CHAPTER X.
AN INVITATION
It was not yet sundown when the Sky Buddies finally got to bed, and asBob said, they did not need to be rocked; they went to sleep almost assoon as their weary heads touched the pillows. Long after breakfast hadbeen served in the Captain's home the next morning they opened theireyes at about the same minute. Shades had been drawn to darken the roomsbut through a crack Jim could see light, so his first thought was thathe had probably rested about an hour, but Bob had a view of the clockwhich contradicted such an idea.
"Wow," he exclaimed, seeing that his step-brother was awake, "it'stomorrow, Old Timer."
"G'wan," Jim growled. "I've hardly been asleep."
"Go back if you want to, but I'm hollow to my boots--"
"Then hustle up and the trouble shall be immediately corrected." Thatwas Mrs. Seaman who had been listening for a sign that her guests mightsoon begin to feel as if they had caught up with the sandman.
"Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Both. Good morning. My husband looked in on you a couple of timesbefore he went on duty, and said to let you have it out," she smiled."I'll have the orderly run the water for your baths and you can takethings easy today. Those are orders," she told them.
"And we always obey orders," Jim answered. Now that he knew it was late,he banished the idea of another doze, stretched, yawned, and would havethrown a pillow at Bob if they had been at home, but guests in astranger's house have to be more circumspect. Their toilet did not takevery long, for in the warm climate few clothes are required, andpresently the pair, feeling fit as a couple of fiddles, presentedthemselves to their hostess, who looked them over with frank approval.
"You appear to be top hole," she said.
"And we are," Jim assured her.
While they were at breakfast one of the men came in with word that theboat was leaving for the "bug settlement" to take Doctor Manwell on hisweekly inspection of the workers. Donald was making the trip with hisadopted father, and if the Flying Buddies cared to accompany theexpedition, there was plenty of room and they were quite welcome.
"That's the place Martin is managing, isn't it?" Jim asked.
"Yes. They were having some difficulties yesterday, but I expect it isover by now. Those disagreements come up and pass quickly. I have alsobeen invited, and I have been delighted to accept. Mrs. Manwell and acouple of other women are also going along. We'll have rather a jollytime."
"Sounds mighty interesting to me," Bob told her.
"Then it is settled that we go. Donald will come and let us know whenthey are ready to start," Mrs. Seaman explained.
Half an hour later the Indian lad, neat as a pin in his fresh whitesuit, arrived to escort the party to the launch. They drove from thebarracks, out though the little white town with its conglomeration ofancient and modern dwellings and small stores, along the shore roadwhere they had a wonderful view of the water, blue as a sapphire, andfinally stopped on the wharf where the doctor, his wife and the rest ofthe party had already assembled. Mrs. Manwell was a kindly lookingwoman, somewhat younger than her husband, and she presented two youngfriends, Phyllis and Barbara Harding and their mother.
"We have been planning to take the trip to the 'bug settlement' for sometime," Mrs. Harding told the Flying Buddies with a cordial smile, "butwe residents of the islands are the greatest procrastinators in theworld; it is only when we have guests with us that we exert ourself toshow off our country."
"Bob is a bug-nut; crazy about insect and plant life, so he'll have awhale of a time," Jim told her. "I enjoy seeing what people arestudying, but I haven't got as much brains for it as Buddy."
"We'll have a picnic lunch and you can see Dr. Manwell's clinic. Hetakes care of both the natives and whites, babies and all," saidPhyllis, who was a jolly sort of girl.
"It'll be great," Bob declared enthusiastically.
"I suppose you would prefer traveling by plane," Mrs. Manwell said.
"It's quicker, but we like to be on the earth sometimes and have a goodlook at her. Look at those fishes!" A whole school went scooting past,some of them darting out of the water as if they too were thoroughlyenjoying themselves.
The boat made its way about a quarter of a mile from the coast, its noseplowing a deep trough and its stern leaving a wide triangular trail ofrollers and foam. There was just enough breeze to make the tripdelightful and the picnickers jollied each other at a lively rate asthey sped along. It took nearly an hour to reach the mouth of the smallriver they expected to go up, and when they finally turned inland thechange from the vast expanse to the narrower waterway, with its swamps,extravagant growths and forests, made the Flying Buddies exclaim withwonder.
"Wouldn't you prefer to be flying?" Barbara asked.
"This is immense," Bob told her. "I suppose the men of the expeditionhave an airplane."
"They have two," the engineer answered, "but only one is at camp now.It's a triple motor with a cabin, but the pilot has been sick for acouple of days so it has been out of use. The other chap flew to Jamaicato get some special equipment and will not be back for a couple ofdays."
"My father is to see from what the pilot is suffering," Donald remarked."He did not let anyone know he did not feel well until this morning."
"I hope it is not anything serious, poor fellow. He should have beenbrought in to town, it seems to me."
"We wanted him to come, but he insisted he'd do all right if the doctorcame and looked him over," said the engineer.
"If he would be better in town, we will fetch him back," Dr. Manwellannounced confidently.
They were making their way through a swift pass between high,overhanging cliffs, and ten miles further along they saw the outskirtsof the tiny settlement with its rows of tents, log cabins, communityhouses, and native's quarters. There seemed to be very few personsabout, but a couple of white boys came to meet the boat when it reachedthe dock, and caught the hawser the engineer tossed to them.
"I suppose you want to go right to the village, sir, but I thought ouryoung American friends would like to go around the loop and get a goodlook at the works, whatever is near here," the engineer said, and heglanced at the Buddies.
"That's an excellent idea. It will not take long. I shall visit mypatients, and suggest that the ladies of the party get things ready forour picnic luncheon," the doctor proposed.
"We will do that, and some of us may be able to help you," Barbara spokeup quickly, because she had made up her mind that when she was oldenough she was going to be a nurse. The plan was adopted, and as thelanding party was helped ashore, the two southern boys eyed the FlyingBuddies with interest.
"Where is Professor Martin?" the Doctor inquired.
"He went off with a party of natives early this morning. They have beenangry with him, so I guess he's trying to square himself by giving thema feast and a holiday," the older lad replied.
"That's good. He'll find that he will make much better progress if he isa little patient in his dealings with them," said the doctor. "I supposethat is why you two lads are alone."
"I don't like the Prof. and don't care about his parties, but the nativechildren and their mothers, most of them, went along with the men. Iguess they are going to hunt and have a great time, but I'd rather staywhen you are due," the younger lad answered frankly, and the doctorsmiled.
"All ashore who are going ashore?" the engineer called. "Got theluggage?"
"Everything and everybody," laughed Phyllis.
"Then we're off." The hawser was drawn in, looped about its own hook,the engine started again, and the launch went chug-chug-chugging backinto the middle of the stream, the party on shore waved, and the Buddieswaved back.
"Its great of you to think of taking us around," said Bob.
"It occurred to me that you would get a better view of things, a moregeneral one, if we went around the loop. By that I mean up a branch ofthe river and across into where the main stream tur
ns. This water doesmore twisting around than you can shake a stick at, and when we firstcame down we had to do a lot of exploring before we knew that it was allone stream, not half a dozen. The pilots helped with that job. Any otherway would have taken weeks, for the forest is so thick in most placesthat a man has to chop his way through. The site of our principalinvestigations is an island, really, and the bug-men seem to have foundmore specimens than they ever realized existed. I didn't think much ofthe job when I got it, but I'm as interested as all the rest in whatthey have accomplished," Howard went on pleasantly, and both boysthought he was splendid.
"We heard that it came here under another leader," Jim remarked.
"It did, and believe me, it won't be long before the present incumbentgets his walking papers. That's one thing the pilot is going to engineerin Jamaica, because Martin is a bad man. He thinks he knows everything,won't listen to anyone, and has caused more trouble in a few weeks thanwe've had in the two years we've been here," he told them.
"Too bad he's such a die-hard," said Jim.
"Now, here we are. Look ahead there, I'll go a bit slow. See thatscaffolding way up high?" He pointed to the right and the boys saw theframework above a thick roof of foliage, and even as they watched, couldsee a couple of men moving slowly along it and apparently examiningsomething with magnifying glasses.
"Are they getting specimens?" Jim asked.
"Yes. They have discovered that insect life exists in layers. The bugsthat live above that foliage screen are different from those below it,and in a place as high as that, there are sometimes several species inthe woods underneath."
"Expect they get some wonderful butterflies," said Bob, who had a finecollection of his own at home.
"Indeed they do. You can see them before you go. They have dozens ofcases, and have already sent crates of them to the museums all over theworld." They passed this first station, and then putting on more speedwent rushing swiftly over the water, which was dark green and very deep.The boys were intensely interested in this part of the trip, and whenthe men in the stations noticed the boat, they shouted to Howard andwaved greetings to the visitors.
"Do they mind being away off alone?" Jim asked.
"Reckon they get homesick sometimes, but there are radios, and that sortof thing in camp, and when the job is finished they will each get a goodvacation to make up for such a lot of hard work. Here we can go ashore."Howard ran the boat close to the land, made it fast to a sapling, andthen led the way to where several men were busy collecting, assortingand classifying the lower strata of insect life. They all nodded acheery greeting to the guests, showed them some of the exhibits, and theparaphernalia, and Bob was so interested that he wished he could spend amonth with those busy fellows.
"You will get a chance to read about what we have accomplished and thatwill be easier than staying here," one chap laughed.
"Gosh, a fellow would like to live half a dozen lives to take in all thegood things that are going on," said Bob.
"Great age we're living in, but even a bug can teach us no end."
"We are going all the way around, so we'd better start," Howard remindedthem, so with a sigh, Caldwell tore himself away, and presently thethree were back in the launch, chugging off from the shore and itsinteresting workers. They made two more stops before they reached thebranch stream, where the researchers were all stationed on highscaffolds.
"Their stuff went to camp yesterday, so you wouldn't see anythingdifferent," Howard told them and they chugged by. The branch was sonarrow and winding that it took all his skill to pilot his boat, and theboys were thrilled with the wonders all about them.
There were hundreds of great vines, heavy with fruit and flowers,enormous interlocking trees through which birds of brilliant plumageflashed swift as streaks. Some of them called hoarsely to the boatmen,while others, far back, paused in their flight to trill their own sweetmelodies. Hundreds of monkeys of all sizes chattered at them or swungfrom branches with inquisitive glances, and twice, impudent rascalsthrew pieces of wood defiantly after them. They saw a couple of littlefellows leaping along the shore evidently curious about the greatrollers the boat left behind it, but when one extra large wave sweptover the leader, he leaped to the nearest tree and scolded roundly.
"You were looking for it," Bob chuckled.
"Like to take one home?" Howard asked. "The boys have caught a few, butthey usually let them go."
"I'd rather leave them here where they belong," Bob answered. "I do notbelieve they would take to an airplane."
"Oh, you don't? That's where you are wrong. The pilot who went toJamaica found one stowed away in his bus when he first came down, andhe's been with him ever since. The little pest won't leave the machineas long as he has his aviation suit on."
"Tell us another."
"That one is true. When they get up where it's cold, he gets into thechap's pocket and pulls down the flap. That's a fact. There was a storyabout it in the papers and a picture of the pair of them in the plane,"Howard insisted.
"Reckon we'll have to believe it." Jim eyed a small monkey who wasclinging, frightened to his mother. "If it wasn't for your parents, I'dtake you along," he called, and as if the mother understood, she ranalong the branches until she was ahead of the boat, then stopped andscolded furiously. "It's all right, you needn't get so het up aboutit--I haven't taken him."
"He's admiring him, you flapper," Bob shouted. "You should be flatteredinstead of mad."
"Now we're on the last stretch," Howard announced as the boat turnedagain. "It's five miles by water to the village; three by airline."
"It was great of you to take us around," said Jim.
"Surely was," added Bob.
"Glad you liked it. We don't usually take parties over the route becausethey are not always careful, but I had what you American boys call ahunch that you would appreciate it and not do any damage. The site ofthe work isn't generally known because the professors did not want to bepestered with too many visitors, but a few have come. Some of thescientific publications have sent writers to get articles, but severalof the men working here send out that sort of stuff themselves, so onlyspecial men have been taken around the works," Howard explained.
"Sounds as if we are nearing the village," Jim remarked a bit later,because he heard voices quite distinctly.
"We are near, and not near. We couldn't get across here, but it's onlyabout a quarter of a mile if we could go through. It's a mile and a halfby the boat."
"Suppose they did not want to cut the place up too much."
"No. They have had to do a lot of that anyway," Howard answered. Theywere going through what appeared like a natural passage over which thegreat branches formed an arch, and through the openings, the boys caughtglimpses of numerous parrots, some plain green, almost the shade of thetrees in which they perched, while others were gaily colored with brightred and yellow, their long tails hanging gorgeous and graceful.
"I should not mind having one of them to take home to Mom," Bobremarked, "but she'd be displeased if I caught it and brought it away tolive the rest of its life in a cage. My mother doesn't like to seethings confined."
"On the Cross-Bar ranch all the pens and corrals have to be huge. Eventhe pigs have spacious quarters; so big they won't fatten. The foremanbuilt a small one where she doesn't notice it," Jim added with a grin.
"Doesn't she miss them?" Howard asked.
"He's managed so far to see that she doesn't," Bob replied, "but he'slucky that she keeps away from the pigs pretty much."
"I see--"
"O--o--" Just then a shrill scream came so clearly and sounded sostartling that the Flying Buddies sprang to their feet. "O--"
"Is something the matter?" Jim asked quietly.
"That sounds like a woman's scream," Bob added, and their faces paled asthe panic-stricken cry came again.
"It is a woman," Howard answered, and he opened up his engine, puttingon every ounce of power he dared, and bending low as the boat shot alongthe treachero
us waterway.