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50165/50165-h.zip) - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Small capitals have been rendered as full capitals. - - - - - -[Illustration: - - Descending from his seat, the aviator was greeted by two boys not far - from his own age. - _The Flying Machine Boys on Duty._ _Page 4._] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - -THE FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON DUTY - -Or - -The Clue Above the Clouds - -by - -FRANK WALTON - -Author of -“The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service” -“The Flying Machine Boys in the Wilds” -“The Flying Machine Boys in Mexico” - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - -A. L. Burt Company -New York. - -Copyright 1913 -By A. L. Burt Company - -THE FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON DUTY - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - THE FLYING MACHINE BOYS - ON DUTY - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - ABOVE NEW YORK BAY. - - -An aviator, swinging northward in a June twilight, found himself -constantly annoyed by the driver of a machine whose only motive in life -seemed to be to get in the way. Turn as he might to right or left, sail -high or low, the obstinate and impertinent pursuer was always at hand to -threaten him. - -To the west, lay Bedloe’s island, showing the Statue of Liberty, ruddy -in the sunlight. To the east, Governor’s island presented the -battlements of Fort Columbus and Castle William. To the north, or to the -northeast, to be more exact, lay Battery park, a smear of green at the -lower end of Manhattan island. - -For a time people on ferryboats traversing New York bay looked upward in -momentary expectation of a battle in the air. Then the two flying -machines passed north along the line of Broadway, crossed over Bronx -park, and came to the vicinity of Pelham bay, in Westchester county. - -Here the aviator who had shown such pugnacity in his dashes and swirls -at the other, and who had been repulsed only by the finest skill and -tact, wheeled straight to the west and was soon lost to sight in the -gathering darkness. - -For a moment it seemed that the aviator who had thus far acted only on -the defensive was about to become the aggressor and follow in the wake -of his persecutor. In fact, he was about to swing away in pursuit when -the ringing of a bell at a hangar below attracted his attention. Then, -with a frown showing on a boyish face, he swung to the north a short -distance and volplaned to a level space in front of the hangar. - -Descending from his seat, the aviator was greeted, rather anxiously it -seemed, by two boys not far from his own age. Very little was said until -the flying machine had been run into the great shed, and then the three -turned away to a rather elaborate office building which stood in a grove -of trees at the entrance to the grounds. - -A chill wind was blowing off Long Island sound, and the boys found a -grate fire burning brightly in a private room at the rear of the -structure. They seated themselves before the leaping flames and looked -expectantly into each other’s faces for a moment before speaking. - -Those who have read the opening volume of this series will need little -introduction to James Stuart, Ben Whitcomb and Carl Nichols. Street boys -of sixteen, they had, some months before, met Louis Havens, the famous -millionaire aviator, and accompanied him on a trip to Mexico which had -brought both fame and fortune to every member of the party. - -On their return to New York from the “Burning Mountain” the boys had -planned a course in college, but, at the request of Mr. Havens, they had -promised to undertake a daring commission from the New York chief of -police. A short time before their return to the city the night-watchman -of the Buyers’ Bank had been murdered, the monster safe dynamited, and -thousands of dollars in currency and securities taken. - -It was believed by the chief of police that the burglars—two of the -craftiest and most desperate criminals on the continent—were in hiding -in the wild and mountainous region south of Monterey bay, on the Pacific -coast. - -On the theory that the Flying Machine Boys would be able to visit every -nook and corner of the region where the criminals were supposed to be, -with comparative ease, in their new and up-to-date machines, and, also, -that the appearance of the lads in that section would not be apt to -arouse the suspicions of the hunted men, the chief of police had -proposed the journey to Havens, and he had induced the boys to accept -the almost princely offer made by the official. - -On account of the hazardous nature of the proposed trip, and because of -the long distances to be traveled, special attention had been given to -the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_, the two aeroplanes ordered made by the -boys immediately upon their arrival at New York. These machines had been -completed the previous day, and the trip over New York bay made by -Jimmie Stuart that afternoon had been the first tryout for the _Louise_, -a very strong aeroplane, capable of carrying, when necessity required, -two passengers and at least a hundred pounds of camp equipage and -provisions. - -“Who’s your friend?” asked Carl Nichols, short, fat, blue of eyes and -pink of skin, as the three boys sat before the open grate fire in the -private room in the office building at Havens’ hangar. - -“He’s no friend of mine!” Jimmie Stuart, red-headed and freckled-faced, -declared. “He picked me up down on the Jersey coast and did his best to -get me into a mix-up. I dodged him all the way to Bronx park because, -you see, I was not quite sure of my machine.” - -“Did you get a good look at the fellow?” asked Ben Whitcomb, -grave-faced, athletic, and inclined to worry over troubles which had not -yet materialized. “It looked to me as if you might have slapped his -face, he was so near to you when you passed over Battery park.” - -“Oh, yes!” Jimmie answered. “I got a view of his face from almost every -angle! He’s a low-browed brute, with ears like wings, and a hunch in his -shoulders which makes you think of one of the muckers at Croton dam.” - -“He certainly can run a machine, though!” Carl Nichols declared, “and he -has an aeroplane that can go some, too!” - -“But what’s the idea?” asked Ben. “Why should he be chasing you around -in that impudent way?” - -“I’ve got a notion,” Jimmie replied, “that he wanted to try out the -_Louise_. He resorted to every trick known to airmen to induce me to -make some kind of an error in handling the machine. He’s an expert -himself, and he evidently wanted to know whether I am capable of -operating a peach of a flying-machine like the _Louise_.” - -“I don’t believe it was just idle curiosity that made the fellow stick -to you in that way,” Carl interrupted. “I’ve been thinking that the -purpose of our trip to the Pacific coast may have become known to -friends of Phillips and Mendosa, the men who are believed to have -dynamited the safe of the Buyers’ Bank and murdered the night-watchman. -The crooks may have men on guard here!” - -“That seems hardly probable,” Ben suggested. “The police have a pretty -good case against Phillips and Mendosa, and, so far as my knowledge -goes, a crook who stands in the shadow of the electric chair has few -friends willing to interest themselves in his behalf.” - -“Yes, but look here,” Jimmie argued, “Phillips and Mendosa lifted -thousands of dollars in currency. So far as the officers know they still -have the entire proceeds of the robbery in their possession. Even -murderers with so many dollars in their possession are not likely to -lack capable friends.” - -“I guess that’s right,” Carl put in, “and the two murderers will of -course scatter money like water in order to keep out of the clutches of -the law!” - -“Yes,” Ben suggested, “the clues point so directly to Phillips and -Mendosa that they would naturally spend every dollar they stole in order -to keep away from the New York officers.” - -While the boys talked, the door to the private office opened softly. Mr. -Havens stood for a moment on the threshold and then stepped up to the -fire. The young man was tall, slender and supple, with a dusky -complexion and black hair and eyes. He was twenty-four years of age, but -looked much younger. The millions he possessed had been inherited from -his father, and instead of spending them along the Great White Way, he -was devoting his entire attention to aviation. - -“What’s the argument, boys?” he asked, standing before the grate with a -smile on his face. “Machines working all right?” - -“Finely!” replied Jimmie. “I had a fine ride over the bay this -afternoon. The _Louise_ motor runs like a watch!” - -“I saw you from Battery park,” Havens answered. - -“Then you must have seen the gink chasing me up?” Jimmie asked, -tentatively. - -“I noticed that,” Havens replied. “What was the occasion of it?” - -“That’s just what we were discussing,” Jimmie said. - -“And we had about concluded,” Ben interrupted, “that our plans regarding -the visit to the Pacific coast must have leaked out.” - -“That doesn’t seem possible!” exclaimed Havens. “Why,” he went on, “even -the intimates of the chief of police at headquarters know nothing -whatever of the matter. There must be some other explanation of what -took place this afternoon.” - -“I have known crooks to have friends among the men higher up!” laughed -Jimmie. “It may be so in this case.” - -“There is one sure thing about it,” Havens went on, “and that is that if -any hint regarding your proposed trip in quest of the murderers has by -any chance become known to the friends of the crooks, the exact tactics -shown this afternoon would be likely to be resorted to.” - -“Yes,” Ben agreed, “it does seem that the first thing the crooks would -do would be to prevent our departure for the Pacific Coast. A group of -flying machine boys certainly represents a new element in secret service -work! We must watch our machines after this!” - -“If the fresh aviator really belongs to the crowd of crooks connected -with the murderers,” Carl broke in, “we’ll hear from him again. He’ll -follow us to the coast! He wouldn’t cease his efforts after chasing the -_Louise_ up New York bay.” - -“He will have to chase us up if he continues his surveillance, for he -won’t have long to spy on us here,” Jimmie declared. “We’re to leave for -the Pacific coast day after to-morrow, as I understand it!” - -“How about to-night?” asked Havens. - -The boys sprang to their feet excitedly. - -“To-night!” shouted Carl. “That will be fine!” - -“That appears to me to be a good way of dodging trouble,” Ben -acknowledged. - -“I’d like to go to-night, all right,” Jimmie broke in, “but I’d like to -form the acquaintance of that impudent aviator before I go!” - -“I have an idea that you’ll meet him before you reach Monterey bay!” -Havens replied. “You would know him again?” he asked. - -“Of course!” replied the boy. “He’s a low-browed brute with wing ears -and a hunch in his shoulders. I’d know him anywhere.” - -“Do you really think he’ll chase us up?” asked Carl hopefully. - -“I certainly do!” answered Havens. - -“That will be great!” exclaimed Jimmie. “A flying machine race across -the continent surely appeals to me. Are you going along with us, Mr. -Havens?” he asked, then. - -“I hope so,” was the reply, “although I’m not quite sure of getting -through with several business deals now under way. However,” he went on, -“you boys can go on with the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_ to-night, and I -can catch you somewhere on the way over with the _Mary Ann_.” - -“Not me!” Jimmie laughed. “You can’t catch me with the _Mary Ann_ as -long as I’m on board the _Louise_!” - -“We’ll decide that point on the way across!” Havens replied. - -“Well,” Ben suggested, “if we’re going to start to-night, we ought to be -getting our camp equipment ready.” - -“Aw, never mind the camp equipment!” exclaimed Jimmie. “We don’t want to -carry a load of stuff across the continent. We can carry one light silk -tent, like we had in Mexico, and a few provisions, and buy all the -mountain outfit after we get in Monterey.” - -“That listens good to me!” Carl put in. “If Mr. Havens is going to race -us for three thousand miles in the _Mary Ann_, we don’t want to carry -much excess baggage.” - -“How soon can you get ready, boys?” asked Havens. “My idea is,” he went -on, “that you ought to get out of the hangar as soon as possible. We may -be over-anxious regarding the matter, but it is my belief that you’ll be -followed unless you get away secretly. Now, you boys all go to bed in -the bunks in the hangar and I’ll attend to the details. When the tent -and provisions are on board, with plenty of gasoline, I’ll let you know. -Then you can get away at once.” - -The boys objected to going to bed, declaring that they were too excited -to sleep, but at last, in deference to the wishes of Mr. Havens, they -sought their bunks. An hour later Jimmie awoke to a sense of -suffocation. Ben and Carl were sleeping soundly not far away and the -great shed was very still. - -As the boy sat up and sniffed the air a burst of flame showed at the -front, sweeping fast toward the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - A SHOT IN THE NIGHT. - - -There was a fairly efficient fire department at the Havens’ hangar, and -by the time Jimmie was out of his bunk, rolling his chums out on the -floor, two streams of water were playing upon the flames. - -Contrary to the expectation of the incendiaries, there had been several -workmen busy about the office building packing provisions into the -smallest space possible and tying oiled silk tents and clothing for -transportation on the flying machines. Consequently when the fire burst -out at the hangar there was little delay in getting out the firemen. - -There were thousands of dollars’ worth of property in and about the -office building and hangar, and Mr. Havens not only maintained an -efficient corps of fire fighters but also kept his possessions there -well insured. The fire was extinguished before any damage had been done -except to one wall of the hangar. - -After the danger was entirely over Mr. Havens and the three boys -gathered in the private room of the office building for the purpose of -discussing the situation. It was easy to see that the boys were all -greatly excited, and that Mr. Havens was decidedly angry. - -“You see how it is, boys,” the latter said, “you’ll have to fight the -Phillips and Mendosa gang from now until the two murderers are placed in -the electric chair. I fully believe that it was the intention of their -accomplices to not only destroy the aeroplanes but to cause your death. -It is a desperate gang to battle with.” - -While the boys talked, laying plans for their guidance while journeying -across the continent, Hilton, one of the night-watchmen, knocked softly -on the door and then looked in with a frightened face. - -“What is it?” asked Havens. - -“I presume, sir,” the night-watchman answered, “that you heard the shot? -It might have been heard a mile, I think, sir.” - -“We heard nothing of the kind,” replied Mr. Havens, rather anxiously. -“Tell us something about it.” - -“It was just after the fire was extinguished,” Hilton replied. “We were -standing by the door of the little fire-apparatus house when we saw a -man sneaking through the shrubbery to the west of the hangar. He turned -and ran the minute he saw that he was discovered, but we caught him—a -measly little dried up kind of a man, with a face like a monkey.” - -“Where is he now?” asked Havens. - -“Why, that’s what I came in to tell you about,” Hilton continued, -fumbling with his hat, which he held in front of him with both hands. -“When we caught him, we took him back to the engine-house and began -asking him questions, believing, of course, that it was he who had made -all the trouble.” - -“And what did he say?” demanded Havens, excitedly. - -For a moment it seemed that the solution of the fire mystery was at -hand. It was probable that the man caught sneaking about the hangar had -either been responsible for the blaze or had witnessed the act of -incendiarism. They all waited anxiously for Hilton’s reply. - -“Well, sir,” continued the night-watchman, “we stood him up agin’ the -wall by the engine-house door and tried to frighten him into answering -our questions. He was scared all right!” - -“But what did he say?” repeated Havens, impatiently. - -“He didn’t say anything,” was the reply, “and I’ll tell you why he -didn’t say anything. He was under the strong light of the electric in -the ceiling of the engine-house. We were all gathered about him, but -none of us stood in front. Before he could say a word in answer to our -questions, a shot came from out of the darkness and he just crumpled -down on the floor. We thought he was dead.” - -“Did one of my men shoot him?” asked Havens, angrily. - -“No, sir,” replied Hilton. “Your men were all gathered in the -engine-house. The shot came from a point south of the hangar.” - -“Is the man dead?” - -“That’s what we can’t exactly make out, sir,” the night-watchman -answered. “He lies perfectly still, but sometimes we think we can detect -a flutter of breath at his lips. No, sir, you may be sure that none of -your men shot the fellow.” - -“Who did shoot him, then?” demanded Jimmie, excitedly. - -“Wait a moment,” said Havens addressing the night-watchman. “Don’t offer -any theories. Tell us the facts in the case, and then go and see that -the man is not permitted to escape.” - -“I have told you all I know, sir,” answered Hilton. “It’s just as I tell -you. He was in the strong light near the engine-room door, and a shot -came out of the darkness and he dropped. Your men were all in the -engine-room at the time it happened.” - -“That’s all!” Havens said, abruptly. “See that the fellow is given every -attention, and also that he does not escape. Perhaps you would better -summon a surgeon. Use the ’phone in the engine-house.” - -Hilton bowed and turned away, grumbling that workmen were always blamed -for everything that took place, whether they were guilty or not. Mr. -Havens and the boys sat watching each other with astonishment showing in -their eyes for at least a minute after the departure of the -night-watchman. Havens was the first to speak. - -“What do you make of that, boys?” he asked. - -“It seems to me to be a problem easy of solution,” Ben answered. “The -men who planned the destruction of the building and the death of those -sleeping in it employed this man to do their dirty work. He set fire to -the building, but didn’t get away in time. The captured man is -undoubtedly a fellow not to be trusted, so the chief incendiary shot him -in order to close his lips.” - -“It strikes me,” Mr. Havens said, with a laugh, “that you ought to make -a pretty good detective. In my opinion, you have grasped the situation -exactly.” - -“Oh, Ben is the only original Sherlock Holmes,” laughed Jimmie. “Give -him a piece of rock and a blade of grass and he’ll tell you how the -world was made! He’s got the deduction stunt down to cases!” - -“You bet he has!” laughed Carl. “Don’t you remember how he figured out -the Devil’s Pool down in Mexico?” - -“I guess you all had a hand in that Devil’s Pool proposition,” laughed -Ben. “But, honest, now,” he continued, “don’t you think the man was shot -in order to prevent his snitching on his friends?” - -“He certainly was!” answered Mr. Havens. “And now,” he continued, rising -from his chair and moving toward the door, “it remains for us to -determine whether he is dead. If he is dead, that settles the matter so -far as we’re concerned. If he isn’t, he may be induced by the use of the -third degree to betray his accomplices.” - -“Huh!” laughed Jimmie. “I wouldn’t put a sheep-stealing dog through the -third degree! They tried it on me once,” he continued, “when they found -me sleeping in a dry goods box in an alley near where a burglary had -been committed. They kept me without sleep or food for two days and two -nights, though they had all I knew about the case the first minute.” - -“You’re right about the cops,” Carl laughed. “When I write a book -descriptive of the criminal classes in the United States, I’m going to -give the police the place of honor in the book. If anybody should ask -you, you just say that the leading criminal class in the United States -revolves around police headquarters.” - -Havens smiled at the natural enmity of street boys for the police and -opened the door. As he did so Hilton again made his appearance in the -outer office. - -“The surgeon will be here directly,” he reported. - -“How’s the patient?” asked Havens. - -“Still unconscious,” was the reply, “though he seems to be breathing a -little easier. He’s bleeding pretty badly, though.” - -“You remain here and watch the office until we come back,” directed -Havens, and in company with the three boys he turned toward the building -where the fire-fighting apparatus was stored. - -When they reached the place they found the figure of an undersized, -wrinkled-faced man of fifty or more lying on the brick floor of the -room. There was a pool of blood in view, and a wound in the head showed -its source. - -Half a dozen men were gathered about the still figure, all looking -excited and anxious. Havens bent down and lifted the head from the -floor. - -“That wound,” he decided, “is by no means a fatal one. In fact, I can’t -understand why he should lie for such a long time in this condition. The -bullet merely cut the scalp, it seems to me. Any of you people ever see -him before?” he asked in a moment. - -The men shook their heads. - -“Have you examined his clothing for marks of identification?” asked -Havens, then. “He may have letters or something about him which will -disclose his name and address.” - -“No, sir,” one of the men answered. “We never thought of that. At -least,” he went on with a shamefaced grin, “I thought of it just as you -came in but, to tell you the truth, I didn’t care to touch him.” - -Jimmie bent down and ran his fingers hastily through the pockets in the -clothing of the unconscious man. - -“Not a thing!” he said presently. “Not even a lead pencil or a pocket -knife! The fellow probably left his card case at home,” he added with a -chuckle. “We’ll have to get his number in some other way.” - -While they stood talking at the door of the engine-house, a surgeon -residing at a village not far away came hastily into the circle of -light. After speaking most respectfully to the millionaire and nodding -carelessly to the boys, he proceeded to make an examination of the -injured man. Havens and the lads stood by waiting anxiously for his -decision. - -If the man was really likely to die from his wound, that would end all -hope of learning from him the names of those associated with him in the -crime. If the fellow would soon recover, then a clue to the whole chain -forged by the friends of the murderers for the destruction of the boys -might be discovered. - -“Well?” asked Havens as the surgeon lifted his face in a moment. - -Instead of answering directly, the surgeon sniffed the air. - -“You’ve had a fire here?” he questioned. - -“Never mind the fire now,” said Havens, impatiently. “Give me your -opinion of this man’s condition. Is his wound fatal?” - -“It is my duty,” said the surgeon, with assumed dignity, “to report this -case to the police instantly. But,” he continued, with a subservient bow -in the direction of the millionaire, “I’ll give you all the information -I can before sending word to the county authorities.” - -“Holy smoke!” shouted Jimmie. “Why don’t you give it, then?” - -“Yes, why don’t you give it?” added Carl. “What are you waiting for?” - -The surgeon regarded the two boys with a glance cold enough to crack the -lenses in his eye glasses and turned back to the millionaire. - -“The man is not fatally injured,” he announced, with a great deal of -added dignity. “In fact, I can’t understand why he lies so long in this -condition. It can be accounted for, however, on the theory that the -bullet in passing along the surface of the skull drove a splinter of -bone into the brain. In that case, no recovery can reasonably be -expected until after a delicate operation has been performed.” - -“Well,” Havens decided in a moment, “do you know where there is a -hospital to which the man may be taken immediately?” - -“There are plenty in New York city, of course,” suggested the surgeon. - -“But,” returned Havens, “I don’t want him taken to New York city, or -even placed in the custody of the officers of Westchester county. My -desire is that you have him placed in a private hospital and make him -your special charge until you receive different instructions. I have -reasons of my own, of course, for taking this course, all of which you -shall know in due time. Will you do it?” - -The surgeon replied that he should be most happy to oblige the -millionaire, and in a short time the wounded man was reposing on a cot -in a private room in a private hospital not far from Long Island sound. - -“And now, boys,” Mr. Havens said after a short time, “the machines are -packed, it only remains for you to take your seats and beat the friends -of Phillips and Mendosa to the Pacific coast.” - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE. - - -“We can beat ’em to the Pacific coast, all right!” Jimmie laughed. “Look -here,” he went on, pointing to the _Louise_, now being run out of the -hangar by the workmen. “There’s a flying machine that’s going to be a -world-beater. I ran fifty miles an hour this afternoon, and didn’t put -on full power, at that! She’s a bird, is _Louise_!” - -“It isn’t always the speed that counts in a flying machine,” smiled -Havens. “The perfect flying machine is one that is constructed for -endurance—one which will fly for days and nights without breaking -down—one which can be trusted in the air as you trust a faithful horse -on a country road.” - -“Well,” laughed Jimmie, “I think the _Louise_ has had plenty of -endurance tests, that is so far as her separate parts are concerned. -Every piece in her, down to the last screw, has been tested time and -again, and the run yesterday afternoon showed that she worked like a -full-jeweled watch.” - -“And what about the _Bertha_,” laughed Havens, turning to Ben. - -“Aw, the _Bertha_ isn’t in it with the _Louise_!” shouted Jimmie. “I’ll -race the _Bertha_ to Monterey bay for a thousand dollars,” he added with -a grin. “And I’ll win the money, too.” - -“That will never do, boys,” Havens advised. “You’ve got to keep together -and work together all the way across.” - -“And now,” asked Ben, as they all turned toward the machines, glistening -now in the brilliant moonlight, “where are we going to land?” - -“I’m afraid I haven’t explained the details of the trip as thoroughly as -I should,” answered Havens, “for the reason that I expected to go with -you from the start. However, I’ll be along before you get to the -Mississippi river and post you fully.” - -“But suppose anything should happen that you should be delayed,” -suggested Jimmie. “What then?” - -“Well,” Havens went on, “south of the bay of Monterey, in Southern -California, close to the Pacific coast, lies the Sierra de Santa Lucia -mountains. On one side the rock runs almost vertically to the ocean, -from three to five thousand feet below. On the other side there is a -slope of oak and pine and sycamore to a great canyon which stretches -between the mountains and the foothills to the line of the Southern -Pacific railroad, sixty or seventy miles away. - -“This is said by men whom I have consulted to be the wildest and most -lawless region in all California. There is a government reservation -there, but the forest rangers have hard work keeping fires out of the -forest and cattle off the slopes. - -“It is believed that Phillips and Mendosa sought this region immediately -after the burglary in New York. In fact, the chief of police reports -that they are known to have left San Francisco in a steamer bound south -ten days after the commission of the crime. - -“Now,” Havens continued, “these men are beyond the reach of telegraphic -or mail service. They can be warned of the approach of officers only by -messenger from Monterey, or by messengers sent through the gulches -across from the Southern Pacific line. - -“This situation compels us to beat the aeroplane we saw yesterday -afternoon to the Pacific coast,” Havens explained. - -“But,” interposed Jimmie, “the murderers’ friends might telegraph to -Monterey, or to some point on the railroad, and a messenger might be -despatched into the mountains. An arrangement of this sort would -certainly inform the murderers in advance of our coming.” - -“But there is the danger of discovery if messages and messengers are -resorted to,” Havens continued. “Besides, it is very doubtful if -accomplices have been stationed at any station in the vicinity of the -mountains. It is more than likely that Phillips and Mendosa entered that -wild region with the intention of cutting themselves off from all human -kind, leaving friends in New York to look out for their interests here.” - -“Then,” laughed Jimmie, “let Phillips and Mendosa watch out for a -freckled-faced boy with red hair, for he’s going to cross their life -line the first thing they know!” - -“Why don’t you put out a sign and tell fortunes?” asked Carl, with a -grin. “You ought to be able to do that!” - -“Ain’t I telling the fortunes of these two murderers now?” demanded -Jimmie. “The clairvoyants tell you to look out for tall, dark complected -men with fierce eyes, if you go to them, and I’m telling these outlaws -to look out for a freckled-faced boy with red hair who’s going to get -their number directly.” - -“Now there’s one more thing I want to tell you for your information in -case my departure should be delayed,” Havens went on. “It appears that -this man Mendosa is a sort of a crank in the matter of diamonds. He is -known to possess several stones of considerable value, in addition to -small trinkets set with the precious stones. On the morning following -the robbery and murder, a small diamond and a tiny, triangular piece of -gold were found on the rug in front of the office desk which the -burglars cheekily used during the examination of the securities. - -“It is believed by the officers that this stone and this piece of gold -became detached from a ring worn by Mendosa on that night. The stone -looks like one of a cluster, and the triangular piece of gold is -unquestionably part of a claw originally used to keep the diamonds in -the setting. These two constitute the only clues.” - -“Are you going to take them with you?” asked Jimmie. - -“Certainly,” replied Havens. - -“Then you want to hustle along with them,” laughed Carl, “for we’re -going to sail right out of the air and light down on top of the two -murderers! So we’ll need the stone and the triangular piece of gold for -comparison. We’re going to do this up quick!” - -“And now, one last word,” the millionaire concluded. “In case I should -not reach you before you gain the Pacific coast, my advice is that you -approach the mountains from the east during the night time. Then you -ought to land on one of the high summits and work out from that point, -using your flying machines only for long distance work.” - -“Of course,” laughed Ben, “we can’t go sailing over the mountains with -our machines in broad daylight, whistling for the outlaws to come out of -their hiding-places and be taken back to electric chairs in New York!” - -“No, there’ll be quite a lot of mountain climbing,” advised Havens. “And -now,” he continued, “that everything is understood and the provisions -and tents are snugly packed on the flying machines, you would better be -on your way. It is quite possible that the aviator who chased Jimmie up -New York bay yesterday afternoon headed for the west immediately after -leaving this vicinity.” - -“In that case, we’ll have to catch him!” Jimmie grinned. - -“If we can!” Carl exclaimed. - -“Aw, of course we can!” Jimmie returned. - -“How fast ought we to travel?” asked Ben of Mr. Havens. - -“I think,” returned the millionaire, “that you ought to travel about -fifty miles an hour for sixteen hours a day. That will give you eight -hundred or a thousand miles a day, and also eight hours each night for -sleep. That ought to be enough.” - -The boys all insisted that that would be more than enough, and moved -toward their machines. - -“Wait a minute!” Ben cried, as he climbed into the seat on the _Bertha_, -“who’s going to ride with me?” - -“You’ve got most of the equipage and provisions,” Havens suggested. “You -know,” the millionaire continued, “that we couldn’t trust Jimmie with -the provisions! He’d be stopping in the top of every tall tree to take a -snack, and that would never answer!” - -“And you know, too,” Carl put in, “that we never could trust Jimmie -alone in a flying machine! That’s why it’s been planned that I ride with -him.” - -“All right, you fellows,” grinned Jimmie, “I’ll show you who makes the -winning in this murder case! Great Scott!” he added with a wrinkling of -the nose, “isn’t this a wonder? Who’d ever think of sending us boys off -into the mountains to do secret service work?” - -Havens took out a pencil and began figuring on the back of a letter -taken from a pocket. - -“According to this schedule,” he said in a moment, “you boys ought to -reach the bay of Monterey in four or five days. This is Monday. By -Saturday morning, then, you ought to have your machines stowed away in -one of the gorges facing the Pacific ocean. Can you do it?” - -“You bet we can do it!” declared Jimmie. - -“And when you need provisions,” Havens advised, “get one of the machines -out at night and proceed to Monterey, but don’t take the aeroplanes into -the town; don’t attract any attention if you can avoid it.” - -“Where’re you going to meet us?” asked Ben. - -“Probably at St. Louis,” was the reply. “At the post-office. Look for me -there when you arrive.” - -In a moment the purr of the motors cut the air. The machines ran -swiftly, steadily, down the field and swept upward. Havens stood -watching them for a long time. The planes glistened like silver in the -moonlight, and the song of the motors came to his ears like sweet music. -The millionaire loved a flying machine as track-men love a swift and -beautiful horse. He finally turned away to find a uniformed messenger -boy standing by his side, presenting a yellow envelope. - -“What is it, kid?” he asked. - -“Message from the hospital,” was the answer. - -“Who sent it?” asked the millionaire, taking the envelope into his hands -and tearing off the end. - -“The night matron,” was the reply. “She said I had to hump myself.” - -“That’s wrong!” laughed Havens. “She shouldn’t expect a messenger boy to -hump himself! In fact,” he went on, whimsically, “the only time a -messenger boy is permitted to make haste is when he is on his way to a -baseball game. That’s right, sonny!” he continued. - -The boy grinned and made trenches in the smooth earth of the field with -the toe of a broken shoe. - -Havens glanced casually at the message at first, thinking that perhaps -the surgeon might have taken it into his head to report progress in the -case of the man so recently placed in his charge. He knew very well that -the surgeon would manage to prevent the escape of the prisoner should he -regain consciousness, so he had put that phase of the case entirely from -his mind. However, his eyes widened and an exclamation of astonishment -came from his lips as he read the note which had been written by the -night matron, and not by the surgeon at all. - -“Mason, the injured man recently sent here on your order,” the note -read, “has most mysteriously disappeared from the hospital. Doctor Bolt, -the surgeon detailed, at your request, to take charge of the case, -decided to watch the man for the night, and so my attendants were -withdrawn. The surgeon must have fallen asleep, for in half an hour’s -time he came running to my door shouting that Mason had escaped. As soon -as possible I visited the room from which the man had disappeared and -found the window sash raised. - -“There were many footprints in the soft earth under the window—the -footprints of men in coarse shoes—and a smear of blood on the window -casing disclosed the fact that the injured man had been drawn through -the opening. It is quite evident to me, therefore, that the man was -carried from the room by some one interested in the case, to which -Doctor Bolt only indirectly referred when talking with me. Your presence -at the hospital is earnestly requested.” - -The note was signed, as stated, by the night matron. Scarcely had Havens -finished the reading of it when he heard some one stumbling through the -darkness, and the next moment Surgeon Bolt, looking crestfallen and -excited, stood before him, like a schoolboy anticipating censure. - -“Well?” asked Havens rather angrily. - -“It’s the strangest thing I ever saw!” exclaimed the surgeon. “Mindful -of your interest in the man, I decided not to trust him to the care of -any of the hospital attendants to-night. After doing what I could for -him, I sat down by the side of his bed to read and smoke. My mind was -never clearer or farther from drowsiness than it was at that time.” - -“Yes,” Havens said, in a sarcastic tone, “the result seems to indicate -that you were wide awake!” - -“I tell you,” almost shouted Bolt, “that I was stupefied by the -injection of chloroform or some other anesthetic into the room!” - -“How could that be possible?” demanded Havens. - -“I don’t know!” wailed Bolt. “I certainly do not know! The window was -closed when I looked at it last, just before I became unconscious. When -I came to my senses to find the bed empty, a cold wind was blowing on my -face. That is undoubtedly what awakened me. Only for that I might have -slept myself to death!” - -While the two talked together a watchman from the office building -approached and informed Havens that a lady was waiting there to see him. - -“That, probably,” suggested Bolt, “is the night matron from the -hospital. She was making investigations when I left, and promised to -come here at once on the discovery of anything new in the case.” - -Havens hastened to the office building and there, as the surgeon had -predicted, found the night matron waiting for him. - -“I can’t understand,” she said addressing the millionaire abruptly, -without waiting for him to speak, “what is going on at the hospital -to-night! Immediately after the departure of Doctor Bolt I sent word for -every person, man or woman, connected with my service to appear in the -reception room. In five minutes’ time I discovered that two men employed -only three days ago were not present. - -“After waiting a few moments for their appearance, I sent a messenger to -their rooms. They were not there! Their beds had not been slept in, and -every article of wearing apparel belonging to them had been taken from -their closets.” - -“One question,” Doctor Bolt said, addressing the matron. “Was any one on -watch outside the door of the room in which I was so mysteriously put to -sleep?” - -“There was no one on watch there,” was the reply. - -“Then,” declared Bolt, “the two attendants who have disappeared injected -the anesthetic I have already referred to through the keyhole of the -door. After I became unconscious they entered and removed the prisoner. -It is all the fault of the hospital!” - -The night matron turned up her nose at the surgeon. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - THE DIGNITY OF THE LAW. - - -The two flying machines, the _Louise_, with Jimmie and Carl on board, -and the _Bertha_, with Ben in charge, flew swiftly over the great city, -lying before them with its lights stretching out like strings of beads, -crossed the North river with its fleets of vessels, and passed on over -New Jersey, heading directly for the west. - -At first Jimmie and Carl tried to carry on a conversation, but the -snapping of the motors and the rush of the wind in their faces -effectually prevented anything of the kind. The moon was well down in -the west, yet its light lay over the landscape below in a silvery -radiance. - -Now and then as they swept over a city or a cluster of houses far out on -a country road, lights flashed about, and voices were heard calling from -below. Ignoring all invitations to descend and explain their presence -there, the boys swept on steadily until the moon disappeared under the -rim of the sky. - -At first there was the light of the stars, but this was soon shut out by -a bank of clouds moving in from the ocean. By this time the boys were -perhaps two hundred miles from New York. They were anxious to be on -their way, yet the country was entirely new to them, and they knew that -a chain of hills extended across the interior farther on, so at last -Ben, who was in the lead, decided to drop down and make inquiries as to -the country to the west. - -Of course the boys might have lifted their machines higher into the air -and proceeded on their course regardless of any undulations of the -surface, but they were still comparatively new in the business of -handling machines, and did not care to take high risks in the darkness. - -Jimmie followed Ben’s lead, and the two machines groped their way along -a tolerably smooth country road and finally came to a stop only a few -feet from a rough and weather-beaten barn which stood close to the side -of the road. - -The clatter of the motors almost immediately brought two husky farmers -into the illumination caused by the aeroplane lamps. - -“What you doing here?” one of the men asked. - -“Came down to rest our wings,” Jimmie replied, saucily. - -“Where you from?” asked the other farmer. - -“New York,” answered Jimmie. - -“We’re carrying government despatches to Japan,” Carl added, with a -grin. “We’re in the secret service!” - -Ben gave the two boys a jab in the back, warning them to be more civil, -and, stepping forward, began asking questions of the farmer regarding -the country to the west. The two men looked at each other suspiciously. - -“Is this him?” one of them asked. - -The other shook his head. - -“Might be, though!” insisted the first speaker. - -“No,” replied the other, “this is not the man!” - -Ben looked at his chums significantly for a moment. He was thinking that -the farmers might be referring to an aviator who had passed that way not -long before. He was thinking, too, that that aviator might be the -identical one who had started out to beat the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_ -to the Pacific coast. - -“When did you boys leave New York?” one of the men asked, in a moment. - -“About midnight,” was the reply. - -“And you’ve come two hundred miles in three hours?” asked the man, -incredulously. “I don’t believe it!” - -“Our machines,” Ben answered, very civilly indeed, “are capable of -making the distance in two hours.” - -“Well,” the farmer went on, “the other fellow said he left New York -about dark, and he didn’t get here until something like an hour ago. He -lit right about where you are now.” - -“Where is he now?” asked Ben. - -“Why, he went on just as soon as he tinkered up his machine.” - -The boys glanced at each other significantly, and then Ben asked: - -“What kind of a looking man was he?” - -“He looked like a pickpocket!” burst out the farmer, “with his little -black face, and big ears, and hunched up shoulders. And he was, I -guess,” he continued, “for we heard him sneaking around the barn before -we came out of the house.” - -“What did he say for himself?” asked Ben, now satisfied that the man -described was the one who had pursued the _Louise_ on the previous -afternoon. - -The two farmers looked at each other a moment and broke into hearty -laughter. The boys regarded them in wonder. - -“He said,” one of the men explained, in a moment, “that he was a -messenger of the government, taking despatches to the Pacific coast. If -he didn’t say almost the same thing you said, you may have my head for a -pumpkin.” - -“And that,” added the other man, “is what makes us suspect that you -chaps are in cahoots. Mighty funny about you fellows both landing down -here by our barn, and both telling the same story! I’m a constable,” he -went on, “and I’ve a good mind to arrest you all and take you before the -squire as suspicious persons. I really ought to.” - -“What are we doing that looks suspicious?” demanded Jimmie. - -“You’re wandering about in the night time in them consarned -contraptions!” declared the other. “That looks suspicious!” - -Daylight was now showing in the east, and the sun would be up in a -little more than an hour. The boys were positive, from information -received from the farmer, that the aviator who had made his appearance -on New York bay the previous afternoon was only an hour or so in advance -of them. By following on at once they might be able to pass him. - -It was their intention now to wheel farther to the south, and so keep -out of the path taken by the other. It was their idea to reach the -coast, if possible, without the man who was winging his way toward the -murderers knowing anything about it. - -Of course the fellow would suspect. There was no doubt that he fully -understood that the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_ were to be used in a race -to the Pacific. Had he been entirely ignorant regarding the plans of the -boys, he would never have found it necessary to follow the _Louise_ over -New York bay and Manhattan island for the purpose of ascertaining her -capability as a flier. - -“Well,” Jimmie said, after a moment, “We may as well be on our way. We -stopped here because we were afraid of butting into some wrinkle in the -old earth if we proceeded in the darkness.” - -“I don’t know about letting you go on!” broke in the constable. - -There was greed in the man’s eyes. There was also an assumption of -official severity as he glanced over the three youngsters. The machines -were standing in the middle of a fairly smooth road running directly -east and west. - -To the right of the thoroughfare stood the shabby barns referred to -before. To the left ran a ditch which had been cut through a bit of -swamp lying on the other side of the road. As the farmer concluded his -threatening sentence, Jimmie and Carl sprang to the _Louise_ and pressed -the button which set the motors in motion. For a moment the farmers were -too dazed to do more than follow the swiftly departing machine with -their eyes. - -When they did recover their understanding of the situation, they both -sprang at Ben in order to prevent his departure. This, doubtless, on the -theory that one boy was better than none. If they couldn’t get three -prisoners, they did not intend to lose the opportunity of taking one. - -In carrying out this resolve, the men made a serious mistake in not -seizing the machine. Had they thrown their muscular arms across the -planes at one end it would have been impossible for the machine to have -proceeded down the road in a straight course. - -Instead of doing this, they both made an effort to seize Ben. Now Ben -had been in many a rough-and-tumble skirmish on the lower East Side, and -knew how to protect himself against such clumsy assaults. One of the -farmers cut a circle over the shoulder of the boy as he fell from a -hip-lock, and the other went down from as neat a jolt on the jaw, as was -ever delivered in the prize ring. - -While this remarkable contest was in progress, Jimmie was whirling the -machine, he had mounted, into the air. When he saw one of the farmers -land in the ditch he came swiftly about with a jeer of defiance and -thrust an insulting face toward the ground. - -“Say, you feller!” he shouted. “That’s Billy Burley, the Bruiser. Don’t -you go to getting into a mix-up with him!” - -The man who had tumbled into the soft muck of the trench clambered -slowly out and shook his fist at the freckled, scornful face bent above -him. - -“I’ll show you!” he shouted. “I’ll show you!” - -By this time Ben had taken possession of the _Bertha_, and the motors -were clattering down the road. In a second almost the flying machine was -in the air, and the boys were off on their journey, leaving the two -farmers chasing down the road after them, shouting and waving pitchforks -desperately in the air. - -It was now almost broad daylight, and the boys sent their machines up so -as to attract as little attention as possible from the country below. A -few miles from the scene of their encounter they shot off straight to -the south, resolved to reach the Pacific coast by way of Kansas and -lower California. It seemed to them that the aviator who had preceded -them had purposely lingered in order that they might come up with him. -This looked like trouble. - -If it meant anything at all, it meant that if possible they were to be -interfered with on their way across the continent. This prospect was not -at all to their liking. They wanted to the get to the Pacific coast as -soon as possible and begin the quest in the mountains. - -Shortly after five o’clock they saw the city of Baltimore stretched out -below them. Deciding that it would be much better to land some distance -from the city and prepare breakfast out in the open country than to -attract universal attention by dropping down in the city, Ben volplaned -down on a macadamized highway some distance out of the town. Jimmie -followed his example at once, and before long a small alcohol stove was -in action, sending the fragrance of bubbling coffee out into the fresh -morning air. Even at that early hour half a dozen loungers gathered -about the machines, gazing with wondering eyes at the youthful aviators. - -The boys explained the object of their journey in the first words which -came to their lips, which, it is unnecessary to state, were highly -imaginative, and the loungers stood about watching the boys eat and -drink and asking questions concerning the mechanism of the motors. - -After eating and inspecting the machines the boys started away again. At -the time of their departure there was at least half a hundred people -standing around, hands in pockets, mouths half open. - -The boys passed over Washington in a short time and glanced down at the -great dome of the capitol and at the towering shaft of the Washington -monument. The machines, however, were going at a swift pace, and the -many points of interest at the capital of the nation soon faded from -view. - -About every two hours all through the day and early evening the boys -came to the surface at some convenient point and rested and examined -their machines. The motors were working splendidly, and the lads were -certain that if it should become necessary they could make five hundred -miles without a halt. This was at least encouraging. - -When night fell they found themselves not far from St. Louis. They -dropped down in a lonely field about sunset and built a roaring -camp-fire. There was not a house in sight, and the field where the -machines lay was surrounded by a fringe of small trees. Ten or fifteen -miles to the west rolled the Mississippi river and beyond lay the paved -streets of St. Louis, where they were to meet Havens. - -The day’s journey had been a most successful one. Jimmie was certain -that at times the _Louise_ had traveled at the rate of a hundred miles -an hour. There had been no accidents of any kind. - -“From New York to the Mississippi in one day appears to me to be going -some!” declared Jimmie, “and I never was so tired in my life. We can’t -go on to-night if we are to meet Havens in St. Louis to-morrow, and so -I’m going to get out one of the oiled silk shelter tents and go to bed.” - -While the boys planned a long night’s rest the whirr of motors came -dully from the sky off to the north. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - A CHANGE OF SCENE. - - -“What we ought to do now,” Doctor Bolt declared, as the night matron, -indignant chin in air, turned toward the door of the private room, “is -to notify the officers of Westchester county.” - -“I don’t see the necessity for that,” Havens replied. “One may as well -look for a pearl in a train-load of oysters as to look for that fellow -in Westchester county to-night. Depend upon it, the men who sought -employment at the hospital a few days ago were sent here because the -hospital happened to be near my home.” - -The night matron shrugged her shoulders and passed a scornful glance at -the surgeon. The surgeon turned angrily away. - -“That relieves me of a great responsibility,” she said. “Ordinarily one -becomes responsible for the actions of employes, but when men are sent -into your service by a criminal gang for a criminal purpose, -responsibility ought to end there.” - -“I don’t agree with your reasoning at all!” declared the surgeon. “One -should know better than to employ strangers in positions of trust.” - -“And when,” continued the night matron, glaring at the surgeon, “a -country doctor takes it upon himself to override the rules of a hospital -and keeps watch beside a patient to the exclusion of the regular -attendants, one certainly should not be held accountable for the safety -of that patient. And that’s all I have to say,” she added. - -“Settle the responsibility as you will,” Havens broke in. “I have -nothing to do with that. What I want now is a promise from each of you -that nothing whatever shall be said regarding the matter until private -detectives shall have an opportunity to recapture the escaped prisoner.” - -“But why the secrecy?” asked the night matron. - -“It is my duty as a surgeon to report the entire matter to the police,” -shouted Bolt. “I shall do so at once.” - -Havens argued with the two for a long time, and finally secured a -promise that nothing would be said either of the capture or the escape -for three days. The millionaire’s idea was to get the prisoner into his -own hands if possible. He knew that the fellow would have a hundred -chances of escaping without ever revealing the story of the crime he had -committed that night with the police, where he would have not one if -guarded by private detectives. - -He was well satisfied from the incidents of the night that some person -high up in the councils of the police department had leaked in the -matter of the employment of the boys on the murder case. He believed, -too, that the same influence which had been able to secure the carefully -guarded information would be powerful enough to protect the escaped -prisoner in case he should regain consciousness and, on promise of -immunity, threaten to disclose the names of his accomplices in the -incendiary act. - -After exacting the promise from the surgeon and the night matron, Havens -ordered every workman about the place to remain on guard until morning -and, calling his chauffeur, departed for New York in a high-powered -touring car. Worn out with the anxiety and exertions of the night, he -fell asleep on the soft cushions of the machine, and awoke only when the -chauffeur shook him gently by the shoulder and announced that they were -at the Grand Central station. - -“And I’d like to ask you a question, sir,” the chauffeur said, as Havens -stepped out of the car. “It’s about what took place on the way down.” - -“What took place on the way down!” laughed the young millionaire. “It -has all been a blank to me. I must have slept very soundly.” - -“Indeed you did, sir,” replied the chauffeur, “and that’s why I didn’t -wake you. You seemed to need the sleep very much, sir.” - -“Well, tell me what happened?” Havens said impatiently. - -“Why, sir,” the chauffeur went on, “a big car picked us up half a mile -this side of the hangar and followed on down to within three blocks of -this place. When I drove fast, they drove fast; when I slowed up, they -slowed up, too. Very strange, sir.” - -“Why didn’t you investigate?” asked Havens angrily. - -“You see that marble column at the corner of the building,” declared the -chauffeur, pointing. “Well, I stopped once to ask questions of the -chauffeur in the other car, and that marble column I’m pointing out, -sir, would be just as communicative as that other chauffeur was. He only -grunted when I asked questions and kept right on as before.” - -Havens thanked the man for the information and went on about the -business which had brought him to the city. He was busy all day with -lawyers and brokers and real estate managers, and was very tired and -sleepy when night fell. It had been his intention to take an afternoon -train for St. Louis, but his business had not permitted of so sudden a -departure from the city. - -He regretted extremely that he had not arranged with the boys to wire -their address in the Missouri city. However, he thought, the boys would -wait at least twenty-four hours at the point selected, and this delay -would enable him to overtake them by train at Denver. He was positive -that he could do so if he could catch the Overland Limited at Chicago. - -Eight o’clock found him sound asleep in the stateroom of a Pullman car -due to start for the west in an hour. He was so tired that the noises of -the station; the arrival and departure of trains; the calls of the train -starters; the rattling of the couplings under vestibules, soon died away -into a dull blur, and then he passed into a dreamless sleep. - -His last memory was of a powerful light shining through a slender crack -in the drawn blind of a stateroom window. When he awoke again the -slender finger of light had become a deep red glow the size of a pail, -and the perfumed air of the stateroom had, somehow, taken on the close -and unsavory smell of a riverside basement. - -Havens made an effort to lift his hands to his head, but found that he -was unable to do so. The great red light was staring viciously into his -smarting eyes so he closed them, turned his head aside, and lay for a -moment in silent thought. - -He had no idea as to where he was, or how, or how long ago he had been -transported to that villainous place. He knew that violence had been -used, for there was a trickle of moisture on his forehead which could -not be the result of heat or exertion. There was a smart there, too, and -so the moisture must be blood. - -The air was thick and damp, bearing the odor of long confinement in -filthy quarters. Opening his eyes, directly, he saw that the walls were -dark, but not with paint or paper. They were stained with the mold and -unsavory accumulations of many years. - -The light which shone in his face came from an electric contrivance -which seemed at that moment to be a long distance off. Finally, after -much study and many smarting examinations, he saw that it was a light -nodding and swaying on a mast, and that it shone through the dirty panes -of a window before entering the gloom where he lay. - -It was plain to the millionaire, then, that, in some mysterious manner, -he had been taken from the stateroom and conveyed to one of the -disreputable resorts on the river front. He had no idea as to whether he -was looking out on the East river or the North river. All he knew was -that his hands and feet were tied; that his head ached furiously, and -that his lips and tongue were parched with thirst. In a moment he heard -a door open and then an old woman, toothless and shrunken of shoulders, -stood before him, bearing in her hand a smoking kerosene lamp. - -“Well, dearie,” she said with a wicked leer in her watery old eyes. - -Havens indicated by motions of his lips and tongue that he needed a -drink of water. The old woman had undoubtedly been prepared for this, -for she drew a flask of spirits from a capacious pocket in her clothing -and held it exultantly before the eyes of the captive. - -Havens shook his head. - -“It will give you strength,” pleaded the hag. “Strength for what you’ve -got to endure. Better take a drop or two!” - -In a moment the young millionaire managed to say that he wanted water, -and the old hag, with the air of one who considered that a weak-minded -man was turning away a blessed boon, restored the bottle to her pocket -and brought water in as filthy a tin cup as Havens had ever set eyes on. - -The woman eyed him curiously as she held the cup to his lips. - -After draining the cup Havens found strength to ask: - -“How did I come here?” - -“The boys brought you,” was the reply. - -“The boys?” repeated Havens. “What boys?” - -“The boys always will be having their sport!” the old woman answered -indefinitely. “Very bad boys, I’m sure.” - -“Why?” demanded the millionaire. - -“Oh, my, oh, my!” exclaimed the old hag. “You mustn’t ask so many -questions. I’m not here to answer questions.” - -“How much do they want?” demanded Havens, coming at once to the point, -as there was no doubt whatever in his mind that he had been abducted -purely as a financial speculation. “How much?” - -The old hag shook her head gravely. - -“After a few days,” she said, “the boys will listen to talk of money. -Just now,” she went on, “your society is what they desire.” - -Then, for the first time since his rude awakening, the events of the -night before flashed across the brain of the millionaire. He remembered -the pursuit of the _Louise_, the act of arson at the hangar, the -shooting of the stranger, and the escape from the hospital. To his mind, -also, came with double force and meaning of the story the chauffeur had -told of the pursuing car. With all these memories in his mind he had -little difficulty in associating his present situation with the efforts -which had been made to prevent the departure of the boys for the Pacific -coast. - -“How long do you intend to keep me here?” he asked in a moment. - -Again the old woman shook her head. - -“I’ll give you ten thousand dollars,” he said, “if you’ll set me down at -the Grand Central station in an hour.” - -“Not near enough, dearie,” the old hag replied, a greedy gleam coming -into her watery eyes. “Not near enough, dearie!” - -“Twenty thousand!” exclaimed Havens. - -The old woman glanced about the apartment cautiously. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - A SMALL EXPLOSION. - - -“Now,” suggested Ben as the purr of the motors came softly on the -evening air, “do you suppose Havens has really caught up with us?” - -“Impossible!” cried Jimmie, “we’ve stopped a good many times on the -route, but he couldn’t overtake us, for all that, for the reason that he -wouldn’t leave New York before afternoon. According to that we would -have at least ten hours the start of him.” - -“That’s right!” Ben agreed. “Perhaps the motors we hear belong to the -flying machine of some sport out for a twilight ride. There are a good -many aeroplanes passing between St. Louis and the east at this time of -the year. We may hear other machines before morning.” - -“Suppose,” Carl suggested, with a startled expression in his eyes, “that -the clatter in the sky is caused by the flying machine operated by the -fellow who chased Jimmie up New York bay?” - -“Then that would mean trouble,” Jimmie grinned. “But, say!” he went on -in a moment. “I wouldn’t mind meeting that fellow where the going was -good. I’d show him that his machine is a back number.” - -The boys searched the sky eagerly for a light which would indicate the -position of the aeroplane. After a long time they saw a faint gleam -almost directly overhead. The airship seemed to be descending. - -“I wish we hadn’t built this fire,” Ben suggested. - -“Suppose we put it out!” Carl advised. - -“No use now,” Ben put in. “The fellow knows exactly where we are. -Besides,” he went on, “if we should attempt to leave our present -location, the clatter of the motors would show him exactly where we -landed.” - -“Then all we’ve got to do,” Jimmie explained, “is to remain right here -and watch our machines all night. That’s what I call a downright shame!” - -“We don’t have to all watch at the same time,” Ben advised. “You boys go -to sleep after we get our supper and I’ll stick around until midnight. -Then one of you can go on guard until four in the morning and the other -watch until we get ready to leave.” - -“That’s about the way we’ll have to do it,” Jimmie responded, “only,” he -went on, “if the fellow makes his appearance at the camp and tries any -funny business, the one on watch must wake the rest of us.” - -This being agreed to, the boys ate a hearty supper and Jimmie and Carl -crawled into a hastily set up shelter-tent and were soon sound asleep. -Ben did not remain by the camp-fire after that. Instead, he took a -position beyond the circle of light, from which the machines were in -full view, and watched and listened for the appearance of the mysterious -aviator. - -Directly the whirr of the motors came louder, and the boy saw the bulk -of an aeroplane outlined against the field of stars above. - -It was quite evident that the stranger was seeking a place to land, and -Ben, resolving to take the initiative, hastened out into the field -swinging an electric searchlight. - -“Now,” he thought, “we’ll see if this fellow wants to meet us face to -face, or whether he wants to sneak about in the darkness in order to -work mischief to our machines.” - -After the boy had waved his searchlight for a moment a shout came from -above, and a machine every bit as large and as finely finished as the -_Louise_ came volplaning down to the field. - -The rubber-tired wheels had scarcely ceased revolving in the soft earth -when Ben stood by the side of the machine, from which a man of about -thirty years—a tall, slender man, with very blue eyes and a very blond -head—was alighting. - -“Hello, son!” the man exclaimed, as he came up to where the boy was -standing, “are you out on a trip for your health, too?” - -“That’s about the size of it,” answered Ben. - -“Where from?” was the next question asked. - -“New York city,” was the reply. - -“Good old town!” exclaimed the stranger, walking toward the fire as if -inclined to make himself quite at home. - -“You bet it is!” answered Ben, following along close by his side and -watching his every move with suspicion. - -The boy regretted now that he had not awakened his chums before giving -the signal to the stranger. There was no knowing what the man might -attempt to do. Ben did not fear physical violence for he considered -himself more than a match for the intruder. But he knew that a stick of -dynamite or some other destructive explosive tossed into the mechanism -of the machines would render them absolutely useless. - -For this reason he watched the visitor closely, never taking his eyes -from the rather large and ham-like hands which swung pendulously at his -sides. The stranger did not appear to notice the attention he was -receiving. - -“What I came down for,” he said as he approached the camp-fire and stood -warming his hands before the blaze, “was to ask questions.” - -He smiled brightly as he spoke and gave a searching glance at the -shelter-tent where Jimmie and Carl were sleeping. - -“It’s easy enough to ask questions,” suggested Ben. - -“Easier than to get them answered,” responded the other. “I found that -out this afternoon.” - -Ben eyed the stranger in wonder but asked no questions. - -“About the middle of the afternoon,” the man went on, “I came upon a -machine lying in a little dell back in Indiana. I shot down with -something like the nerve I exercised in visiting you, and began talking -with the aviator. He certainly was about the most insignificant looking -specimen of humanity I ever saw.” - -“Wait a minute,” smiled Ben. “He had a small, weazened face, large, -wing-like ears, and hunchy shoulders—shoulders which give one the -impression that he has spent the most of his life at the end of a -mucker’s shovel in the subway. Is that a good description?” - -“A better one than I could have given!” answered the stranger. “You must -have seen him somewhere. I hope your experience with him was not so -unfortunate as mine.” - -“He made you trouble, did he?” asked Ben. - -“He stole a pocketful of spark plugs,” was the reply. - -“Yet you seem to be traveling all right,” suggested the boy. - -“Oh, he didn’t get all I had,” was the answer. “I volplaned down to him, -and he invited me to partake of a lunch he was serving himself on the -grass. Just for form’s sake, I sat down with him. Then he began asking -questions. He wanted to know where I came from, if I had seen any other -machines in the air that afternoon, and if I had heard anything of two -aeroplanes starting out on a journey across continent to the Pacific -coast. After a time his questions became personal.” - -“And you answered them, I suppose!” laughed the boy. - -“No, I didn’t,” returned the stranger. “I closed up like a clam in a -short time, and then he arose and, without my permission, began -examining my machine. To make a long story short, he got the spark plugs -out of a box under the seat without my knowing it. I never discovered -the loss until I was some distance away.” - -“You left him there in the dell you speak of?” asked Ben. - -“Yes, I left him there in a little hollow between two hills.” - -“Why didn’t you go back after you had discovered your loss?” asked Ben, -suspiciously. “You might have caught him if you had gone back.” - -The firelight was uncertain, and the visitor’s face was turned half -away, but Ben was almost certain that he saw the red blood mounting to -his temples. The man also seemed embarrassed by the question. - -“I did go back,” he answered after a moment’s hesitation, “but the -fellow had disappeared. I thought this might be his fire.” - -There was a short silence, during which Ben poked aimlessly at the -burning brands and the stranger looked critically around the camp. In a -moment, with a complimentary remark regarding the _Louise_ and the -_Bertha_, the intruder arose from the ground where he had been sitting -and walked carelessly toward the machines. Ben followed him, watching -every movement as if his life depended upon the scrutiny. - -The two machines stood quite close together, and as the stranger -approached them Ben stepped a pace in advance and whirled about. The -stranger started back with an exclamation of surprise. - -“We don’t permit strangers to inspect our aeroplanes,” Ben said. - -“Pardon me,” the other smiled, “I really didn’t mean any harm. It is -quite natural that one should desire to inspect a beautiful machine.” - -The stranger kept pushing on, and at last brought his thin body into -contact with the boy’s sturdy one. There was no doubt in the mind of the -boy now that the fellow was there for mischief. He struck out swiftly -from the shoulder, but the intruder dodged the blow neatly and, taking a -package from the right-hand pocket of his coat, hurled it toward the -aeroplanes. Ben’s clenched fist caught the other’s arm as the throw was -released, and the missile, whatever it was, went wide of the mark. - -Ben saw the glitter of a shining surface in the firelight, and the next -instant an explosion which seemed to shake the earth sounded in his -ears. Without waiting to see the effect of the explosion, the stranger -faced about and ran at full speed toward the spot where he had left his -aeroplane. - -Ben followed him a few paces and then, deciding that it would be unsafe -to leave the machines, turned back toward the camp-fire to see Jimmie -and Carl come tumbling out of the shelter tent, rubbing their sleepy -eyes. What Ben feared was that a second person had landed from the -stranger’s machine before it had shown above the camp-fire. - -“What’s coming off here?” demanded Jimmie. - -“Gee!” exclaimed Carl, “I thought that was the crack of doom!” - -“Get down to the machines, quick, you boys!” Ben cried out. “There may -be some one trying to work them an injury.” - -The two boys darted away, stopping only to secure electric flashlights, -and were soon seen examining the aeroplanes. Ben waited a moment for -some indications that the boys had met with a lurking enemy, and then -started away in pursuit of the treacherous aviator. - -He was not in time, however, to stop the fellow before his machine -launched into the air. As his aeroplane rose, Ben saw that he swung his -face for an instant toward the camp. For only a moment the light of the -fire shone on the face so turned back. Ben thought he had never seen a -more villainous expression on any human countenance. - -The boy returned to the machines and joined his chums with an angry -scowl on his face. He was angry at himself for having for a minute -regarded the stranger in a friendly spirit. - -“Where’s the artillery?” asked Jimmie, flashing his light about the -aeroplanes. “I thought I heard cannonading.” - -As briefly as possible, Ben explained what had taken place, and the -three walked over to the spot where the missile had struck and exploded. -There was a great hole in the ground, and tiny fragments of a tin can -lay scattered about, lying at some distance from the hole. - -“Nitroglycerine!” exclaimed Ben, picking up one of the fragments. - -“That only goes to show,” Jimmie answered, wrinkling his freckled nose, -“that this trip of ours is not at all like a Sunday School picnic. I -wish we had caught him before he mounted his machine,” he went on. “I’d -like to fill him so full of holes that he could go away and play that he -was a Swiss cheese.” - -There was very little sleep in the camp that night. The boys were away -at daylight, and a couple of hours later saw the machines snugly tucked -away in a hangar not far from the aviation field near Forest Park. - -They waited about the post-office, taking turns watching at the general -delivery window, until nearly noon but, as the reader well understands, -Havens did not make his appearance. Their vigil during the afternoon -produced no better results. Toward evening they tried to reach Havens by -wire in New York, but their dispatches met with no response for a long -time. At last a message came from the millionaire’s private office at -the hangar in Westchester county. - -It was very brief, and gave only the information that Havens had taken a -stateroom for St. Louis the previous evening, and that he had -mysteriously disappeared before the train had left the city. - -“That’s a knock-out!” exclaimed Jimmie. - -“And now,” asked Ben with a puzzled look, “shall we go back to New York -and help find Havens, or shall we cross the continent in quest of the -burglars?” - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE SIGNAL FIRE. - - -“I’ll tell you what it is,” Jimmie said, as the boys sat in a little -restaurant on Fourth street, discussing the situation, “if we turn back -to New York now, we’ll be off the beat. Havens told us to go out to -Monterey, didn’t he?” - -“He certainly did!” answered Carl. - -“Well then,” continued Jimmie, “we ought to go on to Monterey. Look -here, kids,” he went on, “we don’t know what took place in New York -after we left. We don’t know that Havens didn’t disappear from that -stateroom for the sole purpose of getting out of the way of the fellows -who tried to burn his hangar. What do you think of that idea?” - -“It appears to me to be a sound one,” Ben responded. “Mr. Havens may -have met with members of the gang we are fighting. In that case it would -be nothing strange if he managed a mysterious disappearance for his own -protection. Would it, now?” - -And so, after canvassing the subject thoroughly, the boys decided to go -on to the Pacific coast. It was decided, too, that they should leave -that very night and travel at an altitude which would render collisions -with uplifting summits impossible. They were on their way in an hour -from the time the decision was reached. - -The boys speak to-day with reverence when referring to that all-night -ride. At first the clouds hung low, and they seemed sailing through -great fields of mist with neither top nor bottom. Then a brisk wind -scattered the moisture in the air, and they sailed for a time under the -stars. Later, there was a moon, and under its light they sailed lower, -watching with excited interest the lights in the towns they passed, the -shimmer on the water they crossed, and the incomparable light reflecting -on the smooth green leaves of the forests they shot by. - -At daylight they came down on an eminence from which the landscape for -miles around could be seen. Below the slope of the hill lay a verdant -valley in which nestled a small settlement. At the summit where the -machines lay there were great wide stretches indicating the action of -waves at some far-distant, prehistoric time. - -The boys were well-nigh exhausted with their long ride. As is well -known, the endurance record is not much longer than the time the boys -had spent in the air. Besides being cramped in limb and heavy from lack -of sleep, the boys shivered because of the altitude at which they had -traveled. - -When the sun rose it shone with generous warmth upon the ridge where the -boys lay, and they basked in its light with many expressions of joy. - -“Here’s the place where we sleep!” exclaimed Carl. “We can watch the sky -and the surface of the earth for miles around,” he added, “and can -finish any ordinary sized nap in peace.” - -“I’ll watch,” promised Ben. - -“You’ll not!” exclaimed Jimmie. “You watched night before last.” - -“And came near getting the machines blown up, too,” Ben commented. - -It was finally arranged that Jimmie and Carl should remain awake for a -couple of hours each, after which a hasty breakfast was prepared and the -boys settled down for a long rest. Ben and Jimmie were soon asleep, and -Carl, sitting on the ground near the _Louise_ was feeling like going to -bed himself when a small red head was poked over the edge of the summit -and a shrill voice cried out: - -“Hello, Mister!” - -“Hello, yourself!” answered Carl. - -The boy, a mite of a fellow not more than ten years of age, fully as -freckled-faced and as red-headed as Jimmie, now approached the -aeroplanes cautiously, his wide mouth breaking into a grin as he -advanced. - -“Them your machines?” he asked, pointing with a dirty finger. - -“Sure they are!” answered Carl. “Ever see one before?” - -The boy shook his head while his eyes sparkled with excitement. - -“Give me a ride!” he demanded. - -“Not yet,” replied Carl with a laugh. “We’re going to remain here for -some little time.” - -“If I stay, can I go with you?” the boy asked. - -“I should say not!” replied Carl. “What would your folks say if we -should take you away in a flying machine?” - -“I ain’t got no folks!” was the reply. - -“Where do you live?” - -The boy pointed down toward the little settlement in the valley. - -“Do your parents live there, too?” asked Carl. - -“I done told you I ain’t got no folks!” insisted the youngster. - -“Well, where do you sleep and get your eatings, then?” demanded Carl. - -“Sleep in barns!” was the reply. “And don’t get many eatings. That’s -what makes me so little and thin!” - -“Do they sell gasoline down there?” asked Carl. - -“Yessir!” was the short reply. - -“Well, I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” Carl proposed. “If you’ll go back to -the store where they sell it, and get the boss to bring us a sixty -gallon barrel, I’ll give you a dollar.” - -“Quit your kiddin’!” exclaimed the boy. - -“Sure, I’ll give you a dollar,” promised Carl, “and I’ll give it to you -in advance. Can they get up on this hog’s-back with a wagon?” he added. - -“They sure can,” was the reply. “There’s a road that climbs the hill out -of the valley, and I guess they can gee-haw their old delivery wagon -along the ridge, all right.” - -“Well, go on, now,” Carl exclaimed. “Go on and order the gasoline.” - -“Where’s the dollar?” demanded the youngster. - -Carl tossed him a silver dollar with a laugh, and saw the boy’s bare -feet twinkle as he disappeared down the slope. As a matter of fact, he -had little hope of ever seeing the boy again, or of having the message -delivered. Still, the little fellow looked so ragged, and forlorn, and -hungry, that he would have given him the dollar if he had known that the -boy would neither deliver the message nor return. - -In an hour or so, however, the boy poked his red head over the summit -again and came bounding up to where Carl sat. - -“It’s coming!” he cried. “The wagon left the store at the same time I -did, and I beat ’em to it! Say,” he added with a chuckle, “the driver -made an awful row about coming along this ridge, and I told him you’d be -apt to give him a dollar extra. Goin’ to do it?” - -“Of course!” laughed Carl. “Anything you say goes. For the time being, -you are the purchasing agent for this outfit.” - -When at last the delivery wagon with the barrel of gasoline came bumping -along the surface of the hill, the driver leading the horse, the boy -began a knowing inspection of the flying machines, as if determined to -give the delivery boy the impression that he had already become a member -in good standing of the party. This was very amusing to Carl. - -The driver unloaded the barrel of gasoline, received his pay and his tip -and then stood with his hands on his hips surveying the two aeroplanes -critically. - -“There’s one of them things lying busted on the other side of town,” he -said directly. - -“Some one have an accident?” asked Carl. - -“I dunno,” was the reply. “Sol Stevens drove in to sell his hogs, a -little while ago, and he said he saw one o’ them busted airships lyin’ -busted by the road out near the Run.” - -“How far is that from here?” asked Carl. - -The delivery boy looked over the landscape, as if estimating distances, -and at the same time establishing his own importance, and answered that -it was not far from ten miles. - -Ben and Jimmie, awakened by the rattle of the rickety wagon wheels, now -came out of the shelter tent and joined in the conversation. They looked -curiously at the boy for a moment, and then turned their attention to -the driver, listening intently to his repetition of the brief story of -the wrecked aeroplane. - -“Well,” the driver said presently, beckoning to the boy, “we may as well -be going, Kit.” - -“I’m going with the machines!” answered the boy. - -Ben and Jimmie looked from Kit to Carl but said nothing. - -“Ain’t I going with the machines?” demanded the youngster of Carl. - -“What would your folks say?” demanded Ben. - -“Huh!” said the delivery boy. “He hain’t got no folks. He just sleeps -around and gets his meals wherever he can.” - -“I sent him after the gasoline,” Carl explained, “and paid him in -advance. He came back all right.” - -“Did you think I wouldn’t come back?” asked Kit, indignantly. - -Before the question was answered, Jimmie pulled Ben lustily by the -sleeve. Carl saw what was in the boy’s mind and remained silent. - -“Come on, let’s take him!” Jimmie urged. “He’s all right.” - -“I’m willing,” replied Ben. “In fact, I’m getting tired of riding alone -in the _Bertha_. The little fellow will be good company.” - -The delivery boy departed quickly, and Kit at once began making himself -useful, assisting Jimmie in the preparation of dinner. - -“Don’t you ever think I can’t cook!” Kit exclaimed, as he sat by the -fire watching the skillet of ham and eggs. “Don’t you think I don’t know -how to get up a square meal. I’ve helped cook lunches many a time.” - -“Perhaps we’d better make you chef of the expedition!” laughed Ben. - -There seemed to be something on the boy’s mind as he gave his attention -to potatoes roasting in the hot ashes, and after a time he turned to -Carl with a puzzled face. His brows were puckered as he asked: - -“Why didn’t you ask the delivery boy about that smashed machine?” - -“I did ask him about it,” replied Carl. “You heard me.” - -“Well you didn’t ask him about the man that got smashed up in it,” -continued Kit. “The man who got smashed up in it,” the boy went on, “hid -in Robinson’s barn, where I slept last night, and lay groaning and -whining with a broken arm so that he kept me awake. This morning, when -he saw me, he gave me a dollar to get a doctor there without telling -anybody, and I went and got Doctor Sloan. I promised not to say a word -about it, but you boys have been mighty good to me, and I think you -ought to know.” - -“What kind of a looking fellow is he?” asked Carl. - -“A monkey-looking fellow, with hunched shoulders and ears like cabbage -leaves,” replied the boy. “He don’t look good to me.” - -The boys heard the description of the wrecked aviator with undisguised -pleasure. At least one of their pursuers had been put out of the -running, for the time being. This, they thought, increased their chances -of reaching the Pacific coast in advance of any friends of the outlaws. - -“Where did the man go after Doctor Sloan set his arm?” asked Ben. - -“He said he was going to the nearest railway station and return to -Denver,” was the reply. - -“Machine quite busted up?” asked Jimmie. - -“That’s what he told the doctor,” replied Kit. “He swore awfully while -he was talking about it. And look here,” the boy went on, “after he left -I picked up a letter which fell from a pocket of his coat when he took -it off to have his arm set.” - -The boy presented a yellow envelope, sealed but not stamped, as he -spoke. Ben took the letter and, without any compunctions of conscience -whatever, opened it. It contained a sheet of paper, blank with the -exception of four words. Ben studied the writing for a moment and passed -the sheet to Jimmie. The boy in turn handed it to Carl. - -“At Two Sisters canyon!” Carl read. - -“Now what does that mean?” asked Jimmie. - -“Why, you boy,” Carl explained, “it means that this busted aviator was -headed for a canyon in the mountains known as the Two Sisters. Do you -get that? What else would he have this letter for?” - -“That’s the first bit of luck we’ve struck since we started out on this -journey!” declared Ben. “I guess, Kit,” he went on, “that you must be a -mascot. What do you know about that?” - -“Oh, I’m a mascot all right!” grinned the youngster. - -When the boys started away to the west again Kit occupied a seat on the -_Bertha_. Satisfied that they had distanced at least one of their -pursuers, and encouraged by the thought that their way might now be -clear, the boys made few stops of any length on their way to the -Pacific. - -Three days later Sierra de Santa Lucia loomed up before them. It was -then twilight, and against the darkness rose the flames of a signal -fire! - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE LOSS OF A BOY! - - -“They seem to be celebrating our arrival,” Ben said, looking down on the -signal fire with a grin, “only I don’t hear any bands,” he continued, as -the flames streamed up and cast a red light over the waters of the -Pacific ocean. - -“That’s about the strangest proposition I ever came across,” Carl said, -looking down on the dark canyons, laying like black lines in a drawing, -on the landscape below. “I’d like to know what it means.” - -“Don’t you ever think,” Jimmie went on, “that Phillips and Mendoza have -anything to do with that fire! That beacon light was put there for some -purpose by an entirely different set of outlaws.” - -“But why ‘outlaws’?” asked Carl. “The people we see about the fire may -be fishermen, and there are lime quarries and kilns somewhere in this -section, and these men may be signaling to schooners.” - -Below the aeroplanes lay a great peak extending four thousand feet above -the level of the sea. To the west the Pacific beat fiercely against its -side. To the south the Sierra raised its lofty crags, apparently, -straight out of the ocean. To the north a succession of summits lifted -above the range. Off to the east lay a faint trail connecting, by -devious turns and twists through the mountain wilderness, with the -Southern Pacific railroad. - -The beacon fire rose straight from a headland which jutted for some -distance out into the ocean. The beat of the waves against the breakers -at the foot of the headland came dimly up to the boys like the stir and -rustle of a crowded street. - -There had been a fog, but it was lifting now, and here and there traces -of green might be seen wherever the flames revealed the surface of the -ground. After a time Ben turned back with the _Bertha_ and signaled to -the others to help in the search for a safe landing-place. - -This was by no means an easy task, as it was deep twilight now on the -lower stretches of the mountain, and most of the canyons seemed mere -yawning pits whose open mouths gaped eagerly for the prey in the air. - -The boys turned to north and south in their machines and, sailing low, -scrutinized the dim country in the hope of discovering some level spot -where the flying machines could be brought to the ground with safety. - -At last, perhaps two miles to the south of the headland, where the -beacon light still sent its red flames into the air, Ben came upon a -canyon or gully which had evidently once been the bed of a rushing -mountain torrent. The wash of water from the steep surfaces, however, -had, in distant years, filled the narrow slit between the summits with -fine white sand. - -It was by no means a large place, but was quite sufficient for the -purpose. Ben felt his way carefully down, dropping into what seemed to -him to be a fathomless pit between peaks until the white, hard floor -below came faintly into view. After examining the place as thoroughly as -possible with an electric searchlight, he volplaned down, much to Kit’s -amazement, and soon had the satisfaction of feeling the rubber-tired -wheels beneath the machine running evenly over a smooth surface. - -It had been a great risk, however, this dropping down into the darkness -between two mountain peaks, and Ben was not certain, even after landing, -that he had done the correct thing. His light showed a level surface for -only a short distance. The opening of the canyon faced the Pacific. To -left and right were almost perpendicular walls. To the east a great crag -was worn far under a shelving side by the action of the waves which at -some distant time must have forced their way through the split in the -mountains. - -One thing which troubled the boy not a little was the question as to -whether the space into which he had brought his flying machine was -sufficient in size for both the _Bertha_ and the _Louise_. They might be -packed into the canyon, without doubt, but there was always the matter -of room for the flight outward. Still, the place was ideal in that it -appeared to be secure from observation from any position except the open -sea. - -The mountain summits to the north and south seemed entirely -inaccessible, while the crag to the east, under which the cave-like -excavation showed, looked more like the sharp blade of an upturned knife -at the top than a surface capable of being ascended. - -Ben waved his light back and forth, indicating to Jimmie and Carl that -they should approach the canyon cautiously and from the east. He held an -eye of flame to the summit of the crag to show that the drop must not -come too suddenly in that direction. - -His idea, of course, was to bring the _Louise_ in so that her outward -flight would be toward the sea. His own machine had come in from the -west, and he knew that it would have to be lifted and wheeled about -before she could be sent into the air. - -Besides offering a comparatively safe hiding-place for the machines, the -canyon also seemed to offer protection from the weather for the boys. -Ben did not fully investigate the excavations under the crag at that -time, but he knew that the soft lime-rock had been washed away to a -considerable extent, and that the face of the cliff was honeycombed with -small caves. - -Jimmie circled about the canyon for a moment, caught sight of the crag -under the flashlight, and passed its sharp edge with only a foot to -spare. In a moment more, directed by the light in Ben’s hand, he drove -the _Louise_ along the hard floor until she stood at rest by the side of -the _Bertha_. - -Jimmie and Carl hastened to make themselves acquainted with the -situation in the canyon by means of their electric searchlights. They -ran here and there glancing up at the almost vertical walls to the north -and south and throwing long fingers of light into the depressions in the -crag. By this time Kit was asleep on the sand! - -“Looks like one of the East-Side apartment houses,” grinned Jimmie, -flashing his light upward. “See, there’s a row of windows, and there’s -something that looks like a fire-escape!” - -“Your row of windows,” laughed Ben, “consists of holes where lime-rocks -have been worn away by the action of the water, and your fire-escape is -only a long seam in the granite, with frequent cross sections.” - -“Aw, what’s the use of busting up illusions,” asked Jimmie. “I was -having a pleasant dream of the East Side. And the East Side made me -think of the little old restaurant on Fourteenth street, near Tammany -Hall. And the thought of the restaurant reminded me that I hadn’t had -anything to eat since noon. Why didn’t you let me dream?” - -“Any old time, it takes Tammany Hall, and Fourteenth street, and a -fire-escape on a rock, to make Jimmie remember that he’s hungry!” -laughed Carl. - -“Well, if you’re hungry,” Ben suggested, “why don’t you go on and get -supper? You’re the cook to-day, anyway.” - -“Is it safe to build a fire?” asked Carl. - -Ben shook his head and pointed to the walls on either side. - -“The flame might not be seen,” he said, “but the reflection might, so I -presume we’d better do our cooking on the alcohol stove.” - -“Jerusalem!” exclaimed Jimmie. “I don’t want any cafeteria, Y. M. C. A., -luncheon to-night. I want to get out about a dozen cans of beans, and -tinned roast beef, and four or five pounds of ham, and a couple dozen -eggs, and have a square meal. We’ve been sailing over the country for -five or six days now eating wind sandwiches and drinking brook water.” - -“Perhaps,” Carl observed pointing to the openings to the east, “we can -find a place in there where a fire may safely be built.” - -“Where’s your wood?” asked Ben. - -“There’s always driftwood in a place like this,” Jimmie asserted. -“There’s always trees falling down from the timber line and rotting in -the canyons. I’ll find wood, all right, if we can find a place where -it’s safe to build a fire,” he added with a chuckle of delight at the -thought of a large meal. “What I need right now is plenty of -sustenance!” - -“Go to it!” laughed Ben. “Mr. Havens advised us to camp out in some spot -about like this, and make excursions over the mountains in search of -Phillips and Mendosa, so I don’t see why we’ll have to move our camp at -all. Therefore, a neat little kitchen won’t come amiss.” - -Jimmie started for the cliff with a chuckle. For some minutes his -flashlight was seen dodging in and out of the water-worn caverns, and -then it disappeared entirely. Carl, who was gathering driftwood, paused -at Ben’s side and pointed toward the spot where Jimmie’s light had last -been seen. His face was a trifle anxious as he said: - -“You don’t suppose he’s gone and got into trouble, do you?” - -“My guess is that he has found a deep cavern,” said Ben. - -“I hope so,” Carl answered. “Say!” the boy went on, in a moment, “your -speaking of Mr. Havens just now reminded me of the fact that he hasn’t -communicated with us in any way since we started. I’m getting worried -about that man! He might have overtaken us by fast train if he had seen -fit to do so, but he didn’t.” - -“I don’t see how he could have communicated with us in any way,” replied -Ben. “We have never left an address, and always his people at the hangar -declared in answer to our messages that he had not been heard from since -the night he had so mysteriously left the stateroom of the Pullman car. -They’re getting anxious about him in New York.” - -“There’s one thing,” Carl went on, “and that is that the only clue which -connects Mendosa and Phillips with the burglary of the Buyers’ Bank, and -with the murder of the night-watchman, is in the possession of Mr. -Havens. We can’t do very much until Havens comes.” - -“We can locate the men, can’t we?” asked Ben. “So far as the clue is -concerned, that will be needed only at the trial. What the New York -chief of police wants is for us to locate the murderers and turn our -information over to the California officers.” - -“Anyway,” Carl insisted, “Mr. Havens was carrying a stone and a gold -claw broken from a ring believed to have been worn by Mendosa on the -night of the murder. The outlaws would go a long ways in order to secure -possession of those articles. I’m getting frightened over Havens’ -absence.” - -“Suppose Mendosa should destroy the ring?” asked Ben. “That would render -the clue valueless, wouldn’t it?” - -“Indeed it wouldn’t!” answered Carl. “Mendosa is well-known to the -police, and that ring was as well known to New York detectives as was -the man’s face. I understand, too, that there are witnesses who saw -Mendosa on the day following the burglary who noticed that one stone had -disappeared from the ring, and that a claw had been broken off. -Besides,” continued Carl, “Mendosa wouldn’t destroy that ring, or sell -it, or give it away. He would lay it aside in some secure place until he -could have the damage repaired. Mendosa is said to be foolish in the -head like a fox!” - -“You’re some detective, I reckon!” laughed Ben. “What you ought to do is -to connect with some newspaper reporter and write stories for the -magazines. Perhaps you could get one printed!” - -“All right,” grinned Carl, “you can’t figure it out any other way. If -the right steps are taken, and the stone and the claw are not stolen -from Havens by agents of the outlaws, that ring will eventually convict -the murderers of the night-watchman!” - -The boys talked for some moments, sitting on the hard, white sand at the -side of the machines. They had collected quite a quantity of dry -driftwood, and were now waiting for Jimmie to return from his excursion -in search of a safe and convenient cook-room. - -“Look here, Ben,” Carl said in a moment, “we don’t want to go away and -leave the machines, not even for a minute, not even if we are in a -lonely spot, but some one ought to go and look for Jimmie. You know -there’s a lot of places a boy might fall into in these mountain -caverns!” - -“All right,” Ben said, rising from the ground, “I’ll go and wake Kit. He -was so sleepy when I brought the _Bertha_ down that I lifted him out of -the seat and laid him away against a wall! I don’t think he ever knew -when I took him off the machine. I’ll give him a searchlight and send -him to look after Jimmie.” - -“Where did you put him?” asked Carl, “I’ll go and wake him up.” - -“On a bed of nice hard, white sand close to the south wall,” replied -Ben. “There’s an old coat which I had to wrap around my shoulders in the -higher altitudes under his head. Bring that along, too; we’ll need it -later.” - -Carl went away whistling with his hands in his pockets, taking great -breaths of fresh mountain air into his lungs, and believing that he was -about the happiest boy on the face of the earth. It was all so different -from the crowded streets of New York! In a moment Ben heard him calling. - -“You must have mislaid him!” the boy said. “Here’s the coat, but the kid -isn’t here! It looks like there’d been a scrap here on the sand. Perhaps -a mountain lion carried him off.” - -Ben sprang to his feet and rushed out to Carl. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - JUST A CLEVER GAME. - - -When the old hag glanced cautiously about the disreputable apartment, -Havens began to hope that the bribe of twenty thousand dollars which he -had offered her might secure his release. It seemed to him that the old -woman was strongly tempted to accept the money. - -“You can do it easy enough,” the young millionaire said, as the woman -helped herself to a drink of liquor and restored the bottle to a pocket. -“You can get me out of here without danger to yourself, and then you can -disappear with the money. No one will ever know.” - -Havens had been born and reared in New York. Well he knew the law of -club and fang which governed the underworld on the East Side. He knew -that death follows betrayal as surely as night follows day. He -understood that the old woman was taking long chances in even -considering his release. - -“It ain’t enough!” the hag declared in a moment, her vicious eyes -showing both greed and terror. “It ain’t enough for a poor old woman -like me. I’d have to leave New York forever!” - -“I don’t doubt it!” Havens replied. “Still,” he went on, “judging from -appearances, your life here hasn’t been one to be much mourned. You -haven’t had many of the comforts of life,” he continued, “and possibly -none of its pleasures.” - -“I’m an old, old woman to leave the East Side,” wailed the hag. -“Besides,” she went on, “how do I know that you would play fair with me? -Once out of this place, you’d be likely to hand me over to the police -instead of handing the money over to me! I don’t think I can trust you!” - -“Tell me this,” asked Havens, “by whose orders was I brought here?” - -The old woman hesitated and then shook her head. - -“Tim brought you here,” she said in a moment, “and that’s all I know -about it. He told me to keep you safe and sound.” - -“Who’s Tim?” asked Havens. - -“One of the boys,” was the indefinite reply. - -“What else did he say?” asked Havens. - -“Not much!” was the sullen reply. “Nothing at all!” - -The hag was becoming more reticent now. She appealed for consolation to -her bottle at regular intervals, and finally drew out a black old clay -pipe, filled it by poking a scrawny finger into the bowl, and sat down -on the edge of the bunk upon which Havens lay to send the rank fumes of -villainous, adulterated tobacco into the already nauseating air of the -room. - -“How long are they going to keep me?” asked the millionaire. - -The hag mumbled over her pipe stem and shook her head silently. - -“Now let me give you my last offer,” Havens went on. “If you’ll get me -out of this place without any further inconvenience to myself, I’ll go -directly to a bank and get you twenty-five thousand dollars! You may go -with me if you like, after making yourself presentable.” - -The old woman hesitated, mumbling over her bottle and her pipe for what -seemed to Havens to be a long time. Once or twice he was on the point of -asking her if his abduction had been brought about by friends of -Phillips and Mendosa. - -However, he was uncertain as to the wisdom of this, for he was in doubt -as to whether the old woman knew anything concerning the interest which -had brought him into his present unpleasant situation, so he remained -silent on that point. - -He knew very well that if the old woman did not already know that she -was serving the interests of the murderers in keeping him there, her -terror of punishment for any assistance she might give him would be -increased tenfold. For years the Phillips and Mendosa gang had ruled the -East Side, not exactly with a rod of iron, but with revolvers and -bung-starters. He knew that the very mention of the gang would bring -additional horror to the old woman’s mind. - -“I believe,” the old woman said, in a moment, “that you really would do -it, dearie. I really believe you would!” - -“I surely would!” replied Havens. “I have many business interests at -stake, and might lose much more than twenty-five thousand dollars by -remaining in this place, to say nothing of the objectionable features of -the apartment. I’ll play fair with you, mother.” - -At the word “mother” the old woman turned her rheumy eyes toward the -captive and let them rest upon his face in earnest amazement. - -“That’s what I’m called here,” she said in a moment, “they all call me -‘mother’ in this place. How did you know?” - -“You seemed to me to deserve the title,” answered Havens. - -No more was said for some moments, then the old woman arose and went to -the window, through which the red light still shone from the vessel’s -mast, and looked out. She shook her head vigorously as she turned back. - -“Can you swim?” she said. - -“I certainly can,” answered Havens. - -“And climb up the side of a vessel on a rope?” - -“That is an old trick of mine.” - -“And you can strike a hard blow?” she then asked. - -“I am noted among my friends as having the punch,” answered Havens with -a slight smile. - -“Then,” said the old woman, “I want you to saw the cords from your -wrists over a nail in the wall until they come apart. Then I want you to -strike me a knock-out blow on the head, cut the cords on your ankles, -make your way through this window, and cross the street to the pier. -Then you must drop into the water, softly so as not to attract the -attention of the police, and climb a rope leading to the deck of the -vessel showing the red light. Do you understand all this?” - -“Perfectly!” replied Havens. - -“And after you are aboard the vessel,” the old woman went on, “you must -pretend to have fallen into the water by mistake. You are never to -mention being in this apartment at all. When they put you ashore, go on -about your business until you receive a note from me. Then we can settle -the matter of the money. It will be signed ‘Mother DeMott’.” - -“That’s all very well,” Havens remarked, sawing away at the cords on his -wrists, “but I can’t give the blow you ask for, mother.” - -“If you don’t,” the old woman insisted, “I shall be murdered before -morning!” - -“I’ll compromise by tying you up,” Havens said. “I’ll tie you good and -tight, and put a handkerchief over your mouth, and they will never -suspect.” - -The young millionaire thought he detected a queer smile on the face of -the old lady as he tied the cords with which he had been bound about her -withered old wrists and ankles! - -The window was not barred or protected in any way, so the sash was -easily lifted. It opened to a paved street, the bottom of the sash -running on a level with the stones, for the apartment in which he had -been confined was a half basement. It was perhaps two o’clock in the -morning, and only the skulkers of the night were abroad. - -Here and there men slouched by with their chins low down on their -breasts and their greasy hats hiding furtive eyes. Now and then a -policeman, swinging a heavy night-stick, passed along the street, -mumbling imprecations at the waifs who refused to go to bed for the very -good reason that they had no beds to go to! - -Havens passed out of the window unobserved. He saw a man standing at the -entrance to a sailor’s boarding house, next door, and there were several -moving about at the head of the pier. However, no one seemed to pay any -attention to him as he crossed the street and sat down on the pier with -his legs hanging over the side. - -While he waited for those nearest to him to go about their business, if -they had any to go to, the man standing in the boarding-house door, lit -a cigar and waved the still flaming match up and down in the quiet air, -as if for the purpose of extinguishing the flame. - -At that time Havens thought nothing at all of the incident, but later on -he remembered with self-reproach that he ought to have been warned by -it. - -Presently he dropped into the chill waters of the river and struck out -for the boat, not very far away, which displayed the red light from the -mast. Not one rope, but a dozen hung from the chains at the prow, and -the millionaire had little difficulty in making his way to the deck. - -For a moment he saw no one about the vessel, then a bushy head was -lifted above a hatchway and a pair of surly eyes turned toward the -intruder. Havens stepped forward and spoke. - -“Good-evening,” he said in his best society manner. - -The head was followed out of the hatchway by a short, broad, hulking -figure. The face of the man was short and broad like his body. The jaw, -which was set like that of a bulldog, was outlined against a rim of red -whiskers growing down on his neck. - -“What do you want?” the fellow demanded in an angry tone. - -“Why,” Havens replied, “I was mooning about the pier and fell into the -river. I shall want to be set ashore presently.” - -“You’ll go ashore the way you came on board!” - -The man flashed ugly eyes at the millionaire. Havens felt the necessity -at that time of propitiating the man, for the reason that he wanted to -remain hidden on board the vessel until daylight. He believed that a -search all through that section would be made for him as soon as his -escape had been discovered. He knew, too, that the attempt to pass -through that section of the city in the middle of the night would be -dangerous to any person having the appearance of wealth. - -“Well,” Havens said, presently, “I’d like a drink of water, if you have -such a thing on board, and I’m willing to pay liberally for your -trouble.” - -“Water cold, eh?” snarled the other. - -“Decidedly,” answered Havens with a slight shiver. - -The man, who appeared to be master of the vessel, which was a small -coast-wise trading schooner, walked to the rail and looked out over the -street Havens had so recently crossed. - -While standing there he took a foul old briar pipe from his pocket, -filled it with cut plug tobacco, and touched a match to the ill-smelling -heap. Havens noticed that as he did so he shook the match viciously in -the air, as if trying to extinguish the flame. - -Again the millionaire was entirely deceived by the apparently innocent -action. Feeling comparatively at peace with himself, he stood waiting -for the captain’s decision. - -Presently the squat of a man returned to where the millionaire was -standing and pointed toward the hatchway. - -“I wouldn’t send a cat ashore if he was wet and thirsty,” commented the -captain. “If you’ll step down the hatchway, I’ll give you something to -offset the chill of the water.” - -Havens followed the pointing finger, and soon stood in a small cabin -which lay completely under the one deck of the schooner. It was a large -room, evidently long used for the storage of such goods as the vessel -carried, but one corner was partitioned off by a screen, and here a -faded and worn rug, a broken couch, a table, and a couple of chairs -proclaimed the home of the master of the craft. Havens took one of the -chairs and waited for his host to speak. A clock on the wall showed the -hour of half-past two. - -Directly the captain opened a cupboard and brought forth a bottle of -spirits and two glasses. - -“Help yourself!” he said to Havens. - -Now Havens had not the slightest notion of taking a drink of liquor. He -was a total abstainer, and even had he been in the habit of using -intoxicating liquors, he would never have indulged under such -circumstances. His watch and money had been taken from him before he had -regained consciousness, but his general appearance was that of a man who -would be apt to pay roundly for his release in case he was temporarily -removed from the society of his friends. - -However, he poured out a small portion of whiskey and waited for an -opportunity to toss it away. The captain of the schooner eyed him -maliciously, his undershot jaw set like that of a bulldog. - -“So you don’t drink, eh?” the captain said, with a snarl. - -“You may be mistaken!” answered Havens. - -“Sometimes I do.” - -“Mistaken, yourself!” shouted the captain. “You thought you’d bribed -Mother DeMott, didn’t you? You thought you’d be dropping off the _Nancy_ -in the morning and turning us all over to the police, didn’t you?” - -Havens eyed the man for a moment, too dazed to speak. - -“In the morning,” the captain sneered, “we set sail for South America -with one very prominent passenger on board.” - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - A QUEER DISCOVERY. - - -When Ben reached the place where he had left Kit asleep, Carl stood with -a searchlight in his hand, examining footprints on the ground. - -“He wandered away, of course!” Carl said. - -“He must have done so,” was the puzzled reply. - -“Because,” Carl went on, “there was no one here to lug him off.” - -“That’s the supposition!” replied Ben anxiously. - -“But why should the little customer sneak off without saying a word to -us?” demanded Carl. “That isn’t at all like him!” - -“Perhaps he saw Jimmie’s light in the cavern and went in there,” -suggested Ben. “He’s an inquisitive little chap.” - -The boys went to the western extremity of the canyon and looked down an -almost perpendicular wall, nearly a thousand feet in height, to the -surging waters of the Pacific ocean. They looked up the vertical walls -to the summits outlined against the stars. They threw their lights over -the crags at the head of the canyon. - -“He’s still in here somewhere!” Ben asserted. “I don’t believe any one -could get out without using a flying machine!” - -“Of course, he’s here!” Carl answered. - -The boys walked closer to the face of the crag and turned their lights -on the broken walls. - -“It would be just like him to follow Jimmie in there,” Carl observed. - -“Sure it would!” replied Ben. - -“But what gets me,” Carl went on, “is that he went away without asking -for anything to eat! The kid is second only to Jimmie in the capacity of -his stomach. He’s always hungry, especially after a short sleep.” - -“It is a wonder he didn’t demand a square meal, as Jimmie calls it, -before wandering away,” Ben admitted. - -“Here’s an opening which seems to be the only one Jimmie could enter far -enough to shut the light of his electric from the canyon,” Carl said, in -a moment. “If you’ll go back to the machines, I’ll go on in and get -Jimmie. I may find Kit with him, you know.” - -“I don’t think there’s any doubt of it,” Ben answered hopefully, at the -same moment knowing very well that there might be a good deal of doubt -about finding the boy in the cavern. - -To tell the truth, Ben at that time felt a premonition of approaching -evil which he could by no means resist. It seemed to him impossible that -Kit could have wandered out of the canyon. - -The only solution of the mystery which came to his mind lay in the -recognition of the fact that the canyon had been occupied by some -one—perhaps by the murderers themselves—at the moment of his entrance. - -He disliked very much to give way to this reasoning, but saw no way out -of it. The disappearance of both Jimmie and Kit led him to believe that -whoever had occupied the canyon at the time of his arrival—if any one -had—had represented a hostile interest. - -“Suppose,” he proposed to Carl, “that you hurry to the machines while I -go into the cavern. Or you might, if you see fit, pass in a short -distance with me and stand where you can watch the machines, and at the -same time follow my course into the underground passage.” - -“That’s the idea!” cried Carl. - -Ten feet in the passage turned abruptly to the north and there the boys -drew up. Ben pointed straight ahead. - -“There’s a light!” he said. - -Carl glanced eagerly in the direction indicated but saw nothing. - -“A ghost light!” he laughed. - -“No, but there is an illumination!” insisted Ben. - -“Point it out, then,” chuckled Carl. “It is as dark in there as a stack -of black cats!” - -Ben looked amazed for an instant and then started forward. - -“I did see a light!” he insisted. - -Carl laughed and stood at the angle of the passage where he could see -the machines, lighted by one small acetylene lamp, and also follow the -progress of his chum into the interior. - -“Perhaps you did see a light,” he called after the boy, “but if you did -it got out of sight handily.” - -Directly Ben turned in the passage and waved his light to attract Carl’s -attention. - -“There’s another turn here,” he said. - -“Shall I come on in?” asked Carl. - -“Watch the machines!” was the answer that came back. - -Still standing where he could see any light or hear any noise proceeding -from the cavern, Carl kept his eyes fixed on the machines, rather dimly -outlined by the rays of the single lamp. - -He had remained in this position only a short time when a cry of alarm -came from the passage down which Ben had proceeded. - -Swinging his light and answering the call by a shrill whistle, the boy -rushed forward. - -At the turning point he saw Ben, Jimmie and Kit standing huddled about a -figure lying on the stone floor of the cavern. - -Seeing his light, they beckoned him to approach. - -“You see,” Jimmie said with a chuckle as Carl came up, “that we can’t -visit any part of the world, in the air or underground, that doesn’t -yield an adventure. Look what I found here!” - -“What is it?” asked Carl, bending forward. - -“Chinaman!” was the short answer. - -The boys stood looking into each other’s faces with wondering glances -for a moment, and then Ben bent closer over the figure lying on the -stone floor. - -“He’s still alive!” he said, in a moment. - -“And tied up like a chicken!” Jimmie added, pointing to the cords which -bound the Chinaman’s wrists and ankles. - -“Any old time we don’t go and find some one tied up!” Carl laughed. - -“Where did you find him, Jimmie?” asked Carl. - -“Wait a moment, boys!” Ben advised. “We’d better get back to the -machines before listening to any long stories.” - -“And I was just thinking,” Jimmie cut in, “that I haven’t had any -supper! I’m just about starved to death!” - -“Perhaps that’s what’s the matter with the Chinaman,” observed Carl. - -“Anyway, we’d better carry him out to the machines and see how he acts -when presented with a square meal,” advised Ben. - -“That’s all right!” Jimmie declared. “It’s all right to rescue the -perishing, and all that, but if some forest ranger should come along -here and find us mixed up with a Chinaman, we’d all be pinched!” - -“Do they smuggle on this coast?” asked Carl. - -“Of course they do!” replied Jimmie scornfully. - -“Smuggle what?” - -“Chinks and opium!” - -“Then I see myself owning the Night and Day bank when I get back to New -York!” Carl exclaimed. “There’s a government reward for the capture of -men who run in Chinks and smuggle opium!” - -“Well, we may as well be getting back to the machines,” urged Ben. “I’ll -run on ahead and see if they’re all right, and you boys may bring the -Chinaman along if you think best.” - -“We’ll bring him along all right!” Jimmie answered. “We can’t leave him -lying here unconscious.” - -Ben found that the machines had not been molested, and in a short time -his chums returned carrying the light form of the Chinaman with them. - -The Celestial had regained consciousness and sat gazing about with -inquisitive eyes as soon as placed on the ground. - -“Who trussed you up?” asked Jimmie. - -The Chinaman shook his head until his queue rattled about like a rope’s -end in the wind. - -“He can’t talk United States,” Carl explained. - -“What are we going to do with him?” asked Jimmie. - -“Keep him to do our laundry work!” chuckled Kit. - -“What do you know about laundry work?” asked Ben turning to the boy. - -“I used to work in the laundry,” returned Kit. “I had to do all the hard -work and the big fat girls got all the money.” - -“Are you going to build a fire in that Devil’s Kitchen we discovered?” -asked Ben of Jimmie, as the boy began bringing out provisions. - -“I should say not!” - -“Then we can’t have any square meals!” Carl exclaimed. - -“What did you see in there?” asked Ben. - -“When I first went in,” Jimmie explained, “I got a whiff which made me -think of Pell street, in little old New York. It was opium, all right, -and I began to understand what I’d stumbled into.” - -“Could you see a light?” asked Ben. - -“No light! There was only the smell and a jabber which sounded to me -like the chin-chin in the back room of a laundry on Doyers street.” - -“Then there are more Chinamen in there?” exclaimed Ben. - -“There were more in there!” replied Jimmie. - -“Where did they go?” asked Carl. - -Kit sat back against Ben’s leg and let out a roar of laughter which for -a moment prevented the question being answered. - -“Ask Kit!” Jimmie suggested. - -“If you leave it to me,” Kit went on, still half choking with laughter, -“they slid into the ragged little slashes between the rocks! One minute -they were scampering along in their soft slippers, and the next they -were out of sight just like they had gone up in smoke.” - -“I guess we’ve struck it!” Jimmie said in a moment. - -“Don’t we always strike it?” asked Carl. - -“You bet we do!” returned Jimmie. “But we never struck a nest of Chinks -before! What do you suppose they’re doing here, anyway?” - -“Waiting to get into Frisco,” answered Ben. “They pay from four to eight -hundred dollars apiece for being smuggled into the country.” - -Jimmie sprang to his feet, almost overturning a can of tomatoes from -which he had been feeding. - -“But how did they get here?” insisted Carl. - -“I know!” cried Jimmie all excitement. “I know all about it?” - -“Wise little boy!” laughed Ben. - -“Now you just hold on!” Jimmie continued. “You just wait until I unload -a little of Solomon’s wisdom on you boys.” - -“Go ahead,” grinned Ben. - -“You remember the light we saw when we came to the coast line?” Jimmie -demanded. - -“Of course,” answered Carl. - -“Well,” Jimmie went on, “that beacon was put there for the purpose of -directing some schooner loaded with Chinks to this place. Now what do -you think of us stumbling right into a mess like that?” - -“I guess that’s right,” mused Ben. “The fire was built on a headland to -direct smugglers in. Now, I wonder why we didn’t think of that before -and get farther away?” - -“But we are at least two miles away from the headland!” suggested Carl. - -“Of course,” Ben returned, “for there is no cove where a vessel might -cast anchor along this rocky wall. The Chinks are undoubtedly unloaded -near the headland where we saw the fire and brought here to be kept -until they can be set into the country.” - -“That’s all right!” exclaimed Jimmie. “That’s all right, so far as it -goes, but what about our finding this fellow all tied up?” - -“That’s a thing no fellow can find out!” grinned Carl. - -“When I followed Jimmie into the cave,” Kit replied, “there wasn’t no -Chinaman lying where this fellow was found.” - -“We can’t solve the mystery if we talk here all night,” Ben observed, -directly, “so we’d better get our suppers and make up our minds what -we’re going to do through the night.” - -“I want to sleep!” cried Jimmie and this sentiment was echoed by all the -others. - -“This is a nice, quiet place to sleep,” Ben said, in a sarcastic tone, -“especially,” he added, “as there’s another beacon fire burning not far -south of us. If you look closely, you’ll see its reflection lighting up -the north wall of the canyon!” - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - A DANGEROUS GAME. - - -“I’ll tell you my idea of the situation in about one minute!” Jimmie -broke in. “If you follow my advice, you’ll get into the aeroplanes and -get away from this old smuggler’s den. I want to get somewhere where I -can lay down and sleep, and get up and eat, and go back and sleep, and -get up and eat again, without being interrupted!” - -“Does the young man express the sentiments of the meeting?” asked Carl -with a laugh. - -“He expresses mine!” answered Kit. - -“And mine, too,” replied Ben, “only——” - -“Only, what?” demanded Jimmie. - -“Only it strikes me,” Ben continued, “that we’ve stumbled on a streak of -luck.” - -“I don’t see how!” Jimmie argued. - -“Look here,” explained Ben, “if Phillips and Mendoza are in this -vicinity they are familiar with the stir of outlaw life about this -place. It is quite probable that they know exactly what is going on, and -it is also quite probable that they have not made their presence here -known to the smugglers.” - -“Do you get the idea?” asked Carl turning to Jimmie. “I’ll tell you -right now that I don’t.” - -“So, you see,” Ben went on with a tolerant smile, “the outlaws will -credit any rumpus that takes place here to the smugglers.” - -“That’s all right, so far as we’re concerned,” replied Jimmie, “but what -will the smugglers say to our nesting down here and cuddling up to -them?” - -“I can answer that question!” Carl cut in. “The first time we leave camp -they’ll smash our machines and consume our provisions!” - -“I’m not so sure about that,” Ben mused. “I have an idea that they’ll -just naturally get their imported Chinamen out of the way and abandon -the camp!” - -“That beacon fire to the south may be shouting a warning to the skies -right now!” Jimmie exclaimed. “They may be sending a mob up here, right -now, to steal our machines and give us decent burial.” - -“I wish Mr. Havens could drop out of the sky just about now!” suggested -Carl. “Perhaps he could tell us what we ought to do.” - -“I think I know what we ought to do now,” Ben interrupted. “We ought to -go down to the end of the canyon and see if there are any steamers -gathering about that beacon light. We wouldn’t exactly like to have a -mob of cutthroats rushing in here with another cargo of Chinks.” - -“That’s a fact!” Carl agreed. “We ought to be finding out what that -beacon means!” - -The boys walked down to the end of the canyon and looked almost straight -below into the tumbling surf of the Pacific ocean. The second beacon was -on a headland a little more than a quarter of a mile to the south. - -Its flames leaped high in the comparatively still air, and a wide area -of mountain and sea was disclosed. Standing out a short distance, -pitching heavily in the swell of the ocean, lay two coast steamers of -fair size. - -“There they are!” Carl exclaimed. “Just watch, and you’ll see boats -loaded with Chinks making their way to some cove in the coast not far -distant.” - -“Well, what are we going to do?” asked Ben. - -“We just can’t stay here!” shouted Carl. - -“Of course not!” Jimmie added. - -“What about it, Kit?” Ben asked, turning to the boy with a laugh. - -“I don’t care where you take me, so long as there’s something to eat -there!” the lad answered. - -After a long consultation, it was decided to take the machines out of -the canyon that night. The boys knew that in time the unlawful acts of -the smugglers would bring them to punishment. Their arrest might take -place within one day, or within one year, but, whenever it was, the lads -decided that they could not afford to be in any way implicated by -knowledge of the smuggling, or by being in a position to be suspected of -knowing more than they really did. - -After a hastily-eaten supper, the boys ran the _Bertha_ around so as to -face the sea and stowed on board of her the packages of provisions which -had been removed and opened. - -This done, Ben ran both machines back to the crag and paced the distance -to the abrupt drop into the sea. - -“How far is it?” asked Jimmie. - -“Something less than a hundred paces!” was the reply. - -“The machines will rise in that distance, all right!” Carl cut in. - -“If they do, it’s all right,” Ben answered, “and if they don’t, we’ll -all be dumped into the Pacific ocean.” - -“Well,” chuckled Jimmie, “we came clear across the continent to get to -the Pacific ocean, didn’t we?” - -“Couldn’t we swim out?” asked Kit innocently. - -“Probably,” grinned Carl, “with a surf washing twenty feet up on the -rocks! Why,” he continued, “there wouldn’t be enough of us left in a -minute to wad a gun.” - -“The _Louise_ will make it all right!” Jimmie insisted. “I’ve pulled her -into the air in less than two hundred feet!” - -“The _Bertha_ can make anything the _Louise_ can,” Ben answered rather -impatiently. “I’ll go first with Kit and see what the prospects are,” he -continued. “If I’m not killed, you can follow.” - -Kit shivered as he stepped into the seat. - -“I wish right now,” he grumbled, “that I was asleep in Robinson’s barn.” - -“Steady now, hold her right!” Jimmie called out, as Ben pressed the -starter and the wheels under the aeroplane began to revolve. “Hold her -tight and steady, and push on the bottom of the seat when you get over -the ocean. If you drop, whistle!” - -“Cut it out, you little idiot!” stormed Carl. “That’s no fool of a trick -Ben’s trying to do! The air massed before and under the machine as it -moves along over the ground will push over the precipice, and then the -aeroplane will shoot downward, no matter if the wheels do leave the -surface before she comes to the edge.” - -“That will be all right, if she comes up again!” Jimmie grinned. - -“Perhaps you wouldn’t feel so merry over the proposition if you were -going in the first machine,” Carl said, impatiently. - -“Huh!” grunted Jimmie with an exasperating smile, “we’ve got to go over -the precipice, too, haven’t we?” - -The _Bertha_ wheeled slowly and steadily down the slight incline toward -the line of demarcation between the white sand and the open air, the -Pacific pounding upon the rocks a thousand feet below. Watching the -flying machine at the critical moment, Jimmie’s red hair almost lifted -his cap from his head as the great planes swept for a moment below the -level of the canyon floor. - -The planes rose again in a second, however, and lifted almost instantly -into the red light of the beacon fire gleaming from the headland below. -It seemed to the anxious boys that she must drop down again, but, -instead, the planes lifted higher and higher until she sailed like a -bird out of the limited circle of illumination. - -“Now for it, Carl!” shouted Jimmie, and together they sprang to their -seats and started the _Louise_. - -Notwithstanding the fact that the _Bertha_ had made the trip into the -air in safety, the young aviators felt shivers navigating their backs as -they dropped down at the edge of the precipice. - -For an instant it seemed as if the motors would never lift the planes in -time to prevent a tumble into the ocean, but at last the _Louise_ leaped -upward and onward, past the light of the signal fire, and into the -semi-darkness which lay over the scenery. - -By this time Ben was some distance away with the _Bertha_. Jimmie turned -the _Louise_ in his direction and the two flying machines were soon side -by side. For a moment the boys tried to converse together, but the -clatter of the motors and the rush of air prevented the spoken words -from reaching the ears of the others. - -Failing to communicate to Jimmie and Carl the thing which was on his -mind, Ben lifted a hand and quickly pointed to the north. - -The headland in that direction still flamed red with the signal which -had been observed at twilight. - -Although the distance was nearly two miles, the boys saw that people -were moving about the fire. Straight west from the headland a second -schooner lay rocking on the pulse of the waves. - -“It’s a wonder the government wouldn’t send gunboats down here!” shouted -Jimmie in his chum’s ear. “It’s bananas to beams that both those -steamers are carrying contraband goods in the shape of Chinks and -opium.” - -“They can carry anything they like, so long as they let us alone!” Carl -answered back. - -For a time both machines passed straight out to the west, rising -slightly as they advanced. Then Ben turned away to the south, evidently -with the intention of passing above the deck of the steamer which lay in -front of the second beacon. - -Jimmie, of course, followed his example, and directly both flying -machines dipped down to within a hundred yards of the deck. There was no -longer any doubt concerning the mission of the vessel. At least a score -of Chinamen were in sight. - -The appearance of the flying machines naturally created great excitement -on the deck below. Hairy-faced sailors shook their fists violently -upward, and the Chinamen were driven like cattle into a hatchway and -passed out of sight. - -“We haven’t got a line on the bank burglars yet!” Jimmie shouted into -Carl’s ear, “but we’ve butted in on a mighty prosperous game just the -same!” - -Ben, of course, was beyond the reach of his chum’s voice, but he -expressed his acknowledgment of the situation by turning in his seat and -waving an arm in the direction of the _Louise_. - -As soon as the two aeroplanes passed beyond the beacon on the headland, -they turned to the sea again and moved out some distance from the shore. -It was the intention, of course, to pass down the coast in quest of -another landing-place, and they swung out to sea in order that their -movements might not be observed in case they were watched from the -mountain. - -Perhaps three miles from the second beacon and schooner they turned -sharply to the east and lifted to an altitude sufficient to enable them -to cross the line of summits which guarded the coast. - -They proceeded in this direction for a short time passing over what -seemed to them to be the highest peak of the Sierra de Santa Lucia, and -then dropped down into what appeared, in the dim light of the stars, to -be a round bowl of a valley between two parallel ridges. - -It was desperate and creepy work, settling down to earth, but the usual -luck of the boys prevailed, and before long they found themselves in a -grassy valley some two thousand feet below the summit. They all shivered -as they stepped out of their seats and gathered in a group. - -“What did you see when you crossed the summit?” asked Ben, turning to -Jimmie. “Anything particular attract your attention?” - -“To tell you the truth,” the boy replied, “I was so frightened, and so -busy following your lead, that I saw only the neck-breaking places below -and the stars above.” - -“Well,” Ben went on, “if you had taken a good look to the north, you -would have seen a flying machine hovering over the headland where we saw -the first signal.” - -“A flying machine?” repeated Carl. - -“That’s what I said!” insisted Ben. - -“And that means,” Jimmie argued, “that the blond brute who tried to blow -up our aeroplanes not far from St. Louis reached the ocean about the -time of our arrival.” - -“That’s the way it looks to me,” Ben agreed. - -“Have you any idea he saw us?” asked Carl. - -“I’ve been thinking about that,” Ben answered, “and I can’t quite make -up my mind. You see,” he went on, “it’s just this way: If he crossed the -range while our machines were reflecting the light of the lower beacon, -he undoubtedly saw us. If he crossed after we passed out to sea and -turned back to the east, he probably doesn’t know that we’re here.” - -“He’ll find out quick enough!” suggested Carl. - -“How?” asked Jimmie. - -“Why, the fellows who were sneaking the Chinamen across the Mexican -border will tell him all right!” was the answer. - -“Don’t you ever think they’ll tell him,” Ben broke in. “He won’t give -them a chance to tell him anything! He’ll dodge them as if they had the -small-pox.” - -“That’s about right,” Jimmie agreed. “He’ll head straight for Phillips -and Mendosa and tell them that there’s a red-headed boy who will cross -their life-lines in about twenty-four hours!” - -“I hope he doesn’t know where to find them!” Ben observed. - -“He probably does,” Ben suggested. - -“Say,” cried Jimmie dancing about on his toes, “I don’t believe he knows -where they are any more than we do—nor half so much.” - -“What’s the answer?” asked Ben. - -“Do you remember the note Kit found in the barn where that monkey-faced -aviator had his arm set?” asked Jimmie. - -“That’s a fact!” exclaimed Ben. “Who’s got the note now?” - -“I have!” shouted Jimmie. “I have it at this moment secreted about my -person, but it isn’t necessary for me to read it again to tell what it -says. It gives an address and the address is Two Sisters canyon.” - -“This blond cruiser may have a copy of it,” suggested Carl. - -“Of course, he may,” returned Jimmie, “but I don’t believe it. This -monkey-faced fellow seems to me to be the big squeeze in this game, and -thieves don’t trust each other a little bit.” - -While the boys talked, the aeroplane which had been observed in the -light of the north beacon came sailing over the summit to the west and -dipped down toward the surface only a short distance away from where the -boys were sitting. - -“There!” Ben observed, “he either saw and followed us, or he knows where -Two Sisters canyon is and is heading for it.” - -“As the Bureau of Forecasts would say,” chuckled Jimmie, “threatening -weather may be expected about this time.” - -“It looks to me like I never would get any more sleep!” wailed Kit. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE FIGHT IN THE CABIN. - - -“It strikes me,” Havens observed, as he sat at the little table in the -screened-off corner of the _Nancy’s_ cabin, gazing at the brutal -features of Captain DeMott, the son of the old hag who had so deceived -him. “It strikes me,” he repeated, “that you people have some strong -motive for getting me out of the way.” - -“Sartin, sure,” answered Captain DeMott. - -“I must give you credit for capable management,” Havens went on, with a -smile. “How did you ever get me out of the stateroom?” - -DeMott chuckled, shaking his broad shoulders, but did not answer the -question. Then his wicked face hardened. - -“Fishing for millionaires in New York,” he commented, “is about the -surest and safest sport a-going at this time.” - -The old fellow poured himself a liberal portion of whiskey from the -bottle and drank it greedily, smacking his lips heartily. - -“We had trouble getting you to the house,” he finally said, “and were -afraid to carry you from there on board the _Nancy_. So the old woman -says to me that if we would leave you to her care for a short time, -she’d send you into the cabin of this here vessel of your own accord.” - -“Very cleverly done!” commented Havens. - -The man took another drink out of the bottle and refilled his foul briar -pipe. Havens sat in a brown study during the latter operation. Captain -DeMott seemed to be the only person besides himself on board the boat, -and he was wondering if it would be possible to overcome the fellow and -secure his freedom. - -Once out of the boat and into the river, he would be safe from pursuit, -for a police barge would undoubtedly spring into motion at the splash. - -Desperate as the situation was, the young millionaire decided that he -ought at least to make the attempt. - -Presently DeMott, probably entering upon a small celebration in honor of -an adventure so craftily carried out, stepped to the cupboard and -brought forth another bottle of liquor. - -“You needn’t mind inspecting the fastenings of the hatch or the -windows,” leered the captain as he seated himself again. “I saw you -doing of it while I was at the cupboard, so I’ll tell you for your own -information that the hatch is locked down hard and fast, and that the -windows are likewise fastened.” - -Havens smiled grimly but made no reply. - -“Likewise,” continued the captain, his voice growing slightly unsteady, -“I hold in these here pockets of mine two automatic revolvers which I -have a habit of using in case anything unpleasant turns up.” - -“I presume,” Havens said after a time, “that the offer I made to Mother -DeMott would be rejected by you.” - -“I haven’t seen Mother DeMott,” was the answer. - -“I offered her twenty-five thousand dollars,” said Havens. - -“That is a tidy sum, too,” the captain mumbled. “And yet,” he went on, -“what would twenty-five thousand bucks amount to if one got a knife in -his back for the taking of ’em?” - -“You seem to be connected with a cheerful sort of a gang,” Havens -suggested. “I don’t think I’d like such associates.” - -“It’s a gang that meets treachery with cold steel!” said the captain -savagely. “Always cold steel for traitors!” - -“I’ve heard,” Havens observed in a moment, “that Phillips and Mendoza -regard human life very lightly.” - -Captain DeMott sprang to his feet with an oath. - -“I said nothing about Phillips and Mendoza,” he shouted, shaking his -fist in the millionaire’s face. “I never saw either one of them!” - -Notwithstanding the emphatic denial of the captain, Havens knew then -where to look for accessories after the fact in the case of the two -murderers. There was no longer any doubt as to the interest which had -connived at his abduction. - -The clock on the cabin wall denoted the hour of three, and Havens knew -that whatever was done must be done at once. - -With the morning others would undoubtedly make their appearance on board -the _Nancy_, and then escape would be practically impossible. The -captain sat at the table for some moments, now, in gloomy silence, -occasionally lifting a pair of bloodshot eyes to the face of his -captive. At last, however, the millionaire’s opportunity came. - -DeMott, swinging sullenly about in his swivel chair, brought his broad -back against the edge of the table, on the other side of which Havens -sat. - -Havens lifted suddenly in his chair, seized the brawny neck with both -muscular hands and drew the fellow back upon the table. The furniture -was old and creaky, but it held under the added weight. DeMott naturally -threw his great hands to his throat to remove the pressure which was -shutting the air out of his lungs, but Havens held fast. - -The man struggled fiercely, desperately, but the nervous fingers never -left his throat. Finally the captain managed to throw himself to the -floor, and then he almost succeeded in gripping the throat of his -opponent. But Havens was an athlete, and an expert at the wrestling -game, so the fellow’s effort failed of success. - -After what seemed to the millionaire to be an infinite number of hours, -DeMott lay unconscious on the cabin floor. Possessing himself of one of -the fallen man’s automatic revolvers, Havens looked about for the key to -the cabin hatch. It was not in the captain’s pocket, but he found it in -a drawer of the desk. - -When he opened the hatch there was a pearly light in the east, and -already the river was astir with moving craft. After a moment’s thought, -he got softly into the water and moved toward the pier. He heard a shout -and saw a police boat moving toward him. - -Uttering a cry for assistance, he remained stationary until he was -picked up by the guardians of the river. Very fortunately the man in -charge of the squad was an intelligent and observing officer of long -experience in river work. He knew the shady reputation of the _Nancy_, -and remembered, also, that her captain was in great demand at Sing Sing, -from which place he had taken his departure without the formality of a -permit. This being the case, Havens had little difficulty in explaining -the situation. He was permitted to depart after disclosing his identity. - -When he turned back to the pier and looked at the _Nancy_ in the growing -light of day, he saw half a dozen blue-coated officials swarming over -the sides. Shivering from his bath in the river, faint from the -excitement and exertion of the night, the millionaire waited at the head -of the pier on the chance of seeing a taxicab. - -None appeared, however, and he was obliged to walk some distance before -seeing one of the nighthawks which prowl the streets of New York between -midnight and morning. Without stopping a moment for refreshment, he -ordered the chauffeur to drive with all speed to his city garage. His -own chauffeur was awakened with difficulty, but finally the journey to -the hangar in Westchester county was fairly begun. - -In five minutes after the arrival of the master the whole place was -illuminated and a dozen men were at work. - -“Look here, Hilton,” Havens said to the night-watchman, “I want the -_Ann_ put in shape for a long journey, and I want the trick turned in -less than an hour. I want provisions and gasoline sufficient for two -days, and I don’t want a word spoken concerning the departure of the -flying machine. Do you understand?” - -“Yes, sir,” answered Hilton. - -“If any of the people ask about the departure of the _Ann_,” the -millionaire went on, “tell them that she has gone out on a trial trip. -They will presume, of course, that she was taken out by an aviator.” - -“Yes, sir,” replied Hilton. - -“And, another thing,” commanded Havens, “if any telegrams arrive here -for me, the reply is to be made that I took a sleeper for the west last -night. It may be also said if the messages are pressing that I -unaccountably left the sleeper before the departure of the train, and -since that time have not been seen.” - -“You expect telegrams, sir?” asked Hilton. - -“There may be several,” answered the millionaire. - -In an hour, as per orders, the _Ann_ was ready for flight, fully -provisioned for a long voyage and with tanks well loaded with gasoline. -After giving Hilton positive instructions to inform his secretary that -all inquiries should be answered as stated above, Havens stepped into -the seat and whirled away. - -At that hour, it will be remembered, the boys were watching their -machines in the open field a short distance east of the Mississippi -river. All that day, while the lads waited in and about the St. Louis -post-office, telegraphing to the hangar at frequent intervals, the -millionaire was speeding swiftly in their direction. At the Forest Park -hangar Havens secured his first news of the boys. - -However, the superintendent knew nothing whatever of the destination of -the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_. The boys, he reported, had been -non-communicative. The millionaire, however, was glad to learn that the -lads had proceeded thus far on their way without serious accident. After -filling his tanks and taking a short rest at one of the leading hotels, -Havens continued his way. - -As will be seen by the reader, he was only a short distance in the rear -of the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_. The _Ann_ was a much more powerful -machine than either of the ones owned by the boys, and Havens was noted -for his reckless driving, so it is quite possible that he would have -caught a glimpse of the two flying machines at some stage of the journey -if the latter had kept farther to the north as had been agreed upon. - -As Havens swept rapidly over the country he was more than satisfied with -the steps he had taken to prevent pursuit. But he was out of touch with -the boys as well as with his business associates! He still considered -the situation a desirable one for the reason that he was also out of -touch with the mercenaries who had given him such a bad night on the -water front! - -And so, flying swiftly, stopping only to rest for a few hours at time, -and for gasoline and provisions, Havens crossed the continent in his -powerful machine, and, one morning, caught sight of the pretty little -city of Monterey, nestling on the border of the bay of the same name. -His next task would be to locate the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - IN RANGER UNIFORM. - - -“Speaking about sleep,” Ben observed, as Kit made the remark that he -never expected to get any more, “reminds me that we can’t go on like -this forever. It will soon be daylight, now, and the chances are that -the fellow in the other flying machine will lie low for a time for the -same reason that we shall. In other words, he won’t want to attract -undue attention by hovering over the mountains in plain sight of forest -rangers and tourists.” - -“That’s a mighty pleasant conclusion!” laughed Jimmie. “It means that -all we’ve got to do now is to leave one man to guard the machines and -sleep all day!” - -“I’ll do the watching stunt,” offered Kit. “I had a great sleep back -there in the other canyon.” - -“You might have had a longer one if you hadn’t followed Jimmie into the -cavern,” suggested Carl. - -“Well,” replied Kit, “you fellows made so much noise that I couldn’t -sleep, and I saw Jimmie’s light disappearing in the cave, and so I just -naturally sneaked in after him! I got there just in time, too,” he went -on, “for I believe those Chinks would have devoured Jimmie if they -hadn’t seen some one else coming!” - -“Speaking of Chinks,” laughed Carl, “I wonder what that Chink thought -when he saw us heading our machines directly for the precipice.” - -“It’s a good bet that he didn’t stop long enough to think,” Ben -suggested. “The chances are that he flew back to his companions in the -cave at a pace that set his pigtail straight out in the air.” - -“You found him tied up, didn’t you?” asked Ben. - -“We sure did,” replied Kit. - -“Then why should he go back to the people who served him a trick like -that?” asked Ben. - -“That’s a fact,” Jimmie replied, “I never thought of that.” - -“Now, I’d give a dollar to know what they were doing to him, anyway,” -Carl put in. “I can’t understand why they should tie up one of their own -crowd in that way.” - -“He was a queer-looking fellow,” suggested Kit. - -“Just washee-washee!” Jimmie insisted. - -“Well,” Kit went on, “when I held the light in his face and bent down -over him, it seemed to me that he drew a grin that meant something more -than amazement. And, then, did you notice how he chuckled when we turned -him loose?” - -“I only noticed that he smelled like a Chinese laundry!” Jimmie -answered. “I never did like a Chink.” - -“Now, if we sit around here talking all day, we won’t any of us get any -sleep,” Carl exclaimed, after a while. “We’ll give Jimmie a chance to -get up one of his square meals, and then all flop in this nice soft -grass and wake up when we hear the sun going down.” - -“That’ll suit me!” Kit said. “I wouldn’t sleep if I had a chance! You -fellows go to it, and I’ll watch the machines.” - -The breakfast was not so elaborate as the boys desired, but there was -plenty of it, and in a short time the three were stretched out on the -grass sound asleep, their faces protected by a rude awning hastily -constructed out of a shelter tent. - -Kit wandered about the little valley aimlessly for a long time. The -whole situation was new to him, and he was filled with wonder at the -things he had seen since leaving the little settlement where the boys -had found him. - -The valley where the flying machines had landed has been called a little -bowl between two parallel ridges. The word bowl describes it exactly. - -It was as round as if dug out by the hand of man. The bottom was covered -with lush grass, and through the center a small stream trickled from -ridge to ridge. Where the rivulet started and where it ended no one -knew. For years the valley had been known as the Place of the Lost -Brook. - -The sides were heavily timbered to the very summits which shut in the -bowl. Through some freak of nature, however, there was no undergrowth or -trees at the very bottom. Perhaps the soil, being a wash from the rocks -around in prehistoric days, provided only sufficient nourishment for the -grass which grew there. - -After walking around the grassy bowl, and crossing the stream at least a -dozen times, Kit turned his face toward the wooded slope to the west. He -was soon in the heart of a forest, the trees of which interlaced their -boughs far above his head. The sun shone warmly on the softly swaying -tops, and there was a stir of insect life in the air. He knew that the -summit of the ridge he was climbing was merely a convex wrinkle in the -side of the lofty mountains. - -His idea as he climbed steadily upward, always keeping his eye on the -little valley where the machines lay, was to reach the top and look into -the next canyon in the hope of seeing the flying machine which had been -observed during the dark hours of the night. Wearied from his long -climb, he finally sat down and leaned against the bole of a sprawling -sycamore tree. - -Birds were winging their way among the branches of the trees, and the -drone of insect life was in his ears. In fact, the boy would have been -asleep in another moment if an unexpected thing had not occurred. - -The bushes directly in front of him parted, and, with a grunt like that -of an overfed hog, a gigantic grizzly bear lumbered into the little -clearing under the boughs of the tree. - -Kit had never seen a grizzly bear before. In fact, his knowledge -concerning all wild animals was limited. At that moment, however, -instinct told him that the bear was not friendly to his species. - -At first it seemed that the animal was equally surprised with the boy, -for he drew hastily back, his pig-like eyes glaring viciously. - -The fellow was evidently not very hungry, but at the same time he did -not propose to overlook a feast of boy. The next thing Kit saw was a -figure advancing toward him on a pair of hind legs which seemed to him -to be larger than the trunk of the tree against which he leaned. - -With a shout which he now declares must have been heard in San -Francisco, he sprang for an overhanging limb and drew himself up. A -person less agile and, perhaps, less frightened, would have been unable -to escape the sweep of the bear’s paw which followed his spring. - -The bough bent low under the weight of the boy, but he seized another -just above it, and in a short time was walking up the tree like one -passing from one rung of a ladder to another. Bruin sat down under the -sheltering branches, evidently intending to remain there until his -dinner should be served. Kit looked down upon him scornfully. - -“Come on up, bear!” he shouted. - -Bruin growled out a refusal. - -“Look here, bear,” Kit explained, talking to the animal as if he -understood every word that was said, “you ought to go on your way -immediately, for I have two flying machines to watch, and consequently -have no time to visit with you. Go on away, now!” - -Bruin uttered a series of vicious growls at the sound of the boy’s -voice, but refused to honor the request. - -“I’m in a nice box, now!” wailed Kit. “If I only had a gun, I could fill -this wild animal full of lead, but I haven’t got any gun, and I guess -I’ve got to stay here until some of the boys wake up and come to the -rescue. I’m in a bad fix!” - -The bear did not seem to agree with the boy in his estimate of the -situation, for he appeared to be contented as he shambled around under -the tree, looking up into the branches with greedy eyes. - -“Now,” thought Kit after the situation had held for at least half an -hour, “I wonder how I’m going to shake this brute. If I let out a yell, -people we don’t want to know anything about our presence here may follow -the sound of my voice and make trouble with the machines before the boys -get up.” - -An hour passed and the bear showed no signs of impatience. - -“If I had a good round rock about the size of a hen’s egg,” declared -Kit, “I believe I could raise a welt on his nose that would put him on a -fluid diet for a month! But I haven’t got any rock, and I haven’t got -any gun,” wailed the boy. “All I’ve got left is my voice, and I’m going -to use that right now!” - -In accordance with this decision, Kit threw back his chest and let out a -shout which, as he believed, must have been heard far beyond the camp. -Indeed it was heard at a point more distant than the place where the -machines were standing. The boy listened in suspense for an answer to -his call, and was soon gratified to see a motion in the undergrowth to -the right. - -“Hello!” a voice cried in a moment. - -“Look out!” Kit answered. “There’s about a ton of bear under this tree! -He’s waiting for his dinner!” - -Bruin sniffed in the direction of the newcomer, but continued to give -the most of his attention to the tree and the boy it held. - -“Why don’t you shoot him?” - -“Got no gun!” - -“Jump down and run, then,” suggested the other. - -“Not me!” replied Kit. - -Almost before the words were out of his mouth, the whizz of a bullet cut -the air, and the bear dropped, floundering and gasping, to the ground. - -“You can come down now!” said the stranger. - -“Holy Smoke!” shouted Kit. “How did you shoot that bear without firing a -gun? Is he really dead?” - -“He’s as dead as he ever will be!” was the reply. - -“Did you throw something at him?” asked Kit, still wondering. - -The boy heard a chuckle in the bushes but saw no one. - -“I have a silencer on my gun,” the voice said directly. “I don’t care to -advertise every bullet I send out.” - -The boy dropped down from the tree and stood for a moment over the bear, -still twitching spasmodically, but undoubtedly dead. - -Then a man in the uniform of a forest ranger stepped out and looked the -boy over curiously. - -“You’re a little mite of a fellow to be in a mix-up like this,” the -ranger said. “Where are your friends?” - -“Down in the valley,” replied the boy. “We came across in flying -machines and we’re taking a little rest.” - -“Rather a dangerous locality to take a little rest in,” smiled the -other. “You ought not to remain here long.” - -“Why don’t you go down and talk to the boys?” asked Kit. “I left them -asleep by the machines.” - -“Well,” the visitor said, after a moment’s hesitation, “I may give you a -call this evening, if you are still in the valley. Just now I have an -important engagement.” - -“We’ll be glad to see you,” replied Kit. - -“So you came over in flying machines, did you?” asked the man in -ranger’s uniform. - -“That’s what we did,” replied the boy. - -“What do you call the machines?” asked the other. - -“The _Louise_ and the _Bertha_.” - -“From New York, eh?” - -“Yes, from New York,” replied the unsuspecting boy. - -“Well,” said the man after a moment’s thought, “I’ll probably call on -your friends to-night. I never fail to have a good time in the company -of flying machine boys. By the way,” he added as he turned away, “have -you seen anything of a third machine in this vicinity?” - -As the man spoke he lifted his left hand to brush a twig out of his path -and Kit saw that the little finger was missing at the first joint. - -“No,” the boy replied in a moment, making a mental note of the crippled -hand. “I don’t think there’s any other machine here.” - -For the first time during that interview the boy realized that he had -been talking too much. Therefore, he denied any knowledge of the -aeroplane which had crossed the mountains during the night. - -The ranger departed, and Kit hastened to the camp to find the boys awake -and anxious concerning his absence. Of course he was all excitement over -the encounter with the bear, but he told of his conversation with the -ranger hesitatingly, for he disliked to admit that he had been too -talkative with an entire stranger. He explained the good turn the ranger -had served him and added that they might have company that night. - -“Forest ranger, is he?” asked Ben as the boy concluded his story. - -“He wore a ranger’s uniform, anyway!” replied Kit. - -“And he asked you all about us, didn’t he?” Jimmie quizzed. - -“Why, he asked a few questions, yes.” - -“And you told him all about our coming from New York, and the names of -our machines, and everything else you could think of, didn’t you?” -questioned Carl. “You were so glad he saved your life that you told him -all you knew?” - -“I told him about New York, and about the machines,” was the hesitating -reply. “He didn’t seem to care much about details.” - -“What sort of a looking man is he?” asked Ben. - -“Oh, he looks all right,” Kit replied. “I couldn’t describe him. When he -lifted his left hand I saw that the little finger was off at the first -joint. That’s all I know about him.” - -“That’s enough!” Ben exclaimed. “We don’t have to know any more about -him! Phillips has a frank, pleasant manner, and his little finger on the -left hand is off at the first joint, too, but perhaps that is only a -coincidence!” he added with a scornful smile. - -Kit actually turned pale under all his freckles. - -“Is that one of the men you boys have been telling me about?” he asked. - -“I haven’t a doubt of it!” replied Ben. - -Kit, very much ashamed of himself, crawled under the shelter-tent where -the boys had been sleeping and refused to be comforted. - -“It’s just this way, boys,” Ben said as they stood looking into each -other’s faces, questioningly. “It looks like we’ll have to get out of -this cosy little valley right away.” - -“Phillips doesn’t know what we’re here for yet, because he was inquiring -for the third flying machine,” Jimmie replied. “If he wants to come to -the camp to-night, let him trot right along. If he isn’t warned in time -we may be able to tie him up like a pig for market.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - A GAME OF TAG STARTED. - - -Carl walked over to where Kit lay under the shelter-tent and, seizing -him by one leg, drew him forth into the sunlight. - -“It’s all right, Kit!” he exclaimed. “We’ve decided that you did a -mighty good thing in locating Phillips. We know where he is now, and so -it will be all the easier to catch him.” - -Kit rubbed his eyes sheepishly. - -“I thought I’d given the whole snap away,” he said. - -“You couldn’t have done a better job,” Carl insisted. “You see it’s this -way,” he continued. “Phillips and Mendoza are still unaware that they -have been followed to this locality. At least, we judge so because this -alleged ranger asked you concerning a third machine.” - -“I begin to understand,” said Kit brightening. - -“This third machine,” continued Carl, “is evidently operated by the man -who tried to destroy the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_ near St. Louis. He -came on from New York, the way we have it figured out, to warn the two -murderers of the steps which were being taken for their capture.” - -“And we beat him to it!” cried Kit exultantly. - -“Yes, we beat him to it,” replied Carl. “And here’s another reason,” the -boy went on, “why we think the outlaws have not yet communicated with -the messenger sent on from the east. - -“If Phillips had known all the messenger will be able to tell him when -they meet, he never would have shown himself to you.” - -“Jiminy!” exclaimed Kit. “Then I’d be up in that bear tree yet!” - -“You might be!” grinned Carl. “Anyhow, you did a good job in locating -the outlaws for us. We know now that they’re in this section, and that -is a whole lot.” - -“Then we must be somewhere near Two Sisters canyon?” asked Kit. - -Carl replied that he believed that they must be, and Kit tumbled back -into the shelter-tent in a more cheerful frame of mind. - -“There’s one thing about this situation that I’m not at all pleased -with,” Ben remarked, as the boys began working over their machines, -oiling, polishing and giving them a more respectable appearance -generally. “We saw this third machine cross the range and settle down -somewhere off to the south. My idea is that it can’t be very far away at -this time, and I’m wondering whether the outlaw who talked with Kit -won’t find it before night.” - -“You bet he will!” exclaimed Jimmie. “That blond aviator who tried to -blow up our machines will find some way of letting the murderers know -that he has news for them.” - -“Then why don’t we go and drive this blond aviator away?” asked Carl. - -“I’d like to know how we can do that?” asked Jimmie. - -“We might get up in the air and drop a few sticks of dynamite down on -him!” suggested Carl. “You know we always carry dynamite in small -quantities. He ought to be blown off the earth, anyway!” - -“There’s no doubt about that,” Ben cut in, “but we ought not to be the -ones to do it.” - -“Well, we ought to do something!” insisted Jimmie. “If that blond brute -gets to Phillips and Mendosa, we may as well trek back to little old New -York! We never can find them in all this mess of hills if they know -we’re doing the detective stunt.” - -The boys discussed the problem for a long time without reaching any -decision. At last Ben and Carl went to the shelter-tent and fell asleep. -There had been very few hours of uninterrupted rest since leaving New -York, and the boys were really “about all in” as Carl expressed it. - -Jimmie, thus left alone, climbed into one of the seats of the _Louise_ -and sat for a long time in deep thought, his freckled chin resting -heavily in the palm of his right hand. - -“I don’t know what the boys would say,” the lad finally mused, “but I’ve -a great notion to try it!” - -He leaped to the ground and began a careful inspection of the _Louise_, -looking to every detail of the mechanism. - -“I wish I knew whether he would or not,” the boy thought, a slight smile -coming to his face. “I just wish I knew whether he’d be fool enough to -do it.” - -Next, Jimmie went to the convenience box under the seat and drew out two -automatic revolvers and a searchlight. He saw that the light was in good -working order and that the revolvers were loaded. After that he drew on -a belt stuffed with cartridges and again took his place on the seat of -the machine. - -Looking about cautiously, almost furtively, at the shelter tent and the -_Bertha_, he saw Kit making his way toward him. - -“Come on, Kit!” Jimmie called out softly, so as not to waken the others. -“I was just wishing you’d wake up. I want you to be a good little boy, -now, and watch the camp, and not associate with any more grizzly bears -until I come back.” - -Kit looked into the boy’s face questioningly. - -“And another thing,” Jimmie went on, “when Ben and Carl wake up, advise -them to go out and get a haunch of bear. You can show them where it is. -Bear steak sounds mighty good to me! Only for our excitement over the -discovery you made, I would have been out there long ago.” - -“Where are you going?” asked Kit. - -“Why,” replied Jimmie, “I’m just going out to exercise my horse. She -seems to be getting a little lame standing in the stable.” - -“Why can’t I go?” asked Kit. - -“You’ll have to watch the camp,” Jimmie answered. - -Kit stood by the machine when Jimmie pressed the starter. Instead of -dropping back and clearing away, the lad bounded nimbly into the seat -and looked up at Jimmie with a twisted smile on his face. By this time -the _Louise_ was well under motion, the wheels humming softly over the -grass of the green bowl in which she lay. - -“Jump!” cried Jimmie. “You’ve got to watch the camp, you know!” - -Kit hung on tighter. The wheels of the aeroplane left the earth and the -propellers whirled softly in the upper air. - -“Now you’ve gone and done it!” Jimmie exclaimed half-angrily. “Now I’ve -got to turn back and let you out!” - -“I’m going with you!” insisted Kit. - -“You’re likely to get your neck broken!” advised Jimmie. - -“I guess I can stand it if you can!” responded the boy. “Anyway, my neck -is long enough to tie.” - -Jimmie remained thoughtful for a moment, and then turned to his chum. - -“Come to think of it,” he said, “I guess I would better take you along. -You always do seem to blunder into the right procession. You located the -outlaws for us, and now you’re going out to be the candy boy in the -sleuth game. You’re all right, Kit!” - -“What are you going to do?” demanded the boy. - -“Look here,” Jimmie declared. “We came out here to do some flying -machine stunts, didn’t we?” - -“That’s the idea!” answered Kit. - -“Well, we haven’t done any stunts yet,” Jimmie went on. “We just plugged -across the continent, half asleep all the time, like an old horse -pulling a cross-town car in New York. We’ve exercised our machines good -and plenty, but we haven’t had any real lively fun yet.” - -“It’s kept us awake, anyhow,” suggested Kit. - -“Well,” Jimmie went on, “the machine that followed us from New York is -in one of the canyons over to the south. You remember that we saw it -settling down in the darkness.” - -“And it isn’t very far away, either,” suggested Kit. - -“That’s the idea!” returned Jimmie. “It is so near at hand that this -imitation ranger you saw is likely to find it at any minute. If he does, -it’s all off with us!” - -“So you’re going to bump into this crooked aviator yourself?” asked Kit. - -“I aim to keep him busy all day!” Jimmie answered. - -“Up in the air, I presume?” queried Kit. - -“Exactly,” replied Jimmie. - -“Then I ought to have stayed behind to watch the camp,” Kit mused, -regretfully. “The boys may sleep for hours, and some one may wreck or -steal the _Bertha_. You see,” the boy continued, “I thought you were -only out for a short spin, so I had the nerve to jump aboard.” - -“It’s all right to have company,” laughed Jimmie, “and now,” he added, -turning on more power, “we’ll have to quit talking, for I’m going to -give the motor a tip to get a move on, and her conversation will drown -anything we have to say. But before I do this,” the boy went on, “I want -to pass you this automatic revolver, and tell you that if anything -happens to me I want you to catch hold of the steering apparatus as -you’ve been taught and keep going toward the camp.” - -“I couldn’t run a machine on a bet!” replied Kit sorrowfully. - -Jimmie laughed and turned on full speed. Just as the _Louise_ swung over -the edge of the cup which formed the round valley below, the boy saw Ben -and Carl, doubtless awakened by the starting of the motors, rush out of -the shelter-tent and wave toward them. It was evident that the two boys -left in camp did not think much of Jimmie’s unannounced excursion into -the air, for their greeting seemed to be more of a command to return -than anything else. - -A mile away, Jimmie slowed down and, with a field glass, began a close -examination of every gully, canyon, and valley which he passed. Finally -the glistening planes of an aeroplane came to view, lying on a level -stretch of rock only a short distance from the main ridge. - -“Here we are, now!” thought the boy. “Here’s the other machine! Now, if -I can only coax him out of his nest, and keep him amused through the -day, I’d like to know how he’s going to get time to deliver the message -sent by the underworld of New York to Phillips and Mendosa?” - -As the boy slowed down again, he saw a figure running wildly around the -aeroplane below. He circled the little shelf, dropping lower at each -swing. Presently he darted away, as if satisfied with his scrutiny, and -the machine below lifted instantly and gave chase. - -“And here,” mused Jimmie with a grin, “you’ll see the liveliest game of -tag ever pulled off in the air!” - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - A CRIPPLED AEROPLANE. - - -Left together in the camp, astonished and angry at the sudden departure -of Jimmie, Ben and Carl saw the _Louise_ disappearing with varying -emotions. - -“Now what did he do that for?” demanded Carl. - -“He’s always up to some mischief!” growled Ben. - -“Well, if he’s going sailing around over the mountains in broad -daylight,” Carl suggested, “we may as well go up to San Francisco and -bring down a band. A brass band wouldn’t give us any more prominence in -the community, and it might be more amusing.” - -“Oh, the boy always has some fairly good reason for what he does,” -defended Ben, chuckling inwardly at the daring of his chum, “but I wish -he’d tell us a little more about his plans before he makes such breaks. -It would take the strain off a little!” he added. - -From the valley in which the _Bertha_ lay the boys could not, of course, -see what was taking place until the _Louise_ was high up above the lower -summits, with the third aeroplane in full pursuit. - -“Now, what do you think of that?” demanded Carl. “That fool boy has -found the crook’s machine, and the chances are that he’ll be sorry he -did it before the day is over!” - -“Oh, well,” Ben replied, “we’ll have to wait and see what comes of this -absurd trip. Perhaps we’d better be getting something to eat, so as to -be ready for a flight if the boy should need assistance.” - -While the two were eating a hastily prepared meal, an exclamation of -astonishment came from the vicinity of the _Bertha_, and they both -sprang to their feet and chased off in that direction. - -At first no one could be seen, then a figure crawled slowly out from -under the planes and stood upright. - -“The Chink!” exclaimed Ben. - -“Now, I wonder how he found his way here?” Carl questioned. - -“That’s the fellow we released from captivity over at the first -stopping-place, isn’t it?” asked Ben. - -“You may search me!” replied Carl. “Negroes and horses and Chinamen all -look alike, so far as I’m concerned.” - -“Me savvee you!” exclaimed the Chinaman, in most outrageous pidgin -English. “Me savvee you, alle same.” - -“Where’d you come from?” demanded Ben impatiently. - -The Chinaman put a finger to his lips and looked puzzled. - -“No can do!” he said. - -“Look here!” Ben exclaimed. “How did you ever find this place, anyway? -If a Chink fresh from the odorous Orient can walk in on us like this, -I’d like to know what an outlaw who really meant business could do!” - -“No can do!” repeated the Chinaman. - -“You’re the fellow we found tied up, aren’t you?” asked Carl. - -“Me savvee you!” was the only reply, the words being accompanied by a -foolish grin. “Me savvee you, alle same.” - -Ben pointed to the provisions spread on a cloth lying on the turf. - -“Hungry?” he asked. “You seem to me to look rather lank!” - -“I bet you don’t shake your head at that, and chatter out that -everlasting ‘No can do’,” Carl laughed. “Fall to, friend!” he added. - -The Chinaman quickly accepted this invitation, and was soon devouring -bread and butter, tinned meats, and vegetables, as if he had eaten -nothing before for a week. The boys watched laughingly. - -“We’re next to you!” Carl cried. “You came to visit on purpose to get a -good feed! Look here!” he added as the Chinaman looked up with a -submissive grin, “what did those fellows tie you up for?” - -“No can do!” answered the Chinaman. “No can do.” - -“Go to it!” exclaimed Ben. “Put a couple of pounds of groceries under -your belt at our expense and then you may be able to talk United -States.” - -“No can do,” was the only answer received to this suggestion. - -Watching the man critically as he ate the provisions with all the gusto -of one near to the point of starvation, Ben thought he saw indications -of a different sort of a life in his manner of handling his food. - -The fellow’s face expressed only stupidity. His eyes were dull and -staring, but the manner in which he brought the food to his mouth was -not that of a man who had been trained to eat with chopsticks. - -In a moment Ben drew his chum to one side. - -“There’s something strange about that Chink,” he said, when they were -out of hearing of their strange guest. “He’s not as stupid or as -ignorant as he would have us believe. And he never stumbled on us by -chance, either! How does the idea strike you?” - -“There is no doubt in my mind that the fellow is disguised in manner and -speech if not in person,” Carl replied. “For all we know, he may be one -of the leaders of the smuggling gang.” - -“Then why should the bunch we found in the cavern tie him up?” asked -Ben. “You remember the shape in which he was found?” - -“I guess we’ll have to decide that we don’t know anything about it!” -Carl replied. “We only know that we stirred up a nest of Chinamen, and -that they ran away from us like rats. We don’t know where they went to -either, although we may have time to find out later on.” - -“We might have learned something more concerning the combination right -there,” Ben grumbled, “only for the second beacon light and the -schooner. Of course we couldn’t remain there with a new bunch of -smuggled Celestials swarming about our ears.” - -“We don’t know yet whether that schooner landed any Chinamen or not!” -suggested Carl. “We had to duck away so fast that we couldn’t see what -took place. I wish we’d kept in the air long enough to find out!” - -“I don’t wish anything of the kind!” Ben declared. “Daylight was coming -on and Mr. Havens told us to keep out of the air except during the -night. After we round up Phillips and Mendoza, we may take a throw at -the smugglers.” - -“Perhaps Jimmie has gone over to the coast now,” suggested Carl. - -“Much good it will do him!” grumbled Ben, “with that outlaw machine -chasing him up! I’m afraid the boy has got us into serious trouble,” he -added, “though I’m sure he meant everything for the best!” - -During this conversation the strange visitor had been busy with the -provisions. He now drew back and regarded his hosts through half-open -eyes. The two boys approached the place where he sat. - -“Me savvee you, alle same!” the Chinaman said. - -As he spoke he drew one yellow finger across a wrist and an ankle, thus -indicating that he remembered them as friends because they had released -him. Then he arose to his feet and looked about. - -“Savvee him,” he exclaimed pointing to the _Bertha_. “Savvee mate, alle -same!” - -The Chinaman pointed straight to the east as he spoke. - -“Do you mean,” asked Ben, “that you saw a machine like that in that -direction? How long ago was it?” - -“No can do!” replied the Chinaman shaking his head vigorously. - -“I believe he understands well enough,” exclaimed Carl. “I believe he -knows what we’re talking about!” - -The Chinaman gazed stupidly from one boy to the other and then turned -away. The lads gazed after him in amazement. - -“Where are you going?” asked Ben, and the Chinaman turned back. - -“Savvee you, alle same!” he replied and pointed off to the north. -“Savvee you, alle same,” he repeated. “No can do.” - -“Go to it!” shouted Carl. “Trot along and play you’re in a Chinese -laundry on Pell street. We love to see you eat, but we don’t like the -exuberance of your conversation!” - -In ten minutes’ time the Chinaman, climbing the steep dip of the bowl -toward the north, disappeared from view in a thicket. - -“Well, of all the consarned, everlasting, inscrutable combinations I -ever saw in my life!” exclaimed Carl, “this combination of Chinaman and -ignorance and hunger is about the worst! Now, what do you suppose he -came in here for, and then went away in broad daylight?” - -“He probably came here to fill up!” answered Ben. - -“What do you understand he meant by pointing to the _Bertha_ and then -pointing east? It seemed to me that he wanted to inform us that he had -seen a machine like that in that direction.” - -“It might have been the outlaw machine now chasing Jimmie,” suggested -Ben. “He might have seen it before it passed over to the coast. It’s a -wonder to me that he wouldn’t get out of the country after being trussed -up by his own people.” - -“It’s just one of the mysteries of the case,” laughed Carl. “We don’t -know anything about the Chinaman, or of Jimmie’s motive in going away, -or of the smugglers!” - -The boys gathered up the remnants of the meal and sat down to wait for -the return of their chum. They had remained seated only a short time -when Carl called the other’s attention to the glistening planes of a -flying machine away to the north and east. - -“There’s the Chink’s machine!” he exclaimed. - -Both boys sprang to their feet and Ben rushed to the _Bertha_ for a -field glass. He looked steadily at the machine for a moment before -speaking, then he handed the glass to Carl. - -“That’s certainly one of the largest aeroplanes I ever saw!” he cried. -“I’ve seen big ones, but I never saw anything like that before! What do -you make of it?” he continued as Carl lowered the glass. - -“I’ve been thinking,” the latter replied, “that it might be the _Ann_!” - -“If it is,” Ben answered, “she will miss us, for there she goes straight -off toward San Francisco. She’ll miss us sure!” - -“Why don’t we get up in the air and chase her up?” asked Carl. - -“I was just thinking of that,” answered Ben, “but, you see, there’s -Jimmie and Kit away, and they’d never be able to find us!” - -“Don’t you ever think they won’t be able to find us!” exclaimed Carl. -“You can’t hide a flying machine the size of the _Bertha_ by taking it -up in the air. First thing we know,” he continued, “we’ll have all four -machines bunched. And then there’s likely to be a mix-up!” - -“Well,” Ben said, “if we’re going to start after that flying machine, we -may as well be getting under way.” - -As will be remembered, the _Bertha_ had been overhauled early that very -morning, and now it took only a moment to get her into the air. When she -came to the lip of the valley the boys saw the large aeroplane sailing -northward at great speed. Before Ben put on full power he turned to Carl -with an anxious look on his face. - -“I shall have all I can attend to at the levers,” he said, “so you’ll -have to keep watch for Jimmie and his outlaw escort. Keep your eye on -the sky every minute of the time, and if you see two flying machines -doing a Marathon, just give me a poke in the ribs with your elbow.” - -Carl nodded and Ben put on full speed, after which conversation was, of -course, impossible. - -The machine ahead was going at terrific speed, and the _Bertha_ for a -time had all she could do to keep in sight of her. At that time it was -not a question of overhauling their quarry. The plucky little _Bertha_, -however, clung tightly to the chase, and Ben saw crags, canyons, shelves -of rock, and grassy valleys go whirling under his feet as one watches a -swiftly flying landscape from the window of a mile-a-minute train. - -All through the exciting flight Carl kept his glass in use. He searched -the sea, now plainly visible to the west, the green landscape to the -east, and the rocky summits to the north and south but for a long time, -caught no glimpse of what he sought. After the chase had continued a -couple of hours the boys felt the machine sinking beneath them. They -both knew that there could be no good reason for this, as everything had -been in working order only a short time before. - -Ben examined the mechanism as carefully as he could from his seat and -Carl glanced apprehensively at the tanks. Their judgment told them that -everything about the flying machine was exactly as it should be, and yet -she kept dropping down without any apparent reason. - -Straight ahead was a level summit comparatively clear of rocks. -Realizing that something must be done at once, Ben shut off the motors -and volplaned down. The machine sank faster and faster, and the boys -looked at each other with frightened eyes. - -It seemed as if the machine must fall short of the summit! - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - THE INSIDE OF A JAIL. - - -As has been said, it was morning when Havens caught sight of the pretty -little city of Monterey on the Pacific coast. He had traveled steadily -all night, and was very tired, so he decided to drop down near the town -and rest during the day. Remembering the instructions he had given to -the boys, he had no thought of seeing either the _Louise_ or the -_Bertha_ in the air at that time. - -The young millionaire had made a very swift flight across the continent. -It will be remembered that he had left New York city something like -twenty-four hours after the departure of the boys. The _Bertha_ and the -_Louise_ had spent fully twenty-four hours at St. Louis waiting for some -news of the _Ann_. On the morning when Havens alighted a short distance -from Monterey, the Flying Machine Boys had been on the coast something -like twelve hours. It will be understood, therefore, that the _Ann_ had -followed not far behind the _Louise_ and _Bertha_. - -While the young millionaire was sleeping at a neat hotel, after -breakfast and a refreshing bath, Ben and his chums were discussing the -situation in the little grass bowl into which they had dropped the -machines during the dark hours. - -Before leaving the _Ann_, Havens had, as he thought, taken extra -precautions for her safety. He had landed on a level surface in the -outskirts of the town, and had employed the man in charge of the local -garage to supply him with gasoline and at the same time station guards -about the machine. - -While Havens slept a man who gave every indication of having traveled -over a long distance in a short time dashed into the hotel office and up -to the counter. The clerk eyed him coolly, as became a clerk having a -proper respect for his own dignity. - -“Havens!” panted the man. “Is Mr. Havens here?” - -“He is!” replied the clerk, readjusting the diamond pin in his -neck-scarf. “What do you want of Mr. Havens?” - -“I want to see him!” was the panting reply. - -“He left orders not to be disturbed!” growled the clerk. - -“But he told me to let him know if anything happened to his machine!” -insisted the other. “Will you send for him?” - -“I will not!” answered the clerk impudently. - -“Then I shall have to go to his room!” - -“I shall see that you don’t!” snarled the young man behind the counter. - -“It’s a serious matter!” almost shouted the man in front of the desk. - -“Write out a message, explaining your errand,” commanded the clerk, “and -I’ll have a boy take it to his room!” - -The panting man reached calmly and deliberately over the counter, seized -the obstreperous clerk by the collar of his coat, and dragged him over -the obstruction. There he gave him such a shaking as a dog might have -given a rat, pitched him headlong to the floor, and gaily mounted the -stairs, taking three at a jump. - -When he reached the top step the hall was ringing with his great bass -voice, and a little crowd was gathering below. - -“Havens! Havens! Havens!” called the man who had assaulted the clerk. - -It was not necessary for him to call many times, for the door of the -millionaire’s room opened almost instantly and his tired face looked out -on the man who was creating the disturbance. - -“I thought I’d never get to you, Mr. Havens!” declared the intruder. - -“You must have important information!” smiled the millionaire. - -“I think,” the other went on, “that before we stop to discuss -possibilities, you’d better get your clothing on and make a break for -the field where you left the airship!” - -In an instant Havens stood by the little heap of clothing he had -discarded not so very long before, and he was soon dressed and ready for -the street. Then he turned to the red-faced man at his side. - -“What is it?” he asked. - -“Rough-house!” was the reply. - -“At the flying machine?” asked Havens. - -“Yes,” was the disgusted reply. “There’s a man there claiming the -machine as stolen property, and there’s a crowd of yaps ready to back -him up. When I left, the two men I hired were standing them off with -loaded guns, but I don’t know how long they can hold the fort,” he added -with a smile. “It looked pretty serious when I left.” - -For a moment Havens was almost dazed by the information. It meant that -word of his departure, and of that of the boys, had at last reached the -friends of Phillips and Mendoza on the Pacific coast. In some manner the -nature of his mission was known there at Monterey, and the friends of -the two outlaws were already busy. - -“The first to do,” Havens suggested, as they passed down the stairway, -“is to notify the officers.” - -“The fellow who claims the machine insists that he is acting for the -officers,” answered Stroup, the garage man. - -“Well,” continued Havens, “we’ll have to take the sheriff and the chief -of police out there, and find out whether he does represent the officers -or not. We can soon settle his case.” - -“I’m afraid,” Stroup replied hesitatingly, “that we won’t find any -machine there when we get back. It was just a riot!” he continued -angrily. - -“The machine not there!” shouted Havens leaping for the door. - -When he reached the porch in front of the little hotel he missed Stroup -and looked back. The garage man stood in front of the clerk and the -house detective who were attempting to place him under arrest for the -assault recently committed. - -Enraged at the delay the young man hastened back into the hotel office. - -“What’s the trouble here?” he demanded. - -The whiskey-faced man standing beside the clerk tapped a brass badge on -the lapel of his coat significantly. - -“I’m the house detective!” he declared. - -“Glad to know you!” answered Havens. “What’s up?” - -“I’m arresting this man for assault and battery, and for resisting an -officer. He’s committed an outrageous attack on the clerk.” - -Stroup passed an inquiring glance at the millionaire, and Havens quietly -amused yet still anxious, gave a slight nod. - -The next instant the maul-like fist of the garage man shot out with -lightning rapidity, and the clerk and the house detective tumbled over -on the floor. Before the clerk could straighten his necktie, or the -house detective staunch the flow of blood from his nose, Havens and -Stroup were well out of the house and on their way toward the threatened -flying machine, both looking rather sober. - -As luck would have it, the hotel ’bus was just backing up to the walk a -short distance away, and the two fugitives immediately boarded her. - -“Drive to the aeroplane!” shouted Stroup. - -“Isn’t that rather indefinite?” asked Havens. “We can’t afford to lose -any time, you know.” - -“Every man, woman, and child in town knows where the flying machine is -long before this!” answered the driver with a smile. “I’ve sent three -loads out there this morning now,” he added. - -As the ’bus lumbered away, half a dozen excited individuals dashed out -of the hotel door and shouted for the driver to draw up. For a moment -the fellow hesitated and then began pulling on the reins. - -“Get a move on! Get a move on!” shouted Stroup. - -“But there seems to be other passengers,” argued the driver. - -Havens hastily drew a ten-dollar bank-note from his pocket and thrust it -through the little opening to the driver. - -“I’ll charter the ’bus for the trip!” he said with a smile. “Now run -away from the whole bunch.” - -“Are you the owner of the machine?” asked the fellow. - -“He certainly is!” answered Stroup. “Go faster!” - -“I’ll do that,” agreed the driver, “because I think there’s something -doing out there.” - -As the lumbering old vehicle drew away, lurching from side to side as -the horses ran at full speed, the crowd forming in front of the hotel -took to the middle of the street and followed on in hot pursuit, -shouting at the top of their lungs. Stroup eyed the procession grimly. - -“At any rate,” he said, “we’re taking the right course to bring all the -officers in the city to the field where the machine lies.” - -“I hope they’ll get there before any mischief is done,” said Havens. -“But look here,” he went on, “what was the trouble at the hotel? What -was that fellow arresting you for?” - -“Why, he wouldn’t let me up to your room,” explained Stroup, “and I -shook him up a little. It is funny, the way his bones rattled as I -dumped him over in a corner of the room.” - -“You’ll probably have a fine to pay,” Havens suggested, “but I’ll see -that it doesn’t cost you anything.” - -“It’s worth a ten-dollar note to get your clutches on a puppy like -that!” said Stroup angrily. “He knew very well that my business was -important, for he had heard talk about trouble at the machine, and yet -he wanted to show his own importance at your expense.” - -As the ’bus rolled and swayed down the street, it was followed by a -motley procession of hacks, delivery wagons, and private carriages. When -at last the aviator came in sight of the field where his machine had -been left he saw that it still lay on the ground. - -“It’s there yet, all right!” shouted Stroup. “I guess we didn’t get here -any too soon, however!” - -Those at the machine, the ones endeavoring to remove it under a -fraudulent process of law, saw the long line of vehicles trailing up the -street with the hotel ’bus at the head. Havens saw the crowd parting and -running in different directions, and then the _Ann_ lifted slowly into -the air. - -At that moment Stroup was by far the more excited man of the two. He -opened the ’bus door and stood on the steps outside, waving one hand -frantically, his face glowing with excitement. - -“Stop her, stop her!” he shouted. - -The only answer which came was a cheer from the mob gathered below the -now swiftly ascending aeroplane. - -When at last the ’bus reached the spot where the flying machine had -lain, it was at once surrounded by a crowd of curious and impertinent -spectators. Havens sprang to the ground and opened a conversation with -the first man he saw. - -“I understand that the man who took the machine claims to be an -officer,” he said. “Will you point him out to me?” - -“I am the officer!” said the fellow sticking out his chest. - -“Where are your papers?” demanded Havens. - -“A man don’t need no papers,” was the insulting reply, “in order to take -possession of stolen property, wherever he can find it!” - -Stroup now pushed his way through the crowd to Havens’ side and looked -the fellow over with threatening eyes. - -“Talk civil!” he advised in a moment. - -“Now, Stroup,” said the officer, “don’t you go to butting into this!” - -“That’s the man who let the thieves take my machine!” said Havens with -suppressed passion. - -“That’s too bad,” exclaimed Stroup moving nearer to the officer. - -Before Havens could lift a finger or say a word to prevent, Stroup shot -out a great fist which landed squarely between the eyes of the officer. -The fellow went down in a huddle on the ground, but the next moment the -posse he had gathered in order to back him in taking possession of the -machine gathered about Havens and Stroup. - -“Here, here!” shouted a man in uniform pushing through the crowd. “I -arrest both of you fellows!” - -“It strikes me,” Havens smiled, “that that really is the best way out of -it. This mob begins to look ugly.” - -The two men willingly entered the ’bus with the officer and were hastily -driven to the city prison. When at last the door was closed and locked -against them, Havens turned to Stroup. - -“Well,” he said, “for all long-distance, ready-for-action bruisers I -ever saw, you certainly take the cake! You’ve assaulted three men and -got us both locked up! And yet,” he added, “I rather like it!” - -Stroup blushed and grinned and said not a word. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY. - - -For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the -summit and drop to the jagged rocks below. There was nothing whatever -the boys could do. The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they -understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become -empty. The situation was a critical one. - -The angle at which the flying machine was descending, however, included -the summit to which the boys were directing her. In a few moments she -landed at the top, and almost rolled down the opposite slope before the -momentum could be checked. - -Ben instantly ran to the tanks and found them empty. He called to Carl, -and the two made a close examination of other portions of the machine. -There was nothing wrong anywhere except that the tanks were dry! - -Ben pointed to the drain cock at the bottom and found that it had been -turned about half-way. That explained the situation. - -“What surprises me,” he said, “is that we never noticed the leak. Why, -we should have been able to smell the wasting gasoline before we left -the camp. I don’t understand why we didn’t.” - -“That’s easy,” explained Carl. “We were cleaning up the machines this -morning, oiling and shifting a little gasoline from one car to the -other, and so we never noted the additional evaporation.” - -“I’m sure I never turned that cock when I was working over the machine!” -declared Ben. “And I think I’m the only one who worked around the -tanks.” - -“Look here,” exclaimed Carl, a sudden suspicion coming into his face, -“you remember the Chinaman who came out from under the planes and -consumed about a dollar’s worth of groceries!” - -Ben stared at his chum for a moment and then dropped down on the ground. -His face was hard and set. - -“That’s it!” he cried angrily. “That’s just it! The Chink ran our -perfectly good gasoline into the ground and then sat down at our -hospitable board. I only wish I had him here right by the pigtail!” - -“In that case,” suggested Carl, “I don’t think he’d want another square -meal in about three months. His greatest need would be a hospital.” - -“There’s no doubt of that!” replied Ben. “Why, it was actually murder to -do what that fellow did! I had an idea while he was eating that he -didn’t act exactly like a man accustomed to eating with chopsticks. I’ve -seen men at Sherry’s who didn’t have any better table manners than he -had. That fellow was a fraud!” - -While the boys were exclaiming over the loss of their gasoline and -wondering how they were ever going to get the _Bertha_ out of the -position in which she now lay, Carl threw a cushion from one of the -seats and sat down upon it, with the remark that it made the rock some -softer. - -Ben stepped forward and drew a folded slip of paper from the under side -of the cushion and held it up. - -“Did you leave that there?” he asked. - -Carl shook his head wonderingly. - -“Of course not,” he replied. “I don’t drop any letters in the -post-office when I can communicate verbally with the man I want to -advise with. Perhaps Jimmie or Kit left it there.” - -“Well, the way to find out about it is to open it,” suggested Ben, “so -here goes! There certainly isn’t much of it.” - -The boy opened the note and read aloud for the benefit of his chum, who -stood by eager-eyed and excited. - -“‘Don’t leave this place with the machine. The gasoline is out, or -nearly so.’” - -“Is it written in Chinese?” asked Carl with a frown. - -“Chinese, nothing!” exclaimed Ben. “It’s good honest English, and -written in a pretty good hand at that!” - -“Then that Chink wasn’t a Chink at all!” cried Carl. - -“There are Chinamen who can read and write English,” suggested Ben. - -“But this fellow pretended that he couldn’t even understand English.” - -“I’d give a heap to know something about this puzzle,” Ben declared. “We -find this fellow tied up in a smugglers’ cave one night, and the next -morning we find him snooping about our camp, consuming our provisions -and wasting our gasoline. That was a treacherous trick for him to play -on us! I hope we’ll come across him some other day.” - -“The question before the house right now,” Carl explained, “is how we’re -going to get off this bald-headed old peak. We might be able to tumble -down into one of the valleys below, but we wouldn’t be any better off -there than we are here. Besides,” he went on, “our making our way down -wouldn’t help us any with the machine.” - -“If Jimmie would only show up with the _Louise_, now, we might borrow -enough gasoline to get us back to level ground again. And still,” Ben -went on, “we wouldn’t have fuel enough to do much racing until the tanks -were filled. It’s a rotten scrape we’re in, and that’s no fairy tale.” - -“Here’s a problem for you to solve when you get through with all the -others,” grinned Carl. “I want you to tell me why that Chink wasted our -gasoline, and then warned us not to use the machine.” - -“I give it up!” declared Ben. “There’s no use of trying to guess it out! -It’s just another little old mystery!” - -“And why did he pretend that he couldn’t understand English?” persisted -Carl. “Was that in order that he might hear what we were talking about -without our suspecting that he was listening with the intention of -betraying us? It seems to me that that must be it.” - -“I tell you I don’t know!” almost shouted Ben, “and I’m not going to -puzzle over the matter any longer. Here we are up on a bald old peak -without any show of ever getting our machine down to the ground again, -and that’s enough for me to brood over for the time being.” - -“This is a beautiful view from this mountain!” suggested Carl, with a -grin. “Note the sunlight on the valleys below.” - -“Aw, dry up!” cried Ben. “What’s the use of rubbing it in?” - -“But,” urged Carl, “just think of the situation Noah was in when he -landed his Ark on top of a mountain!” - -Ben threw a pebble at his chum and turned moodily away. - -“I wouldn’t have your disposition for a barrel of gasoline!” laughed -Carl. - -“I wish I could trade my disposition for a barrel of gasoline,” grinned -Ben. “That might help some.” - -“Well,” Carl said rather excitedly, in a moment, “you may keep your -precious disposition, for here comes our barrel of gasoline!” - -“You must have been reading a dream book!” exclaimed Ben. - -“Honest!” shouted Carl. “If you’ll take a squint up there to the north, -you’ll see the _Ann_ come poking back! If you don’t believe that is the -_Ann_ with Havens on board, just observe the signals in sight.” - -“I guess that’s the _Ann_ all right,” Ben returned. “I hope she’s got -full tanks of fuel. We need a lot right now.” - -The great flying machine came winging south at a great rate of speed, -and finally, after circling the peak several times, volplaned down to -the _Bertha_. The boys sprang forward to greet Havens, but drew back in -a moment for the aviator was a man they had never seen before. - -The machine was the _Ann_, sure enough but she was in the hands of two -men who were total strangers to the boys. They were slender, dark -fellows, with oblong eyes and low foreheads. - -“The _Bertha_?” asked one of the men in almost perfect English, stepping -close to the machine. “You seem to have met with an accident.” - -“It’s the _Bertha_ all right,” Ben answered, “and we’re out of -gasoline.” - -“And where is the _Louise_?” asked the other. - -“Off on a scout somewhere,” was the indefinite reply. - -“That’s unfortunate,” the other began, “for we are instructed by Mr. -Havens to notify you all to turn back to New York at once.” - -“What’s the meaning of that?” demanded Carl. - -“Mr. Havens didn’t take me into his confidence to any great extent,” was -the reply, “but I understood from what he said that you were no longer -needed in this section. Is there any way you can signal to the -_Louise_?” - -Now Ben did not believe the man to be speaking the truth. In the first -place, Havens would never have sent an entire stranger in the _Ann_. In -the second place, Phillips, one of the murderers, had been seen at -liberty in that district that very morning, so the hunt was still on! - -The natural result of this reasoning was the belief on the part of the -boy that the _Ann_ had been stolen. - -“We have no means of reaching the _Louise_,” Ben replied after studying -the matter over for a moment. “In fact Jimmie went away with her without -our knowledge or consent. We don’t know where he is.” - -While answering in this manner, a third reason for disbelieving the -statement of the Japanese, for such the men appeared to be, was that -Jimmie had been chased desperately by the machine which they had seen on -the coast during the night. The boy drew away suspiciously. - -“If you don’t mind,” the Japanese said then, “we’ll loan you gasoline -enough to keep you in motion until the tanks can be filled.” - -“That’s just what I was about to propose!” exclaimed Ben. - -“Where are you going in the _Ann_?” asked Carl. - -“After fitting you out,” was the reply, “we are going to find the other -machine, deliver our message, and turn back east.” - -“Supply us with fuel,” Ben suggested, “and we’ll go with you in search -of Jimmie. Perhaps we can help you find him.” - -The two men who had arrived in the _Ann_ conferred together for a few -moments, and then one of them began supplying the tanks of the _Bertha_ -with gasoline. The boys stood by in a brown study as to what they ought -to do next. The Japanese eyed them keenly. - -“We want to stay right by the machine, so they won’t hop up and run -away!” Carl whispered to Ben. - -“If they do, I’ll send a bullet after them!” Ben whispered back. - -While the boys talked at one side of the _Bertha_ and the two Japs -engaged in conversation on the other side, an aeroplane shot into view, -coming swiftly from the west. - -“I guess that’s Jimmie now,” suggested Ben turning to the Japs. “In that -case you can deliver your message, and we’ll all go east together.” - -As the reader will understand it was by no means the intention of the -boys to follow the instructions given by the Japs. They had been -supplied with gasoline enough to last for several hours, and their -purpose now was to get out of the company of the strangers as soon as -possible. - -There was an indefinite resolve at the back of Ben’s brain to get out of -the company of the Japs by leaving them stranded on the summit! It was a -daring thought, but the boy was actually considering the possibility of -getting away in the _Ann_ while Carl navigated the _Bertha_. - -If the aeroplane now approaching proved to be the _Louise_, he thought, -the trick might be turned with the assistance of Jimmie and Kit. - -Presently Carl leaned forward and whispered in his chum’s ear: - -“That isn’t the _Louise_ by a long shot!” - -“How do you know?” demanded Ben. - -“Because of the way she carries herself,” returned Carl, speaking in a -low whisper, thereby bringing two pair of suspicious eyes in his -direction. “That’s what we call the third machine!” he added. - -“You can run the _Ann_, can’t you?” asked Ben. - -“You bet I can!” was the reply. - -“Then get ready to make a jump for the seat!” whispered Ben. “We’ve just -got to recover the stolen machine and get away from these Japs. And -we’ve got to do it before that other machine gets here, too,” he went -on, “because it’s pears to pumpkins that the man aboard of her is the -blond brute who tried to blow up the _Louise_ and the _Bertha_ near St. -Louis!” - -“I’d like to know where Havens is!” whispered Carl. - -“We haven’t got time to consider that,” suggested Ben. “When that -aeroplane gets a little closer, these two fellows will be watching her -and perhaps signaling. That will be the time for us to act. Jump on the -_Ann_ and press the button and I’ll do the same with the _Bertha_. We -may get dumped down the mountainside, or we may catch a couple of -bullets, but anything is better than being tricked by these Japs and -losing our machine and Havens’, too! Watch for the chance.” - -The moment for action came almost immediately. The Japs ran to the edge -of the level space and flung their arms wildly into the air. At the same -instant, the boys sprang to seats on the two machines and pushed the -levers which controlled the starters. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - THE RACE. - - -Jimmie’s game of tag developed into such a flying machine race as has -rarely been witnessed. The machines were in superb condition, and each -aviator was determined to end the contest satisfactorily to himself. The -driver of the third machine sought only the capture or destruction of -the _Louise_. - -On the other hand, Jimmie’s only motive was, as he had expressed himself -to Kit before leaving, to keep his opponent amused so that he might not -communicate to the outlaws any information concerning the net which had -been set for their capture. - -The fact that the third machine followed the _Louise_ so savagely, so -persistently, convinced the boys that the driver had not as yet -communicated with Phillips or Mendosa. In fact, one question asked by -Phillips of Kit that morning demonstrated that the outlaws had not yet -been found. - -Jimmie headed at first straight for the ocean. There was exhilaration in -the swift passage over the white-capped waves below. He swung over the -headland from which the first signal light had been seen on the previous -evening. - -Then he turned straight south and passed the second promontory. He saw -that the schooner which had been seen the night before still lay at -anchor, and that her deck was crowded with humanity. - -“Chinks!” he thought. “Waiting to be taken to the land of promise!” - -The same thought occurred to Kit, and the boy pointed downward as they -cut the air above the deck. - -“Smugglers!” the boy said. - -Jimmie heard the word only faintly and nodded. Back from the ocean, they -swung almost to the right of way of the Southern Pacific railroad. Below -them opened great gorges in which a city might be hidden. There were -immense forests which seemed of sufficient size to furnish a world in -fuel for a thousand years. Here and there small rivulets trickled down -the rugged mountainsides and joined larger streams, trailing off into -the interior. It was like viewing a magic panorama. - -The exciting race continued until long after noon. The _Louise_ was by -far the swifter machine of the two, and so the pursuer was obliged to -resort to every trick known to aviators in order to keep her in view. - -The strain on the rear aeroplane was much greater than that on the -_Louise_. The result of this was that the latter machine lasted longer -in the swift competition. About the middle of the afternoon, she began -moving away from her pursuer and soon lost sight of her entirely. - -Then Jimmie, after dropping down behind a summit, reduced speed in order -to exchange ideas with his companion. - -“Did you see where she went, Kit?” he asked. - -“She just lagged behind!” was the reply. - -“There may be some trick about it!” suggested Jimmie. - -“If you leave it to me,” Kit went on, “there’s something the matter with -her spark plug. I noticed her limping along half an hour before we lost -sight of her.” - -“In that case,” Jimmie explained, “he’ll have to make a landing in order -to repair the damage, and, if he hasn’t got an extra plug with him, he -can’t repair it at all.” - -“What does the situation suggest to you?” asked Kit with a laugh. - -“Dinner-time!” replied Jimmie. - -“That’s the idea!” Kit responded. - -“And we may as well go over into the valley we left this morning,” -Jimmie went on, “because the boys will be wondering what has become of -us.” - -“It was a bad thing to do, running off like that!” exclaimed Kit. - -“Well,” Jimmie retorted, “we had to keep that other fellow amused, -didn’t we? That was one of the outlaws we’re after who was walking -around in a forest ranger’s uniform, within a mile or two of where the -fellow lay, and there was the possibility that he would blunder on the -machine and spoil our game. We just had to get the aeroplane away.” - -“Of course the outlaw saw the chase,” suggested Kit. - -“I don’t doubt it,” answered Jimmie. - -Flying low so as not to be seen unless the pursuer should rise at a -great altitude, Jimmie made his way to the little green bowl of a valley -which had been deserted by Ben and Carl only a short time before. - -Scarcely believing his senses, the boy brought the _Louise_ to the -ground and anxiously looked for some message, for it seemed highly -improbable to him that the boys would have gone away without indicating -their destination. Of course he found nothing of the kind. - -The only thing discovered about the little camp which in any way -accounted for the absence of the _Bertha_ was quite a large heap of -table scraps. Jimmie pointed to the pile with a grin. - -“They’ve had to go out after grub,” he explained. “I’ll just bet they -had company for dinner and ate up everything we had. Then they went off -to some little town on the Southern Pacific railroad to buy provisions. -Wonder they wouldn’t leave some word!” he added impatiently. - -“Leave some word just like you did!” taunted Kit. - -“Well,” Jimmie said in an apologetic tone, “I expected to be back right -off and I didn’t want to wake them up!” - -“Perhaps they expected to be back right off, too!” laughed Kit. - -“I’ll just tell you what I’m going to do right now!” Jimmie exclaimed. -“I’m going up in the woods and get a bear steak. The meat will be all -right yet, won’t it?” - -“I should say not!” replied Kit. “I know enough about hunting to know -that that bear meat will be smelling like a slaughter house right now!” - -“Anyhow,” Jimmie insisted, “I’m going up and see about it!” - -Leaving Kit sitting by the machine, the boy hastened up to the place -where the bear had been shot and stopped beside a heap of fur which lay -on the ground at the foot of the tree. He gave the bearskin a little -kick with his foot and then turned his eyes in the direction of the -thicket. There was no sign of the carcass. The skin had been deftly -removed, and nothing but such parts as were uneatable remained. - -Mournfully pressing his hands to the waistband of his trousers, the boy -set his face toward the camp and sat down by Kit without a word. - -“Where’s your bear meat?” asked Kit with a grin. “Why didn’t you bring -back a lot of it? You didn’t eat it raw, did you?” - -“It’s gone!” answered Jimmie. - -“Gone stale?” asked Kit. - -“Gone away!” grunted the other. - -“Well, who took it away?” - -“Search me,” was the answer. “There’s about a ton of perfectly good bear -meat all gone to waste!” he continued. - -While the boys discussed the chances of the meat having been taken care -of by their chums, the thicket on the east wall of the bowl opened and -the man Kit had seen in the morning appeared. He approached the camp -openly and frankly, extending in one hand a great slice of bear meat. -Before he reached the place where the boys sat gazing with surprised -glances in his direction, the thicket parted again and a taller, -slighter, darker man made his appearance. - -The man in the uniform of a forest ranger stooped for a moment, spoke to -the other in low tones, and then the two came on together. As Jimmie -afterwards described the situation, you could have knocked his head off -with a match at that moment. Kit was equally excited, and Jimmie -declares to this day that the boy turned the color of milk. - -The boys knew who their guests were. One was Phillips and one was -Mendosa! These were the outlaws they had journeyed across the continent -in the currents of the air to bring to punishment! - -If speech had been required of the two lads at that moment it would have -been impossible for them to respond. The faces of the outlaws, however, -were friendly, and directly the nerve of the boys began to assert -itself. Jimmie half arose and then dropped back again. - -“Never mind getting up,” Phillips said. “I saw you up in the thicket a -few moments ago, looking after the bear I killed this morning. You -seemed to me to be hungry for steak, and so I brought you down a few -pounds.” - -“That’s mighty good of you!” Jimmie managed to say. - -“Oh, we couldn’t eat a whole bear!” laughed Mendosa. - -“I think I could, right this minute,” Jimmie responded, more -courageously. “I’ve been out all day in the _Louise_, and I’m so empty -that I’d collapse if it wasn’t for the wind I brought down with me.” - -“I see no reason why you shouldn’t eat, then,” Phillips answered. “You -can build a fire and have this steak broiling in a very short time.” - -“Will you stay and help us eat it?” asked Jimmie. - -Phillips glanced toward Mendoza, and the latter nodded. - -“We shall be glad to,” answered the outlaw. “But where are the others?” -he went on. “I thought there were four of you and two machines.” - -“The others have gone out for exercise!” laughed Kit. - -Jimmie’s one purpose now was to keep the outlaws in his company until -the return of his chums. They were desperate men, and he had no notion -of attempting their capture with only Kit to help. - -It goes without saying, then, that he was remarkably slow in gathering -fuel for the fire, remarkably slow in broiling the steak, and slower -still in preparing the coffee. It seemed to him that the outlaws -regarded his dilatory movements impatiently. - -The boy rightly concluded that they were about half starved for a warm -meal. Hiding for days as they had been in the mountains, it was more -than probable that they had not risked their liberty by building a fire. - -While the steak was broiling, an idea came to Jimmie which he was not -slow to carry out. Glancing at the ranger uniform of Phillips, he asked -quite innocently: - -“Are you after the fake ranger, too?” - -Phillips remained perfectly calm, but Mendosa gave a quick start. - -“What do you mean by that?” the former asked, easily. - -“Why,” Jimmie answered, drawing extensively on his imagination, “we met -a flying machine man when we went out this morning and he chased us.” - -“I saw something of the race,” Phillips smiled. “I was just going to ask -you about that. Why did he chase you?” - -“I guess he thought we were trespassing on government land,” the boy -replied. “After he overtook us he asked all sorts of questions about the -people we had met in the mountains. After a while, he said that he was -the chief ranger from San Francisco, and that he was here in search of -men who are making trouble for the government by pretending to be -rangers. He said he had other machines coming, and that the district -would be patrolled until the frauds were arrested.” - -Phillips and Mendoza exchanged significant glances. - -“Yes,” the former said, “I had advices three days ago that the man was -coming. That’s why I asked the little fellow this morning if he had seen -a third machine. I hoped to see the chief ranger before night.” - -Jimmie was so full of amusement at the ease with which Phillips had -fallen for the manufactured story that it was with difficulty that he -restrained a chuckle. The success of the story surprised him not a -little. - -He believed now that the outlaws would shun any man who might approach -them in an aeroplane, and that the chance for a meeting between the -outlaws and their allies was now nothing at all. - -“Yes,” Jimmie said shortly, keeping his face straight by a great effort, -“the chief said he expected to meet every ranger in the forest within a -day or two. If you go a few miles farther south you may run across him -to-night. He said he had failed to find any one in this region, and -would not return here for a couple of days.” - -“Oh, my, oh, my!” thought Kit, walking away from the fire in order to -conceal his amusement, “if Jimmie isn’t fixing it so the outlaws will -hang right around here until we can get help.” - -Phillips and Mendosa conversed together for a long time in low tones and -then the former said: - -“We are pretty tired, so we won’t tramp after the chief to-night. -To-morrow, if you have no objections, we’d like to have you take to the -air and locate him for us. We’ll camp here to-night.” - -“That’ll be all right,” Jimmie answered, with apparent frankness, but -his thought at the moment was that between that time and morning the -outlaws would attempt to steal the _Louise_ and get away. - -Perhaps, also he might be forced to serve them as aviator! - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - A SHORT TERM IN JAIL. - - -If the truth must be told, both Ben and Carl experienced a sudden -lifting of the hair as the _Ann_ and the _Bertha_ plunged toward the -precipice hanging below the summit. It seemed for a time as if the -wheels would never lift, but finally, at the last instant, they did so, -and the level surface of rock was left below. The Japs who had been so -neatly tricked seemed to the boys to be running around in circles and -shooting useless bullets into the air up to the time the flying machine -to which they had beckoned reached their side. - -The third machine, however, did not remain long on the summit. The Japs, -and the aviator conferred together for only a moment, and then, with the -Japs watching, the planes were in the air again in swift pursuit of the -_Ann_ and the _Bertha_. - -From the very first the boys saw that the pursuing machine was by no -means fit for the race. In fact, she limped along at a pace not -calculated to hold her own with a very ordinary aeroplane while both the -_Bertha_ and the _Ann_ were very speedy machines. - -Under these conditions the race could end in only one way. The _Ann_ and -_Bertha_ passed swiftly toward Monterey, while the third machine -returned to the summit where the two Japs had been left, to take them -off, one at a time. The last the boys saw of her at that time she was -settling limply down as if injured in a vital spot. - -After the pursuit had ceased the boys dropped their machines to a -government roadway which showed through the timber in a valley below. -The gasoline supplied by the Japs to the _Bertha_ was insufficient for a -long run, and the idea in dropping down was to transfer fuel from the -tanks of the _Ann_. Besides, the boys thought it best to consult -together. - -“The good old _Ann_!” shouted Carl, patting the great aeroplane as he -would have petted a dog. - -“I wish you could tell us exactly what has taken place in your vicinity -since we last saw you in Westchester county,” said Ben, petting the -_Ann_. - -“I reckon she’d have some story to tell,” Carl suggested. - -“You bet she would!” declared Ben. “The chances are that Mr. Havens -started away from New York with her, and got sidetracked in some way,” -he went on. “I hope he hasn’t been seriously injured.” - -“I think we ought to go to Monterey,” Carl suggested, “and find out if -there is any story going round of a lost aviator. If anything serious -has taken place in this part of the country, we’ll certainly learn all -about it there. Besides,” he went on, “we ought to buy more gasoline, -and I want to eat. It seems to me something like a hundred years since I -sat down to a square meal in a hotel or restaurant.” - -“And we have to buy provisions for the other boys, too,” Ben agreed. - -While the boys talked over the situation a man in the uniform of a -forest ranger, mounted on a little brown pony, came galloping down the -road. He drew up when he saw the machines blocking the highway and -called out: - -“Hello, strangers! It’s a wonder you wouldn’t take possession of the -whole road! How long have you been in this part of the country?” - -“Just lit!” answered Ben. “Come on in,” he added with a chuckle. “We’ll -make way for you. We don’t own this road.” - -Indeed it was necessary to shift the great planes of the _Ann_ before -the ranger could ride up to where the boys stood. - -“You’ve got some fine machines there!” the ranger commented. - -“You bet we have!” answered Ben. - -“Are those the machines that have been racing about in the air all day?” -asked the ranger. - -“We haven’t been in the air all day,” replied Carl, “but I reckon the -_Bertha_ and the _Ann_ have been doing considerable flying.” - -“And there’s been something of a ruction over at Monterey about a -machine, too,” said the ranger. - -The boys were all attention in an instant. - -“Whose machine was it?” asked Carl. - -“That’s what they don’t know,” answered the ranger. “A man who claimed -to come from New York dropped in a big machine early this morning and -went to bed at a hotel. In an hour or two a couple of Japs claimed the -machine and induced an officer to help them get it away.” - -“Did you hear any of the names?” asked Ben. - -“Havens, the man’s name was,” replied the ranger. - -“Well,” Ben said, “that’s the name of the man who owns this big -machine.” - -“Where is Havens now?” asked Carl. - -“My informant stated that he was in jail!” replied the ranger. - -“Jail?” demanded Ben. “What for?” - -“It seems that this man Havens and a friend of his beat up a deputy -sheriff, and the hotel detective, and shook up a hotel clerk like a -rat.” - -“Then why didn’t they give him a chance to pay a fine and let him go?” -demanded Carl. - -“Perhaps he hasn’t got money enough with him to pay the fines which may -be imposed.” - -“Money enough with him!” shouted Carl scornfully. “Louis Havens could -buy the whole town of Monterey, and then have money enough left to make -your state debt look like thirty cents!” - -“Is this Havens the noted millionaire aviator?” asked the ranger. - -“That’s the man!” Carl declared. “And he’ll do something to those folks -back there in Monterey before he gets done with them, too!” - -“I hope he will!” replied the ranger heartily. - -The boys now turned their attention to the machines, and were soon ready -for flight. - -“Where are you going?” asked the ranger. - -“Where should we be going but to Monterey?” asked Carl. - -“Look here, boys,” the ranger began, “my name is Gilmore. I’m chief -ranger of this district, and I know the officers at Monterey are not the -kind of people you seem to think they are. Now, if you don’t mind -carrying me, I’ll leave my pony in a little shack over the hill and go -with you to Monterey.” - -“Will you?” shouted Ben eagerly. - -“That’ll be fine!” declared Carl. - -“Of course you can get Havens out of jail?” asked Ben. - -“Of course I can,” replied Gilmore. “Unless there is a charge of murder -or some other felony against the man, something which will require the -action of the county court, I can get him out of that country pen in -about three minutes.” - -“If you do,” laughed Carl, “Havens will fix you up all right! He’s got a -pull with the department at Washington, and he never forgets a friend.” - -Gilmore rode his horse away to the little shack which he had mentioned -and then hastened back to the _Ann_. In five minutes all were aboard, -Gilmore riding on the Havens’ machine with Ben. - -“Can you drive an aeroplane?” asked Ben. - -“I surely can,” answered Gilmore, almost screaming the answer in the -boy’s ear. “I had a year’s experience at the game.” - -Ben nodded in appreciation of the information and turned on full speed, -traveling in the direction of Monterey. - -An hour later the _Ann_, accompanied by the _Bertha_, settled down on -the field at Monterey from which she had been so lawlessly abducted that -very morning. It was evident that the town was still excited over the -incidents of the day, for the minute the flying machines appeared in the -sky there was a rush for the open field. - -Among the first to approach Gilmore and the boys as they stepped from -the machines was the red-faced deputy sheriff who had received Stroup’s -fistic attention earlier in the day. He approached the boys swaggeringly -but hesitated a moment when he saw Gilmore’s uniform. However, he kept -his ground and glared at the boys angrily. - -“Where did you get this machine?” he demanded, pointing to the _Ann_. - -“Where did you get those black eyes and that red nose?” returned Carl. -“You look as if somebody had been taking a punch at you!” - -The deputy stroked the injured members sympathetically and took a step -toward the boy. Gilmore blocked his passage. - -“Perhaps you can tell me!” shouted the deputy. - -“Tell you what?” asked Gilmore. - -“Where these school-boys got this machine. Only a few hours ago I -delivered it to the owners from whom it had been stolen.” - -“Yes, you did!” replied Ben. “You delivered it to a couple of thieving -Japs! That’s what you did!” - -“Where is the owner of the machine now?” asked Gilmore. - -“You ought to know if you got the machine of him,” returned the deputy. - -“I refer to the man who brought the machine to town,” said Gilmore, -coolly. “I asked about Louis Havens, the millionaire aviator.” - -The deputy swung his fists wildly in the air and his face became, if -possible, redder than before. - -“You can’t fool me with any stories about millionaire aviators!” he -shouted. “The ruffian who assaulted me and brought a stolen aeroplane to -town is in jail, where he ought to be.” - -“Did Havens assault you?” asked the ranger. - -“He caused it to be done,” was the hot answer. “I saw him wink at the -man, and then the man struck me on the nose.” - -“And you’ve got a peach of a nose at that!” laughed Carl. - -The deputy grabbed at the boy, but Gilmore stood in the way. - -“If I had a nose like that,” yelled Ben, “I’d go off and sit in the dark -and let it rest.” - -“Do you know these fresh boys, Mr. Gilmore?” asked the deputy. - -“They came from New York with Louis Havens,” was the reply. - -“I don’t believe that man we’ve got in jail is Louis Havens at all!” -yelled the deputy. - -“Who is in jail with him?” asked Ben. - -“Stroup the garage man,” was the reply. “He’s got four cases of assault -and battery against him, and the man you call Havens is charged with -stealing this machine.” - -Just then a muscular, determined-looking man, trousers in boots and -wearing a cowboy hat, approached the group, now continually increasing -in size. - -“Hello Sheriff Chase!” exclaimed Gilmore stepping forward. - -“The sight of you sure is good for sore eyes!” returned the sheriff -shaking Gilmore warmly by the hand. - -After the two officers had exchanged greetings and talked for a few -moments in low tones, the sheriff turned to his deputy. - -“Pass over your badge and gun!” he said. - -“I acted entirely within my rights,” whined the other, doing as -requested. - -“You acted like a fool!” replied the sheriff. “You’ve rendered your -bondsmen and myself liable to heavy damages for your fool actions this -morning. How much did the Japs give you for what you did for them?” - -The deputy mumbled out some indistinct reply and turned away, followed -by the jeers of the crowd. - -“That settles that part of the case,” said Sheriff Chase with a smile. -“Now I’ll deputize half a dozen trusty men to look after the machines -while we go and have a talk with Havens.” - -Half an hour later Havens and Stroup, trying to make the best of prison -life by repeating their experiences of the morning, saw Ben and Carl -come running toward the grated window. - -“Ah, there!” Ben shouted seizing an upright bar in each hand and -pressing his nose in between the two. “I always had my suspicions about -you, Mr. Havens!” - -“Doesn’t he look handsome in there!” shouted Carl, putting his hands on -Ben’s shoulders and leaping up so as to get a better view. - -“Glad to see you, you little rascals,” said Havens. “Have you got a ship -I can ride in?” he asked. “I’ve gone and lost the _Ann_!” - -“And we’ve found it!” yelled Ben. “And here’s Sheriff Chase and Ranger -Gilmore who’ll have you out of there in about a minute.” - -In less than half an hour the details of release were all completed, -although Havens found it necessary to pay three pretty stiff fines for -Stroup. However, the sheriff immediately appointed the garage man as -deputy in place of the one removed, so his standing in the community was -not at all injured by the experiences of the morning. - -“And now,” Ben said as they walked away toward the _Ann_, “we’ve still -got troubles of our own! Jimmie and Kit are lost in the air somewhere, -and the outlaws are after them—hot blocks.” - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - STEALING AN AEROPLANE. - - -After a long time Jimmie had his bear steak, potatoes and coffee set -before the men whom he believed to be the burglars who had been chased -across the continent. The two sat down and ate with an appetite, while -the boys were not at all slow in consuming large sections of bear. - -“This is a queer world, ain’t it?” laughed Kit after disposing of a -large steak. “Mighty queer world, ain’t it!” - -“What’s the Solomon, now?” asked Jimmie, while Phillips and Mendosa -looked up interestedly. - -“Well,” the boy answered, “not so very long ago this bear was sitting -under a Sycamore tree thinking what a nice boy steak he was going to -have for dinner. Now, I’m sitting out here by a cosy little fire -thinking what a nice bear steak I’ve just had for dinner.” - -“I don’t think the bear had much of a chance of getting his boy dinner,” -Phillips suggested. “Your friends would have rescued you in a short time -if I had not put in my appearance.” - -“Anyhow,” Kit went on, with boyish gravity, notwithstanding the twinkle -in his eyes, “the bear and I have buried all hard feelings. At least -I’ve buried about two pounds of it right now.” - -During the remainder of the afternoon the two guests devoted most of -their time to talking to each other in low asides, and to asking -questions of the two boys. They wanted to know exactly what the aviator -had said regarding the chief ranger, and especially what had been said -concerning a stay of two or three days farther south. - -It was very plain to Jimmie that the outlaws had not as yet been -communicated with by either one of the two desperadoes sent on from New -York. In fact, the pursuers seemed to have had uncommonly hard luck. - -The one referred to by the boys as the monkey-faced man, the one who had -chased Jimmie up New York bay, had smashed his machine and broken his -arm, so he was entirely out of the race before reaching the Rocky -Mountains. - -The other aviator, the one described as the blond brute, had made -successful progress across the continent only to have his motor go wrong -during the chase of the afternoon. Jimmie was not much inclined to throw -bouquets at himself, but he chuckled at the thought that only for his -success in keeping the blond aviator amused the two outlaws might at -that moment have been beyond the reach of the officers. - -“And here they sit,” Jimmie chuckled to himself, “waiting for Ben and -Carl to come back, or waiting for some officer to drop down and give -them the pinch!” - -There is an old saying that one must not count chickens before they are -hatched, which Jimmie at that moment seemed to have overlooked. While he -was complimenting himself on coaxing the outlaws into their present -danger, the outlaws themselves were conferring as to what advantage they -could take of the situation in which they found themselves. - -“It’s just this way,” Mendosa was saying in a low tone to Phillips. “The -whole country is astir over the smuggling going on, and will be full of -officers in no time. Even if the police do not come here to get us, it -is not improbable that they will blunder into our camp some night and -lug us away as suspicious characters.” - -“What ought we to do then?” asked Phillips. - -“We ought to get out,” Mendosa replied. “Why, even the forest rangers -are coming down here looking for you. I never did think it was good -sense for you to wear that uniform.” - -“Now don’t kick!” snarled Phillips. - -“It’s enough to make a man kick!” Mendosa declared. “Here we thought we -had a neat little home for the next three months, with no one aware of -our presence here, and no danger of going hungry. But just look what -we’re up against at this moment! I wish we could get one of the steamers -that come up here with smuggled Chinks.” - -“Much good that would do!” sneered Phillips. - -“That’s what you say to all my suggestions,” Mendosa snarled. - -“Then talk sense!” demanded Phillips. - -“How’s this for sense, then?” asked Mendosa. “Suppose we disappear in -that flying machine as soon as it gets dark.” - -“Can you run it?” asked Phillips, scornfully. - -“Of course not!” was the answer. “I can run a faro lay-out, but I can’t -run an aeroplane.” - -“Then where is the sense in the suggestion?” - -“The boy can run it!” declared Mendoza. - -“Yes, but will he?” - -“Will he?” repeated Mendoza. “Let me get a knife next to his ribs and -he’ll do anything I tell him to do!” - -“But will the machine carry us two and the boys?” - -“The boys?” scorned Mendoza. “We don’t have to take both boys with us! -We can cut the kid’s throat and leave him in the bushes!” - -“I wouldn’t like to do that,” Phillips said, hesitatingly. - -“You wouldn’t, eh?” demanded Mendoza. “Who struck the watchman?” - -“I didn’t!” replied Phillips. - -“Yes, you did!” sneered the other. “Now, I’ll tell you what we’ll do,” -he went on. “Just as soon as it becomes dark, we’ll settle the kid’s -case and mount the machine with the other one. There are only two seats, -but I’ll hold him in my lap, so I can embroider his back with my knife -if he don’t do exactly as I tell him to. After he gets us out of the -country, way down into lower California, we’ll drop the machine, boy and -all into the ocean.” - -“I’m a burglar but not a murderer!” insisted Phillips. - -“Unless we do something,” Mendoza exclaimed, “you won’t be either a -burglar or a murderer. You’ll be a corpse. For my part, I have no -inclinations toward New York and the electric chair.” - -“It may not be necessary for us to injure the boy,” Phillips suggested. - -“May not be necessary?” repeated Mendoza. “If we go away and leave the -kid here, he’ll chase over the hills until he finds some one to tell -what we’ve done and which way we’ve gone. If we leave this boy, Jimmie, -flying about in his machine, he’ll never rest until he tells the -officers where he left us, and all about us. In order to protect -ourselves, we’ve got to keep them quiet. Are you going to weaken now?” - -“I’ll do whatever is necessary when the time comes,” replied Phillips. - -Mendoza seemed satisfied with this, and the two men walked back to the -fire and, notwithstanding the treachery in their hearts, engaged in -friendly conversation with the boys. - -Between that time and dark they brought out their bear steak again and -clumsily broiled great slices over the fire. They also cut large -quantities of bread into slices and made sandwiches. They even made -large quantities of coffee and bottled it up in milk jars with patent -tops in which the boys had brought a supply of the lacteal fluid. - -The boys regarded them curiously as these liberties were taken with -their provisions, but Phillips explained that he had many miles to -travel during the next two days, and would not be within reach of his -base of supplies. Mendoza was not so careful to quiet the suspicions of -the lads, and his brusqueness was one of the things which put them on -their guard. - -“Those fellows are getting ready to jump out!” Jimmie insisted as he -walked away from the fire with his chum. - -“Well, we can’t help it if they do start away!” Kit responded. - -“We might shoot,” Jimmie went on, “but that is a game two can play at, -and it might not be a profitable one for us.” - -“I wouldn’t like to do that, anyway,” said Kit. - -“I’ve got a notion,” Jimmie went on, “that these fellows want to get -away in the machine to-night. They probably believe the story I told -about the chief ranger, but, still, they doubtless want to beat it while -the beating is good.” - -“I don’t believe they can run the machine,” argued Kit. - -“I don’t believe they can, either,” answered Jimmie. “But they know that -I can,” he added significantly. - -“They wouldn’t take you along!” Kit replied. - -“They would take me along while they could use me,” answered Jimmie, -“and that would be the last of yours truly. Those fellows are -cold-blooded murderers! I wish the other boys would come!” - -“I’m afraid something has happened to them,” Kit replied soberly. - -Twilight fell as the outlaws planned murder and the boys planned -capture. As the latest finger of light touched a summit to the southwest -an aeroplane was seen slowly moving toward the valley. It was plain even -to the outlaws that she was seriously crippled. As for the boys, they -watched her interestedly until a mass of clouds from the ocean settled -down over the mountain top and shut her from view. - -“That’s the fellow that give us the run to-day!” laughed Jimmie. - -“You mean the man who told you about the chief ranger?” asked Phillips. - -“The same,” answered the boy noticing at the same time with deep -satisfaction the alarm in the other’s face. - -“He couldn’t give any one a chase now,” Kit exclaimed. “Because he’s -limping along like an old woman with a crutch!” - -“He’s probably got a poor spark plug,” Jimmie commented. - -There were a good many furtive glances passed by both parties as the -outlaws began to prepare for the night. They were given a shelter-tent -by Jimmie, and saw fit to place it within a short distance of the -_Louise_. The tent to be occupied by the boys was put up not far away. -More wood was put on the fire as the darkness grew. The outlaws -understood that they would need light in order to execute the wicked -purpose in hand. - -Jimmie and Kit promised each other that they would not close their eyes -in slumber even for a minute, but the day had been a hard one and -presently Jimmie dozed off. Kit was still awake, but was inclined to let -his chum sleep as long as he could keep his own eyes open. - -“There’s no use in both of us keeping awake,” the small boy thought. “I -can just as well watch those fellows. Anyway, if Jimmie has the -situation sized up correctly, they won’t go away without letting us -know,” he continued with a grim smile. - -This reasoning was all very well on the part of the boy, but in five -minutes he was sound asleep himself. - -It was ten o’clock before the outlaws emerged stealthily from their -tent. There was no moon as yet, although there would be one later on, -but the light of the stars was quite sufficient for them to look over -the entire valley in which the _Louise_ lay. - -Once beyond the circle of fire they could see quite distinctly up to the -rim of the thicket at the sides of the bowl. They conferred together for -a moment, and then Mendoza crouched down on the ground, drawing Phillips -with him and drew a revolver. - -“What is it?” asked Phillips. - -“There, at the edge of the thicket!” replied Mendoza. “There is some one -creeping along the ground!” - -“It’s a dream!” declared Phillips. - -At that moment the figure of a man left the underbrush and crept -cautiously down toward the fire. The outlaws secreted themselves in the -shadows and watched him. He hesitated for a moment, just at the rim of -the firelight, apparently listening for some indication of wakefulness -in the tents, then he moved straight to the collection of provisions -which had been prepared, and a portion of which had been left in view. - -“Guess it’s some hungry tramp,” suggested Phillips. - -“Is it?” replied Mendoza. “Just look again! That’s Graybill from New -York. Look at the big shoulders and the blond head of him!” - -As Mendoza ceased speaking he gave a low whistle which the approaching -man seemed to understand, for he straightened out of his stooping -position and approached the provisions with confidence. In a moment he -was greedily devouring meat sandwiches and drinking cold coffee, while -Phillips and Mendoza were explaining the situation to him. - -“Who’s in the shelter-tents?” he asked in a moment, and Phillips -explained. “They’re nervy little foxes!” was Graybill’s only comment. - -The three men talked together for perhaps ten minutes, during which the -provisions were being stored away on the _Louise_. Graybill stood -looking inquiringly into the air most of the time, while his companions -were so occupied. - -“It may be a bad night,” he said after a while, “and yet it may be a -good one; but I’m willing to take the risk if you are. As I’ve told you, -my machine is pretty well smashed, but I think the _Louise_ will carry -us all if we take good care of her.” - -“She’s got to carry us all!” insisted Mendoza. - -Graybill walked cautiously over to the shelter-tent where Jimmie and Kit -were still sound asleep and looked in at the sleeping boys with a smile -on his hard face. - -“The little scamps!” he exclaimed. “They’re hardly larger than peanuts, -yet they gave me a run to-day that many a trained aviator wouldn’t be -able to manage.” - -“Mendoza was thinking of quieting the boys for good and all before -leaving,” Phillips suggested, rather suspecting what the answer of the -aviator would be. - -“Nothing doing!” said Graybill. “If he touches the boys, I’ll duck him -into the first canyon we come to. They’re gritty little chaps, and I’m -not going to see them harmed!” - -“I knew what your decision would be,” said Phillips, “and that’s why I -mentioned the matter to you. I don’t want to see the boys injured.” - -“They won’t be!” declared Graybill. - -Mendoza now approached the two, declaring that the provisions were all -packed on the _Louise_, and that they were ready to take their -departure. - -“All we’ve got to do now,” he went on, “is to fix these boys so they -won’t run out and tell tales after we’re gone!” - -“Nothing doing!” exclaimed Graybill, and Mendoza turned away sullenly. - -A few moments later, when Jimmie and Kit were awakened by the clatter of -the _Louise’s_ motors, they crawled sleepily out of their shelter-tent -and looked up into the starry sky. - -“That’s a joke on us!” Jimmie said. - -“Yes,” Kit admitted. “We didn’t understand that they could operate the -machine themselves, so we went to sleep. Now we’ve lost the murderers -and what’s worse, we have lost the _Louise_!” - -“And the _Bertha_,” added Jimmie, “and Ben, and Carl, and Mr. Havens, -and the whole bunch!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - STROUP’S INSTRUCTIONS. - - -“How comes it that Jimmie and Kit are lost in the air?” asked Havens, -as, accompanied by the sheriff and the forest ranger, Gilmore, the boys -walked away from the jail. - -“It’s the most unaccountable thing!” Ben exclaimed almost impatiently. -“We left Jimmie to watch the machines while we slept, and the first -thing we knew he was up in the air, and Kit with him.” - -“He may have returned to the camp by this time,” suggested Havens. - -“If he has, I hope he’ll guard the _Louise_ better than we guarded the -_Bertha_!” Carl put in. - -“What happened to the _Bertha_?” the millionaire asked. - -Then Ben told the story of the visit of the Chinaman who had wasted -their gasoline and eaten their provisions so ravenously. He also told -the story of the landing on the summit, and of the visit of the two Japs -in the _Ann_. Havens looked grave. - -“Those Japs,” he exclaimed, “must have come directly on from New York to -Monterey. They are well-known East Side crooks, and are using their old -tactics here.” - -“Well, they probably went away after Phillips and Mendoza in that -limping old machine,” Carl said. “They can’t go far.” - -Gilmore and Sheriff Chase, who had listened intently to the -conversation, now began asking questions. - -“You spoke of a Chinaman coming to your tent,” Gilmore began, “as if Mr. -Havens already knew of the existence of such a party. What about that? -When and where did you first see this Chinaman?” he added turning to -Ben. “Tell me all about it.” - -At this time the little party was directly in front of the hotel where -Stroup had exhibited his muscular ability. As Ben explained about the -first stopping-place, the two beacons, the schooner, the caves, and the -swarm of Celestials, Gilmore drew him into the hotel and into the -smoking room. Here he seated the entire party notwithstanding the frowns -of the clerk, and closed and locked the door. - -“Do you know,” he asked, after a moment’s thought, “that you boys have -made a discovery which is likely to bring you a large amount of money?” - -“I guess they can use it, all right,” laughed Havens. “They want a new -flying machine every time they see a new model!” - -“Tell us about it?” asked Ben eagerly. - -“Well,” Gilmore went on, “we have been after those Chink smugglers a -long time. The beacons have been observed night after night, and -schooners have long been known to visit Monterey bay during the dark -hours, but,” he went on, “we have searched the coast for a hundred miles -and never found anything like the canyon you blundered into the first -night of your arrival.” - -“And we found it in the dark!” laughed Carl. - -“Cheer up!” exclaimed Gilmore. “My men couldn’t find it in the -day-time.” - -“Well, you know where to get the Chinks now!” the sheriff broke in. - -“But how about this Chink we were talking about?” asked Ben. “We found -him tied up like a side roast of beef. We turned him loose, of course, -and then he comes and serves us a dirty trick like that!” - -Gilmore sat back in his chair and laughed heartily. - -“That Chinaman,” he said after a time, “is not a Chinaman at all! That’s -Sloan, the Washington secret service man!” - -“But he looks like a Chink!” insisted Carl. - -“Certainly,” answered Gilmore. “That’s why he has been assigned to this -class of work.” - -“Can he talk like a Chink?” asked Ben. - -“As natural as life!” was the reply. - -“Well, he don’t know much English,” grinned Ben, “if you leave it to me. -All he said was ‘Savvy you, alle same’ and ‘No can do!’” - -Again Gilmore broke into a roar of laughter. - -“That’s one of his old tricks,” he said. “He’s so stuck on his make-up -and his pidgin English that he seeks to keep up the deception when -there’s no need of it.” - -“Then we ought to know why they tied him up!” Ben declared. - -“It’s easy enough to guess,” Gilmore answered. “He tried to play in with -the crowd of smugglers and Chinks, and was detected and tied up.” - -This from the sheriff, who was making notes in a memorandum book as the -talk went on: - -“It’s a wonder they didn’t kill him!” - -“They probably would have killed him in a very short time,” Gilmore -replied to the sheriff, “if the boys hadn’t put in an appearance.” - -“Then we saved one life, anyway!” laughed Carl. - -“But why did he come and waste our gasoline?” demanded Ben. - -“I can’t answer that,” replied Gilmore. “You probably will see him -before you get out of the country, and then you can get the explanation -from him. He’ll tell you, easy enough.” - -“I think I can give a pretty good guess at it right now,” the sheriff -broke in. “Sloan possibly had his own idea as to what the boys were here -for, and that idea was undoubtedly incorrect.” - -“I’ve got it now!” cried Carl. “I know all about it!” - -“You’re the wise boy!” laughed Ben. “Go on and tell it.” - -“Why, don’t you see,” Carl went on, “Sloan suspected us of coming here -to butt in on his game with the smugglers? He saw us in the cavern, and -of course believed that we were there working for the immense rewards -offered for the criminals. He wanted to head us off!” - -“That may be right,” replied Gilmore. “The fellow is mercenary enough, -when it comes down to cases. Well,” the forest ranger went on, “what -else could the fellow think? He saw you there in the cave, and knew that -you knew the use it was being put to. The only way that he could figure -it out was that you were there to interfere with a game which he had -almost won by playing a lone hand.” - -“And so he dumped our gasoline to keep us from flying back to the canyon -or flying over to Monterey to tell what we’d discovered!” suggested -Carl. - -“That is undoubtedly correct,” Gilmore admitted, “and if the _Louise_ -had been there, he doubtless would have crippled her, too.” - -“And now,” laughed Havens, “that you have the whole thing settled, -without Sloan knowing anything about it, perhaps we’d better go -somewhere and have dinner, or supper, or whatever you may call it.” - -“We probably can’t get anything here at this time of day,” the sheriff -interposed, “but I know of a restaurant down the street where we can get -anything from a lobster to an elephant’s ear.” - -“I don’t care about spending any money in this place, anyway,” said -Havens. “Say, Sheriff,” he went on, “I want to leave with you a little -present for your new deputy Stroup. Will you deliver it to him just as I -hand it to you without one word of explanation?” - -“Surely,” replied the official. - -Havens took a note-book from his pocket, tore out a blank leaf, wrote -three words on it and signed his name. Then he took a bank-note of the -denomination of one thousand dollars from his pocket, folded it up in -the paper, stuffed the whole into a hotel envelope which he sealed and -passed it over to the sheriff, who took it with evident amazement. - -“You don’t do things by halves,” the official observed. - -“I try to do things according to my means,” replied Havens. “I should -have missed a lot of satisfaction this morning if Stroup hadn’t shown up -with his capable fists!” - -“What did you write on the sheet of paper?” asked Carl. - -Havens looked at the sheriff and the forest ranger with a smile. - -“You won’t arrest me for inciting a riot, will you?” he asked. - -“You’ve already paid too many fines in this town,” laughed the sheriff. - -“Well, under promise of immunity, then,” Havens went on, “the words were -‘Hit him again.’ How does that strike you?” - -“If you had showed the paper to me before you sealed it up,” the sheriff -laughed, “I would have added my name to yours at the bottom of the -instructions.” - -“Do you really think he will hit him again?” asked Carl. - -“Hit him again?” repeated the sheriff, “He’ll hit the clerk, and the -ex-deputy, and the house detective, until he drives them out of town, -and pay his fine out of the thousand dollars.” - -“Don’t you let him do that,” advised Havens. “If he just gives each of -them a good licking once, that’ll be sufficient. There are too many -fresh hotel clerks and deputy sheriffs in the world, also house -detectives, and if he reduced the list by three, that’ll be enough.” - -“Holy Smoke!” shouted Carl rising to his feet and making for the door. -“Are we going to talk here all day without anything to eat?” - -“I’m so empty right now,” Ben decided, “that you could hold a Salvation -Army meeting in my system. Where’s this restaurant where you can get an -elephant’s ear?” - -“I’ll lead you to it,” laughed the sheriff, “and while we’re eating, we -can lay plans for the capture of that gang of smugglers.” - -“We didn’t come here after smugglers,” suggested Ben. - -“Not so you could notice it,” Carl went on. “We came here to find the -burglars of the Buyers’ Bank in New York. We haven’t found them yet.” - -“But we know pretty well where they are,” Ben insisted. “Kit saw -Phillips in the woods this morning, dressed in a ranger’s uniform.” - -The story of the bear was new to Havens and the officers, and they -enjoyed its relation immensely. Both boys smacked their lips at thought -of the bear steak they didn’t get. - -“We can get the outlaws with little trouble now,” Gilmore said, after a -moment’s reflection. “I’ve got men enough in this vicinity to put a line -all around the hills. So long as we know they are here, we are all -right.” - -“After we eat dinner,” Ben suggested, “perhaps we’d better go back to -the green bowl and look up Jimmie and Kit. There’s no knowing what they -may have discovered during the day.” - -“That’s the idea!” exclaimed Havens. “And now for a good feed.” - -Before the meal at the restaurant was finished an interruption which -materially changed the plans of the whole party, took place. It was -Sloan, the secret service man, who blundered into the party with a -broken head who sidetracked the old plans. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - UNDER THE MOONLIGHT. - - -“Now there goes the loss of a lot of endeavor!” Jimmie exclaimed, as the -_Louise_ lifted into the air. - -“What’s the answer?” asked Kit with a grin. - -“Do you know who’s aboard of that machine?” Jimmie demanded in a -sarcastic tone. - -“Two outlaws who’re carrying away our good bear meat!” replied Kit. - -“And do you know who’s doing the aviation stunt?” continued Jimmie. - -“Answer in two weeks!” replied the boy with a snicker. - -“Well, I’ll tell you who it is,” almost shouted Jimmie. “It’s probably -that blond brute we spent so much time amusing to-day.” - -“How do you know that, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?” asked Kit. - -“Didn’t we see his machine staggering over the summit some time ago?” -demanded Jimmie. “You know we did.” - -“But that was a long ways from here,” Kit advised. - -“Oh, what’s the use?” exclaimed Jimmie. “His machine fluttered down into -some hole not far away from here, and he saw our fire and came forward -to get something to eat.” - -“I half believe you’re right,” Kit admitted. - -“Of course, I’m right!” insisted Jimmie. “The blond brute is the only -aviator in this section that I know of who would have taken the outlaws -away. That’s the duck, all right.” - -“Then we lose?” asked Kit. - -“We lose if the outlaws are sharp enough to get away before morning,” -Jimmie went on. “They certainly know now what we’re here for.” - -“Yes, and the information we’ve been trying to keep from them all this -time is now in their possession,” added Jimmie in a disgusted tone. - -“It’s a good thing they didn’t have it before they left us asleep in the -shelter tent,” Kit suggested. - -“Why do you say that?” asked Jimmie. - -“Because, if they had known, we wouldn’t be here now.” - -“What next?” asked Kit in a minute. “What are we going to do about it? -We ought to do something right away.” - -“I suggest,” Jimmie answered, “that we take our searchlights and our -guns and go out and find that third machine.” - -“And chase up the outlaws?” demanded Kit. - -“That’s the idea,” Jimmie answered. - -“Chase the _Louise_ in that slow old ice wagon that we went by this -afternoon like it was anchored?” demanded the boy. - -“The machine is all right if properly handled,” Jimmie insisted. - -“But you saw how it staggered around the summit,” argued Kit. “I don’t -want to trust my bones in any such old contraption.” - -“It’s oranges to oats,” Jimmie exclaimed, “that a new spark plug will -put that machine in pretty good shape. Of course we can’t hope to keep -up with the _Louise_ on a long chase, but I don’t believe there’ll be -any long chase to-night. The outlaws will settle down in some nook and -remain there until morning. All we’ll have to do to-night will be to -locate them. We ought to be able to do that.” - -“Say,” said Kit with a grin, “I wish you’d find an air boat somewhere -and row me back to Robinson’s barn. I used to have a good flop now and -then when I lived there, but since I’ve been with you boys, it’s been a -night and day job.” - -“You’re getting fat over it,” Jimmie insisted. - -“Sailing up in the air after a bunch like that won’t put fat on any -one’s ribs,” Kit continued. “They’ll see our lights, and we might as -well try to sleuth out a moonshiner with a brass band.” - -“Come on, you little monkey,” urged Jimmie. “We’ll go and find the -machine anyhow. We’ll see what shape she’s in before we decide.” - -Throwing more wood on the fire in order to illuminate the bowl as much -as possible, the boys started away. Before they had proceeded far a -glimmer of light in a thicket almost at the lip of the bowl attracted -their attention. It was a very brilliant light, but seemed to be shining -through a small aperture. - -“Acetylene!” exclaimed Jimmie as the boys drew nearer. “That’s the -acetylene lamp on that old machine. Our blond friend forgot to turn it -off. Now wasn’t that kind of him!” - -“I guess he was about all in,” Kit advised. “We gave him a mighty swift -chase, and he seems to have kept in the air a long time after we quit. -They probably fed him up on some of our good provisions so he felt -better before he went away.” - -“Of course they did!” laughed Jimmie. “Did you notice how those fellows -laid into our bread and butter?” - -Jimmie began a systematic examination of the machine. He found the -gasoline tanks nearly full, which indicated that the blond aviator had -traveled to some filling station after the conclusion of the race. - -So far as Jimmie could see, the aeroplane was in perfect condition -except that the spark plugs were badly worn and cracked. - -“Can we use them?” asked Kit. “The spark plugs, I mean.” - -“They’re no good,” replied Jimmie, “but we’ve got plenty at the camp. -Ben wanted to keep them stored in the boxes under the seats, but I -sneaked some out when we landed in the green bowl and put them away by -the pile of tenting. Good thing I did, too.” - -“If you hadn’t, they would be on board the _Louise_ right now,” Kit -said, “and we would be without any.” - -“You chase back to camp and bring the plugs,” Jimmie directed, “and I’ll -stay here and look the machine over once more. Hurry back, for we want -to get up in the air in time to see the lights of the _Louise_.” - -“They must be pretty far away by this time,” suggested Kit. - -“Yes, we can go up far enough to see for fifty miles on each side!” -Jimmie said. “They can’t be fifty miles away by this time.” - -Kit hastened away to the camp, and soon returned with the spark plugs. -In a very short time the machine was pulled out of the little depression -in which the wheels lay and drawn down to a level which would permit of -a flight. It was by no means as large as either the _Louise_ or the -_Bertha_ but a strong aeroplane for all that. - -“Now,” Jimmie suggested. “We ought to go and see if there’s anything -left to eat here, and take it away with us if there is.” - -“You can’t get the smell of that bear steak out of your nostrils, can -you?” laughed Kit. - -“But just think who gave it to us?” Jimmie grinned. - -After packing away provisions enough for a meal or two the boys put the -machine into the air and lifted slowly out of the bowl. - -The air was comparatively still, and a mass of clouds hung low over the -mountains. Looking out into the darkness, the boys could see no sign of -light anywhere. Their own lights were sheltered as much as possible, but -they knew that they might be seen a great distance. Kit proposed putting -out the acetylene lights entirely, but Jimmie insisted that it was so -dark they might bump into a mountain without seeing it! - -“Much good that short space of light would do us,” Kit replied. “We’d be -into the rocks almost before the light struck them.” - -“Then we’ll go slower and higher up,” Jimmie declared. - -The machine continued to rise until a faint radiance began to seep -through the heavy clouds with which the boys were surrounded. In another -minute the stars shone down upon them, and the field of mist lay far -below. - -Jimmie had frequently looked out upon such scenes before, but to Kit it -was all very wonderful. The clouds below looked like waves rolling and -tossing on a summer sea. As far as the eye could reach there were only -the white undulations which shut out the light of the stars from below. - -The boys were going very slowly now, lifting with every yard traveled -and watching intently for the lights of the _Louise_. - -Presently they came to a break in the field of clouds below and looked -down upon the surging waters of the Pacific ocean. They had no idea that -they were so far to the west, but Jimmie took advantage of the incident -to look down upon the southern promontory off which the schooner had -stood on the previous night. - -The beacon was still there and the schooner was still there. In a moment -the clouds closed in again and the boys moved away to the east. - -The boys circled about for an hour or more, and then, weary of remaining -so long in one position, dropped down to a peak which, far above the -clouds, glimmered in the light of the rising moon. - -“We can see from here just as well as from the seats,” Kit suggested, -“and we may as well get all the rest we can.” - -“I’ve got an idea,” Jimmie answered, “that we ought to go to the south, -but I’m going to break this for once and stay right here. We’re not far -from the home of the smugglers, and, on the theory that thieves flock -together, our outlaws ought to be in the vicinity.” - -“That suits me,” Kit answered. “I’m dead tired.” - -“If we hadn’t gone to sleep to-night,” mourned Jimmie, “We wouldn’t be -here now. That nap just spoiled everything.” - -“What could we have done if we had remained awake?” Kit demanded. “When -that blond brute arrived, we’d have got our heads knocked off and that’s -about all.” - -“In just a little while now,” Jimmie declared, “I’m going to trail over -to Monterey and see if I can find any trace of Mr. Havens or the boys. -It’s just rotten the way Ben and Carl are staying away!” - -As soon as the boy finished speaking, Kit grabbed him by the arm and -pointed to the west. - -“There’s your light!” he said. - -The light referred to sat on a peak some distance to the west, very near -to the sheer descent into the Pacific, in fact, and was slightly lower -than the one upon which the boys had rested. It was, however, above the -clouds and the moon, pushing her way through the mists, shone full upon -the shining planes of a flying machine. - -Only one artificial light was in sight, and that appeared to come from -the aeroplane lamp stationed just above the seats. - -“That’s the _Louise_, all right enough!” exclaimed Jimmie. “Now I wonder -what they are staying there for! It seems to me that they ought to be -getting out of this country just as fast as gasoline can carry them.” - -“There’s something exciting going on over there!” Kit exclaimed. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - A LOOK AT THE BOWL. - - -The interruption which came at the restaurant during the meal Ben and -Carl were having with Mr. Havens and the two officers, was, to the boys -at least, a most astonishing one. - -When Sloan entered the restaurant, his head wrapped in a great bandage, -the boys, of course, recognized him as the man who had played the part -of a Chinaman so cleverly. After the explanations made by the two -officers, Sloan would have been recognized in any event, but the boys -would have known him if they had had no information on the subject. - -His resemblance to a Chinaman was, indeed, striking. Indeed, it was -claimed by many who knew and disliked him that he really was a Chinaman. - -As he entered the restaurant Sloan beckoned to Gilmore, and the two -conferred together a short time at a separate table. - -The boys saw that Gilmore was very much interested in the revelations -being made by Sloan, and they also saw that the detective was very weak. - -By the time the conference was ended the meal had been completed, and -Gilmore returned to his friends while Sloan hastened away in the care of -a deputy sheriff who had been summoned to the restaurant. - -“This visit appears to make a change of plan necessary,” Gilmore said, -as the five walked away from the restaurant. “We have some talking to -do, so we may as well go to my office, where we can talk without danger -of being overheard.” - -All were, of course, very anxious to know the result of the interview -between the chief ranger and the detective, but they asked no questions, -and Gilmore said nothing until they were seated in the private office of -a suite of rooms set aside for the sheriff. - -“As you all saw,” Gilmore began, “Sloan is all in. He was attacked by a -number of smugglers not very long ago and barely escaped with his life.” - -“Served him right!” muttered Ben. “He’s the guy that spilled our -gasoline! I wish they’d beaten him up more.” - -“Now,” continued Gilmore, “the story told by you boys concerning the -smugglers’ headquarters was repeated to me by Sloan with only a few -variations. He has located the place where the Chinks are hidden until -they can be safely run into the cities, and has spotted several of the -leaders, including the captain of one of the schooners which frequently -appears off the south beacon.” - -“We came pretty near doing all that!” Carl laughed. - -“Now, what he wants us to do,” Gilmore continued, “is to station a force -of men around a summit from which all that goes on below may be watched. -He says that if we reach the place between midnight and morning we will -see Chinks rowed ashore from the schooner and passed into the caves the -boys penetrated.” - -“That listens good to me!” said the sheriff. “I’ve long been aching to -get my hands on those smugglers!” - -“He says, too,” continued Gilmore, “that large quantities of opium are -stored in the caves. He wants me to take a force large enough to -surround the whole district and do the job at one blow.” - -“Do you think that a good idea?” asked the sheriff. - -“I do not!” was Gilmore’s reply. “In the first place, we can’t get men -in there to-night. In the next place, if we could, we couldn’t station -them without alarming the outlaws.” - -“That’s just my idea,” the sheriff said. - -“Perhaps,” Mr. Havens suggested, “we might reach that point in the -airships. It isn’t a very long journey, according to what Ben says.” - -“That’s just what I was about to suggest,” Gilmore explained. “How many -people will the two ships you have here carry?” - -“They will carry six, on a pinch,” was the reply. “The small persons -would, of course, have to travel on the _Bertha_.” - -Havens stepped to the window and looked out. - -“We were thinking of looking up Jimmie and Kit,” he said, “but it’s -getting dark now, and we never could find them in this tangle of hills -unless they were up in the air with lights burning.” - -“I’ll tell you what we can do,” Ben observed. “The sheriff and the -ranger can go in the _Ann_ with you, Mr. Havens, and Carl and I can -switch around over the place where we had our camp and see if there are -any signs of the boys.” - -“That will do nicely,” Mr. Havens replied. - -“Now, see here,” the sheriff interrupted. “There are only two of you -boys, both light weights, and the machine, you say, will carry three. Is -that right? Why not take Stroup along with us?” - -“Sure!” Ben exclaimed. “I’d like to have that fellow go with us. I’ve -heard what he did to three people here to-day, and I think he’d prove a -pretty good friend in a hot scrap!” - -“I’ll send out for him,” the sheriff promised, “and in the meantime, -we’ll all keep pretty close in the office.” - -“That’s a good idea,” suggested Gilmore. “There’s no knowing how many -friends the smugglers have in this town. I would suggest, however,” he -went on, “that some one go out and look over the two machines.” - -“The machines are all right,” the sheriff assured the others. “There are -six deputies out there now in charge of Stroup, and he sent in a report -not long ago. The crowd has been hustled off the field, and everything -out there is as quiet as a prohibition convention.” - -“What time ought we to start?” asked Ben, like all boys, eager to be -away. “I’m actually getting anxious to be off.” - -“We can make the distance in half an hour, if we are obliged to,” -replied Havens, “unless I’m greatly mistaken in the location of the -promontory. So we ought not to leave here until about midnight.” - -“It will be dark as a stack of black cats!” exclaimed Carl looking out -of the window at the sky. - -“There’s plenty of room above the clouds!” smiled Havens. - -“Never thought of that!” exclaimed Ben. “We were above the clouds in -Mexico once, but that seems a long time ago now.” - -“And there will be a moon about midnight, too,” Gilmore explained, “so -we can see everything above the clouds quite distinctly.” - -“Huh!” grinned Carl, “we can’t look through the clouds at the schooner -and the Chinks, can we?” - -“Hardly!” laughed Gilmore. “Still, the cloudy night will help us in this -way—we can travel above the clouds and not be observed from below. That -will help some.” - -“And I presume that we can crawl down the incline and get a glimpse of -what’s going on below,” the sheriff suggested. “At least, I’m willing to -try. The time to make the arrests is right now.” - -“Perhaps we ought to start a short time before the _Ann_ leaves the -place,” Ben suggested, “because we’ll have quite a few miles farther to -travel if we circle over to look after Jimmie and Kit.” - -“That’s very true,” Havens replied. “Are you sure that you know where -the summit which has been mentioned is?” he added. - -“If it’s the summit directly east of the south headland where we saw the -light, I know exactly where it is,” answered Ben. “There are two peaks -there, and the one to the east and north is a trifle higher than the one -referred to now.” - -“That’s exactly correct,” announced Gilmore. “The two peaks separate a -great chasm in the range which is known as Two Sisters canyon.” - -Ben sprang to his feet and drew a bit of white paper from a pocket. - -“Look here!” he shouted, “This paper was taken from the monkey-faced man -who chased Jimmie up New York bay! The fellow smashed his machine and -lay with a broken arm in Robinson’s barn, away back east, until Kit -found a doctor to fix him up. This paper, enclosed in an envelope, fell -from his pocket when his coat was removed.” - -“Read it!” exclaimed Gilmore excitedly. - -“It isn’t much to read,” Ben explained. “All it says is: ‘In Two Sisters -Canyon’.” - -“There you are!” cried Carl, hopping about in his enthusiasm. “That -paper makes a date, not for the meeting with the outlaws but for the -meeting of the men who traveled from New York to warn them of their -danger, and get them out of the country.” - -“That’s just the idea!” the sheriff said with a laugh. “Are all your New -York boys like these?” he added with a smile turning to Havens. - -“I’m afraid not,” was the laughing reply. “The wits of these boys were -sharpened in the streets of the East Side.” - -Shortly after midnight Ben and Carl, accompanied by Stroup, departed in -the _Bertha_ for the valley where the _Louise_ had been left. The clouds -were thinning a little, and the darkness was not so intense as it had -been earlier in the evening. Stroup knew every inch of the way, and so -the machine made good progress until it came over the little green bowl -which had been the scene of so many adventures. - -“There’s no light there!” Ben said, with a sigh, as they passed the lip -of the pit. “I don’t believe there’s any one here.” - -“There’s just a little flicker of light,” Stroup declared. “And it looks -to me like the embers of a camp-fire.” - -“We didn’t have any fire!” Ben explained. - -“Then Jimmie and Kit must have returned,” Carl put in. “They may be -there yet. Of course we’re going down to see?” - -“That’s what we came here for,” Stroup answered. “Only be careful, boy, -how you bring her down!” - -Ben smiled at the big deputy’s timidity, and brought the machine to -within a few feet of the embers which had been left by the fire built to -cook the outlaws’ steak. - -As Kit and Jimmie had left the camp two or three hours previous in the -machine they had repaired, of course no one was seen about the place. -Ben and Carl ran eagerly over the surface of the green bowl with their -flashlights, but no trace of their chums could be found. Even the -shelter tents had been taken away by the boys. - -Discouraged at last, the boys returned to the machine, and the three -mounted upward through the clouds, now thinning fast. The moon was -rising, too, laying a silver floor over the upper surface of the moving -clouds. - -“Now there’s the peak!” Ben said, pointing. “And there’s an aeroplane on -it, too! And also a scrap!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - THE CLUE ABOVE THE CLOUDS. - - -“I’ll tell you what I think,” Jimmie exclaimed as the boys gazed toward -the peak. “I believe that gink had busted up the _Louise_, not knowing -how to run her, and that they’ve abandoned her there.” - -“Wouldn’t it be a joke if we could sail over and pick her up again?” -asked Kit with a grin. - -“Sure it would!” answered Jimmie. “Suppose we try it.” - -In a moment the impulsive and foolhardy boys were starting the machine -along an incline with the motors going at full speed. When she lifted it -was within a few rods of the opposite peak. - -Naturally the boys scrutinized the summit before them very closely, as -there was still time to lift again should anything like peril appear. -However, everything seemed quiet and peaceful below. - -Not a moving figure was to be seen. The one light of the _Louise_ burned -dimly and appeared to be cloaked with a covering which did not quite -perform its duty. - -“It’s all right!” Jimmie shouted to his companion. “We’ll land close to -the _Louise_, and you jump down the first thing and see if she’s fit to -run. If she is, you climb aboard and push the starter. If she isn’t, you -jump back into your seat and I’ll duck away.” - -The next minute the wheels of the flying machine were rolling over the -rough surface of the summit. Kit sprang out as directed, but Jimmie -retained his seat. The instant the boy struck the ground a sharp cry of -terror reached Jimmie’s ears, and he also prepared for a spring. - -His idea was that his chum had been seized by some one lying in wait -beside the machine, and that his assistance would enable the boy to get -back into his seat without injury. - -However, before Jimmie could execute his purpose, a rope was thrown over -his head and shoulders from behind, and he was dragged from the machine. -Then, as if in a daze, he saw gathered about him three figures that he -knew. - -Phillips, Mendoza and the blond aviator were gazing down upon him with -triumph in their faces! Behind them stood two slighter men, resembling -Japanese, and behind them, in turn, quite a collection of Chinamen. - -“Brought my machine back, did you?” asked the blond man. - -“Yes,” replied Jimmie struggling with the rope that held his arms to his -sides. “I thought you might need it.” - -“That’s nice!” smiled the aviator. - -“And so you are the boys who left New York to capture Phillips and -myself are you?” demanded Mendoza thrusting a savage face toward Jimmie. - -“We came out here to try something in that line,” replied the boy. - -“If I had known that, you would still be sleeping in the shelter-tent,” -the ruffian said with a significant glance. - -At this moment one of the Japs turned to Phillips and asked: - -“How many more Chinks are there in Two Sisters canyon?” - -Jimmie gave a quick start and turned to Kit: - -“Does that make you think of Robinson’s barn?” he asked. - -“Sure it does!” replied Kit. “It makes me think of the note I found -there. I suppose that’s Two Sisters canyon that we just crossed.” - -“Your suppose is all right, kid!” laughed the blond man. - -“How many more Chinks did you say there were in Two Sisters canyon?” -repeated the Jap. - -“I don’t know,” replied Phillips. “We have nothing to do with the -smuggling end of this game. We have known ever since we reached this -part of the country that smuggling was going on, but we have kept away -from those engaged in it. How many Chinks were here when you landed from -the crippled machine this afternoon?” - -“I don’t know,” was the Jap’s reply. “When the machine failed us here -and the aviator went away to secure a spark plug from the boys, if -possible, the smugglers came up and told us a long story about getting -the Chinks out to-night, and they have been about here ever since. I -don’t know why they happened to select this peak for their operations -just now.” - -“I’ll tell you,” said a rough-bearded man, approaching where the two -stood. “We selected this peak because in this kind of weather it is -always above the clouds, and because the country below is being raked -over with a fine-toothed comb by the rangers. Under the circumstances, -it appeared to me that the best thing we could do was to hide the -fellows high up in the air.” - -“I understand now,” the Jap replied. “And you say the officers are -below?” he questioned. “Aiming for this peak, perhaps?” - -“They certainly are!” replied the smuggler. “Listen a moment and you’ll -hear shooting!” - -In the short silence which followed the report of firearms could be -heard from below. The smuggler darted away, closely followed by the -blond aviator, and the two Japs and Phillips and Mendoza began looking -about for hiding-places in case a rush should be made for the summit. -They found hiding-places, at last, at the edge of the canyon which lay -between the two peaks. Kit, forgotten in the sudden excitement, hastily -released Jimmie from the rope which held him, and the two boys prepared -to mount their machines. - -Shouts and cries of anger and alarm were now heard coming up from the -slope, still veiled by the clouds, and the boys were under the -impression that they might be able to get the aeroplanes away before the -summit became a battle-ground. Just as they were about to spring into -the seats, however, a sharp cry came from the place where the four men -had hidden, and the next moment a storm of bullets swept down from -above! - -“Je—rusalem!” shouted Jimmie, stepping out and throwing his arms up in -token of surrender. “That’s the _Ann_, and she must be loaded with -pirates! Quit shooting!” he yelled at the top of his voice. - -Kit was not slow in following the example of his friend, and then the -outlaws and the Japs rushed from their hiding-places and also held up -their hands in token of submission. - -The next instant the powerful aeroplane, _Ann_, swept down upon the -surface with a force which almost sent her off on the other side! The -sheriff, the ranger and Havens sprang from their seats with revolvers in -their hands, and by this time Jimmie and Kit had their own weapons out. - -Almost before the four men could catch their breath, they were -handcuffed by the sheriff. - -“And that,” exclaimed Havens, “is about the neatest and slickest capture -I ever heard of!” - -“If you fellows hadn’t mixed up with the smugglers,” the sheriff said to -Phillips, “you might have chased about here a good many more days yet -without being taken.” - -“We didn’t mix up with the smugglers!” growled Phillips. “They mixed up -with us!” - -By this time the firing below had in a measure ceased, and Gilmore -hastened down a break in the clouds which looked to those above almost -like a trap door into a dark basement. He returned in a few moments with -a smile on his face. - -“The boys we sent to make the attack from below,” he said, “have -captured a score of Chinamen and all the smugglers, including a blond -aviator who says he came from New York.” - -“Well, boys,” Mr. Havens said with a smile, “we may as well get the -machines ready for a visit to Westchester county. It appears to me that -the case is closed. The sheriff will, of course, attend to the -extradition proceedings and deliver the prisoners over to the New York -officers. Our work is finished.” - -If looks of rage and hate could kill, then Havens would certainly have -been murdered at that instant, for the four prisoners glared at him as -if holding him responsible for all their troubles. - -“For your information, boys,” Havens said, “I’ll tell you that the -DeMotts and their crowd of abductors and river thieves have all been -captured since the night they entertained me on board the _Nancy_.” - -“You’ve got nothing against us after you get us to New York!” Mendosa -declared. “You can’t prove anything!” - -This remark seemed to bring an idea to the mind of the fellow, for he -began cautiously feeling about in his vest pockets with his manacled -hands. - -Watching him closely, Ben saw Mendoza take something from his left-hand -vest pocket, drop it to the ground and move forward to crush it under -his foot. The boy sprang forward and rescued the object, which was -wrapped in thin tissue paper. - -The boy tore the paper away and held a diamond ring with four small -diamond settings showing. There was a place for the fifth setting, but -it was empty. Havens took the ring into his hand and examined it -carefully. Then he faced Mendoza with a smile. - -“No proof against you?” he exclaimed. “This is the ring you wore on the -night you burglarized the Buyers’ Bank and murdered the watchman. All -the criminal officers in New York know the ring as well as they know -your ugly face.” - -“And what has the ring to do with it?” demanded the prisoner. - -“And here,” Havens continued taking a slender roll of tissue paper from -his pocket, “are the stone and the gold claw broken from the ring on the -night of the robbery and murder. They were found by the police on the -rug in front of the desk in the bank where you divided the stolen -securities. And so,” continued the millionaire, “you are convicted at -last by the Clue Above the Clouds!” - -For the purposes of this narrative the famous murder case closed there. -It is of little interest to explain how the Flying Machine Boys returned -to New York, or how they received a goodly portion of the reward offered -for the capture of the smugglers. In fact, the boys were so busy -planning another trip that they nearly lost interest in the murder case -as soon as they reached Havens’ hangar in Westchester county! - -They appeared as witnesses at the trial of the man who had been shot on -the night the destruction of the hangar was attempted, and were well -satisfied when he received a sentence of five years at Sing Sing. - -The man’s confession revealed the names of the New York parties who had -been concerned in the attempt to prevent the Flying Machine Boys from -departing on their mission to the Pacific coast. - -These criminals were all arrested and punished with the DeMott gang, -and, after the electrocution of Phillips and Mendoza, the famous -criminal combination was heard of no more. - -With all the cases settled, the boys pushed their arrangements for -another trip in their machines. Kit, of course, assisted in all the -preliminaries, and the boys often declared that the finding of him was -worth the trip to the Pacific! - -The next adventures of the boys will be recorded in the next volume of -this series entitled: - -“The Flying Machine Boys in the Wilds; or, the Mystery of the Andes.” - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Punctuation has been standardized. Minor spelling and typographic - errors have been corrected silently, and hyphenated words have been - retained as they appear in the original text. - - Alternate spellings of “Mendoza” versus “Mendosa” for the same - character occur throughout the book, and have been left as found. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLYING MACHINE BOYS ON DUTY*** - - -******* This file should be named 50165-0.txt or 50165-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/0/1/6/50165 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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