CHAPTER IX
"CALIFORNY KID" GETS A JOB
Old Buck's horse-corral had blossomed over night into a modernballoon factory. And the proprietor, with his bronco team, and thesuperintending Ned and Alan made big gaps the next day in theprecious freight of the Placida. By noon the five casks forgenerating hydrogen, the cooling and purifying box, and the leadpipe and other equipment, had been transferred to the old horseyard. Three tons of iron turnings, forwarded by freight in advance,were found in the keeping of the railroad agent. It took Buck sixtrips to move this, and that consumed the afternoon.
A special trip was made by the wagon just after luncheon. This wasto transport the tool chest--practically two chests, for it was alarge one containing both wood and iron-working tools. With it rodethe two boys, both in overalls and ready to begin the setting up andadjustment of the generating tanks.
After their arrival at the corral, the rest of the afternoon, inspite of the heat, slipped quickly away. But by night a foundationhad been leveled in a corner of the yard and the five barrel-likegenerators were firmly anchored and connected by lead pipes with thecooling and purifying box.
"Looks purty much like a distillery," commented Buck, who had justmade his last trip with the iron shavings, which were now piledclose by the casks.
"And is," laughed Ned, "in a way."
But he volunteered no more. In fact the whole matter was a mysteryto every one in the town, except Mayor Curt Bradley and Marshal JackJellup.
In the morning the first work accomplished was the removal, one at atime, of ten casks of sulphuric acid, each weighing four hundredpounds. It was a delicate job and not unattended with danger incase of a cask breaking. The boys began to realize the need of helpof a higher grade than that of the "greasers" who had been thus fartheir only assistants except Buck.
Their usual good luck seemed to be with them, however, for just inthe middle of the work of sliding a heavy carboy of acid from thewagon a stranger stepped from the group of onlookers, and withoutwords gave a hand to the job.
Alan was about to thank him hurriedly, when the stranger said:"Wot's the game, son? Wot's doin'?"
Alan was at first inclined to resent this "tough" familiarity. Thenhe realized that the language of the man was in his natural mannerof speaking, and he said:
"Who are you and where are you from?"
"Give you one guess," laughed the stranger. "No! Can't tell a'bo'? Well, just tramp. Wot's dew name? I lost me card case. Menom de plumb is Kid, Californy Kid. And me address is--well wot'sde name o' dis munificent metropolis?"
"Clarkeville, New Mexico," answered Alan smiling.
"Well, den me address is dat. Wot's de nex' inquiry?"
The man was young. His clothing was worn and greasy, his shoes werepatched, and those parts of his face and hands that could be seenbetween smears of coal dust were red from exposure and the sun.
"How do you happen to be here?" continued Alan.
"Well, cul--beg pardon, son--de fact is I lost me purse and debrakeman on de fast freight wouldn't take me check. I was dumped.And I can't get away exceptin' I walk."
"Then you wouldn't care to work?"
"Will dis beautiful city give me coin and chuck widout work?"
"I'm afraid not," laughed Alan.
"Den' it's work for yours truly," answered the tramp with a sort ofcheery humor. "But, say, boss, ye couldn't stake me to a drink andsome chuck afore I loosen up me muscles?"
"Your pay will be two dollars a day," said Alan, "but no drinkinggoes. Here's a note that will get you something to eat." Andwriting a message to Elmer the tramp was soon hurrying to the carfor a meal. A half hour later, with his sleeves rolled up, hereturned, riding alongside Buck on the wagon.
Ned had given the new hand little attention.
Now he looked him over and asked:
"What's your real name?"
"Gus, boss; or, spellin' it out, Gustave Lippe. How's dat for ahandle--Lippe?"
Ned looked at the young man long and sharply.
"One name, they say, is as good as another out here. But I didn'tknow tramps got this far west."
"Sure," answered the tramp, "It's long jumps and hard ones. It's melast excursion dis way."
"Well," said Ned slowly, "you can work for us as long as you are nottoo inquisitive."
"Dat's me, boss. I'm de clam till me two dollars per will git me tode next whistle."
"Then you'd better arrange to board with Buck."
"Dat's me lay, boss, already booked. Now show me some work. Metrunk was checked t'roo and I ain't nuttin' on me mind but me job."
"Well, you had better spend the rest of the afternoon in cleaning upa bit," suggested Ned. "Here's five dollars in advance. Reportearly in the morning."
"Tank's, boss," said Gus, the tramp. But he took the bill slowly.
"But, you can't spend it on beer and whisky and work for us," addedNed.
Gus shifted uneasily.
"You'd better have a bath and a shave. And if you need clothes andcan get them here," continued Ned, "I'll advance more to-morrow--ifyou show up all right."
"I kin work widdout a shave," the man said, "ain't der nuttin' doin'to-day?"
Assured that to-morrow was when he was wanted the tramp slowly andapparently reluctantly turned and slouched away toward the stores.
"What do you make of him, Ned?" asked Alan as the two toys resumedwork.
"Too slangy, I think," commented Ned.
But the final stowing of the acid soon drove the tramp from theminds of the boys.
When the young aeronauts finally closed the corral and returned tothe car, the sun a great red ball, was just dropping behind theserrated mountains of the western horizon. On the car steps, Nedturned and pointed to the north. Far away the dusky gray of theplains deepened into darker and darker shadows that ended in a lowblack mass. But here and there from the black wall rose irregularspires, their tops pink-tipped by the red sun.
"Yes," exclaimed Alan, "the Tunit Chas--our mountains."
And even though the vigilant Elmer called from within, the boysstood and gazed in silence until the last glow had died away and theland of their hopes was lost under the stars.
Important as was the work to be done in Buck's corral, there wasanother vital thing to be accomplished while this progressed. Thatwas the creation of a base of supplies near the navigator's field ofwork. This was preferably to be at the junction of the Amarilla andChusco rivers, and that point lay just eighty-five miles to thenorth. Between Clarkeville and that spot there were no roads and,at this time of the year, perhaps, no water. With the best wagonand team they might be able to get, this trip over the desert wouldrequire not less than five days.
It was impossible for either of the boys to go on this importanterrand, as both were needed on the spot to set up the balloon. Soit had long since been decided that Elmer was to have charge of thissecondary expedition. And since it was Elmer who would have toconduct the expedition safely to its destination and establish arelief camp, the colored boy had been thoroughly coached in hiscoming task.
"Kin I?" the boy had said more than once. "When de Cibola gits darI'll be dar. And ain't no Indians nor rattlesnakes nor hot weathergoin' to break up dat camp."
And the camp meant gasoline, water, food and a stepping stone backto civilization, whether the expedition ended in failure or success.As the boys had already planned that Buck should furnish the wagonand horses and guide Elmer's caravan, they had asked him to callthat evening to talk it over.
"I'm ready to start, yes, right now," Elmer had said as he servedthe good supper over which he had been laboring, "but I does jesnach'elly hate to turn you young gemmen over to dese greaser cooks."
The boys laughed. "You don't think we can keep this up all summer,do you?" exclaimed, Ned. "Even 'greaser' cooks are better thanhaving nothing to eat. And up there," nodding toward the north,"there won't be any cooks."
"Don't forget," interrupte
d Elmer, "camp--camp--well, my camp. Whenyou get dar dar'll be a good meal waitin' you and when you git outende mountains I'll still be dar waitin' wid eatin's."
The boys laughed again.
"Like as not," suggested Alan, "if you get all that truck up there.You'll certainly have enough. But don't you bother about the eating.You just watch the water and the gasoline."
"Till de snow flies," exclaimed Elmer with emphasis.
"Which, right there," dryly remarked Ned as he disposed of the lastof a generous slice of melon, "is rather indefinite."
When Buck, whose real name they had discovered to be WilliamBourke--easily corrupted into "Buck"--appeared, the boys had a delicatejob before them. Inquiry had quickly shown them that Buck's twenty-fiveyears on the old Santa Fe trail as guide and an active service in thearmy as scout easily made him the man to conduct Elmer to the north.
To all their long explanations and reasons Buck listened in silence.When there seemed nothing more to be said, Buck smothered the stillglowing end of a cigarette between his dark weather-beaten fingersand said slowly:
"When do we start?"
It was arranged that on the second morning Buck should be ready fora journey of uncertain length; that the general direction should benorth; that the final destination should be revealed by Elmer on thesecond morning out.
"Soldier-like," Buck had commented, "and that's the way I like it."
Buck and an assistant were to take an outfit of two wagons, eachdrawn by four horses. In the lighter wagon six barrels of waterwere to be carried for use in case the usual "water holes" were dry.In case of an accident, the lighter wagon and horses were to be sentsouth by the second man and Elmer and Buck were to make a quick dashforward with what water and supplies could be carried on the otherwagon.
Old Buck made rather light of the matter.
"Injuns ain't nothin' nowadays," he had explained, shrugging hisshoulders, "ye jest want to keep yer bearin's and git used todrinkin' atmosphere and ye'r all right."
The contract with Buck called for thirty dollars a day in money andfood for himself and a helper. Both parties to the contract weresatisfied and after Buck's fresh cigarette disappeared in thedirection of the town the boys lost no time in turning in for a goodnight's rest.