CHAPTER XIV
THE TRAMP MONOPLANE
Instantly Hiram leaped from the machine, Elmer following him. The womanhad waded to a rocky reef coming up out of the water. There she hadsunk, throwing her apron over her head and clasping her babe close toher breast.
She had not seen the airship. In fact, it was all the boys could do tokeep their eyes clear from smoke and cinders. Hiram ran straight outinto the water.
“Get up, lady, quick,” he cried, touching her arm. “We have come to getyou out of here.”
The woman shrieked in alarm, but dropped the covering from her face. Herbrain was reeling, it seemed, and her senses were benumbed by all thestrange happenings about her.
“Help me, Elmer,” directed Hiram, and together they drew her out of thewater and led her up to the biplane. She stared at it blankly.
“I—I don’t understand,” she said, and swayed in a lost manner, as if shewas about to swoon.
“Get her in, quick!” ordered Dave, with a glance ahead of them as a rainof sparks flew over and past the machine.
The woman was now almost passive in the hands of her helpers. They gother into the seat Elmer usually occupied, while he climbed over into thespace to its rear. Hiram got aboard. Then the _Comet_ shot up into theair.
The woman turned pale and shrank back. She clung to her little child andstared wildly about her.
“Don’t be afraid, lady,” spoke Hiram, soothingly. “It’s all right. Thereis no one else around here; is there?”
“Not a soul,” gasped the woman, faintly. “I was alone—all alone,” shecontinued in a dreary tone. “Oh, it was awful, awful! I feared I wouldnever see my husband again.”
“May I ask where he is?” pressed Hiram.
“He went to Doubleday to get some winter supplies,” explained the woman.“It takes three days. I hope he got there safely.”
The pilot of the _Comet_ and Elmer were able to hear all that was saidas their comrade patiently drew out her story. The burned cabin was theonly habitation in the wilderness district.
“How far away is this Doubleday?” inquired Hiram.
“It is about a hundred miles,” she explained; “nearly south of here.There’s a sort of trail to follow through the valleys, but I guess it’sall burned over.”
“Of course we will take the lady to Doubleday, Dave?” suggested Hiram.
“Yes, we must do that,” replied the young airman.
Twenty miles covered, the _Comet_ passed the extreme southern limit ofthe fire. There was a full moon, and as darkness came on Dave was ableto still keep track of the landscape.
It was not quite nine o’clock in the evening when some scattering landlights showed in the distance.
“That must be Doubleday,” spoke Hiram.
“I think it is,” said the woman. “I have been there only once or twicewith my husband. That little cluster of lights, I think, is the towntavern.”
It was in the center of a vacant square back of this rambling oldfrontier building, that Dave brought the _Comet_ to a halt. He leftHiram and Elmer with the machine. The woman took leave of them withgrateful tears in her eyes.
“I hope my husband has not started back for home,” she said,anxiously—“I hope he wasn’t caught in the fire.”
When they got around to the front of the inn, Dave inquired for her ofthe landlord as to her husband. Abel Lyme, she said, his name was. Thetavern keeper said he was stopping there, but was probably just then atthe general store. His wife was so anxious, she could not wait for hisreturn. The young airman wished to secure some supplies to make up forwhat they had been obliged to throw out of the _Comet_. Both went overto the store.
It took Dave half an hour to get through with his business, ordering thegoods he bought sent at once up to the tavern. It took him half an hourlonger to get rid of the husband of the woman they had rescued. Thegrateful fellow, poor as he was, paid hardly any attention to the lossof his home. He was so thankful that the lives of his wife and childwere saved, so overcome with admiration of the daring exploit of Daveand his comrades, that he overwhelmed the young aviator with offers ofreward clear down to his last dollar. On his return to the inn Davefound his faithful assistants guarding the biplane and waiting fororders.
“What’s the programme?” inquired Hiram briskly, but stretching himselfas if a good nap would not be unwelcome.
“It’s a fine night for traveling,” remarked the pilot of the _Comet_;“but it has been rather a hard day for us. Every hour counts, of course,but I think we may do all the better work for a little rest. Three orfour hours sleep will make us fresh for a non-stop moonlight run aboutmidnight.”
“That haymow over there strikes my fancy,” announced Elmer.
“All right,” replied our hero. “Take your turn. You, too, Hiram. I’llstay on guard duty till you spell me. I expect some supplies from thegeneral store here.”
“I reckon they’re coming now,” said Hiram. “I’ll stay and help you getthem aboard.”
A man with a loaded pushcart came into view from the front of thetavern. He was noticed by the landlord, who talked with him and thenkept up with him until they neared the two young aviators.
“Why,” exclaimed the tavern keeper, with a stare at the _Comet_, “cameback, did you?”
“Eh?” spoke Hiram—“came back from where?”
“S-st!” warned Dave, in an instant making a broad guess, at leastcanvassing a quick suspicion that came into his mind. Then he addressedthe landlord with the words: “We need some store supplies, and we’ll bevery much obliged if you will allow us to anchor here for a few hours.”
“Sure, sure,” answered the man readily. “This is an airship, really andtrue; isn’t it now?” and the speaker walked clear around the machine,inspecting it in open-mouthed wonder. “Well, well, what a contrivance.I’ve seen pictures of these affairs. That’s how I knew what it was whenyou flew over the town just after dusk.”
“H’m!” whispered Hiram, nudging his companion secretly. “I see.”
Dave “saw,” too. An airship had sailed over a few hours previous! As theyoung aviator well knew, it was not the _Comet_. Naturally, it might besome one of the other contestants in the great race around the world.Thinking of his enemies, however, Dave was wise enough to remain waryuntil he was sure of the identity of the machine referred to by theinn-keeper.
“Where’s the man that came here about an hour ago?” questioned thelandlord, looking over the young airmen and beyond them.
Dave gave his hand a vague swing westward and skywards.
“Yes,” nodded the man, “I saw you go that way. Landed on Lookout Hill,didn’t you? The man who came here to have his bottle filled said so. Heasked me if I had seen any other airships around here. There’s a goodmany of you for such a light little machine as that of yours.”
The young airman let the landlord do most of the talking, replyingevasively. Some others, attracted by curiosity, approached the spot. Itwas getting late, however, and nobody stayed long.
“Let’s see, where is Lookout Hill from here?” Dave asked carelessly ofthe man with the pushcart, after the inn-keeper had gone away.
“That’s it,” said the man, pointing. “Where some one’s got a campfire,it looks. See, right through the trees yonder, beyond the creek.”
“Oh, yes,” replied Dave. “Here’s a dollar for getting here so promptlywith those goods, and helping us.”
“Now then, Hiram,” said our hero, as the supplies were placed in thebiplane and they found themselves alone, “it is you and I for a councilof war.”
“I understand,” nodded his lively assistant—“you mean about the otherairship?”
“Just that. One arrived here to-night, as you know.”
“The landlord mistook our machine for the one he saw.”
“Yes, and spoke of a man who came here later from the machine thatpassed over the town,” added Dave. “That light the other fe
llow showedus is probably the campfire at the landing place of the airship. I amgoing to find out who is in charge of it, friend or foe.”
“Supposing it’s the pirate tramp we saw at Winnipeg?” propounded Hiram.
“Then we know our danger. They evidently are not aware that we are here.You stay on guard here. It can’t be more than two miles to thatcampfire. I will be back soon.”
“Going to spy on them?” suggested Hiram.
“Yes. I will be back and report just as soon as I find out who theseairmen are,” responded Dave.
He gave his comrade definite orders to arouse Elmer if anythingsuspicious occurred, and to give an alarm at the tavern if help wasnecessary. Then Dave started out on his lonely expedition.
Our hero knew nothing of the traversed route leading to Lookout Hill.Fortunately the fire glow in the distance continued.
Dave followed a regular road. A lateral path led in the direction of thehill. Arrived at its base, he made his way up one side.
“There is the campfire,” mused the young airman, as he passed through athicket on a level with the glow ahead of him. “Ah, just in time.”
Dave caught hold of a bush and took a downward swing. He saved himself agood hard fall, however, by clinging to the bush. The whole face of theplateau he found was full of treacherous pits. He proceeded slowly andcautiously now.
A fringe of bushes surrounded the spot where the campfire was. Davecrept to their edge. One glance with the radius of the dying glow of thefire showed him an interesting picture.
At one side stood a monoplane. Its dark color and a peculiar arrangementof the planes enabled our hero to recognize it at once.
“It is Hiram’s pirate tramp machine, sure enough,” reflected Dave, “andthe men.”
One of these was walking up and down in something of a rage, it seemed.Propped up against a tree trunk was a second man, clasping a bottle.This latter person was swaying as he sat. His eyes blinked. There was avacant expression to his face.
“It’s all right,” he was saying, in a maudlin state. “Want to sleep.”
“It’s all wrong, you mean!” raved the other man. “I want to tell you onething! I shan’t lose a chance of a thousand dollars to humor aworthless, irresponsible reprobate like you. I simply won’t stand it.”
“Then—he! he! sit down,” chuckled the other—“like I do.”
“I’m through with you,” cried his companion, in tones of positive fury,and shaking his fist at the other. “I’ll get the _Comet_ alone. Sleep,you loafer, and when you wake up find your way back to Winnipeg on footas best you can.”
The speaker seized the half-filled bottle and dashed it to pieces on thenearest rock.
“All right,” mumbled the sitter. “Get some more.”
“Bah, you wretch!” shouted his comrade, and he gave the swaying,helpless man a kick that sent him onto his side with a groan.
“I’ll make it alone,” Dave heard the man mutter.
The young aviator knew his bearings now. There was not the least doubtin the world that these two men were new emissaries of Wise through thevillain, Vernon. They had been hired to locate and destroy the _Comet_.