CHAPTER XXIV
THE HOME STRETCH
“Ready for a start,” ordered Dave.
It was under new and favorable circumstances that the young pilot of the_Comet_ spoke the words. The lonely island in the South Atlantic was nowa mere fading memory, the many leagues traversed by land and sea lost inthe past. The _Comet_ and the airship boys were stationed in a fieldnear to a little hostelry on the outskirts of Rio Janeiro.
It was rare good fortune, indeed, that the young adventurers hadhappened across Jabez Hull. Within twenty-four hours after discoveringthe shipwrecked mariner the _Comet_ was on her way due west, with a newpassenger.
The forge, tools and metal material once belonging to the wrecked_Flying Scud_ had come in most usefully. Dave knew enough of popularmechanics to utilize them practically. He declared the biplane as solidand perfect, after a careful overhauling and repairing, as when themachine had left the original starting place of the great internationalrace around the world.
The “treasure” of the eccentric Jabez Hull had been taken aboard. Itrepresented a keg sewn up in a coarse canvas jacket. Hiram was alivewith curiosity to know what possible material the package could containto equal in value the vaunted twenty thousand dollars. On that point,however, the castaway had insisted on preserving utter silence.
“I’m a man of my word,” he said, “and that is all there is about it.Land me anywhere on American territory and I will divide my riches.”
With this the airship boys were forced to be content. Room was made forthe precious keg by leaving behind on the island the greater part of theexigency equipment of the _Comet_. The young pilot felt that now allthey need fear was the giving out of the gasoline supply. There wasplenty of this aboard the wrecked ship, and they managed to find storagefor quite an extra supply of it.
It was a daring dash, this final one over leagues of open sea in theirfrail aircraft. Once begun, however, the airship boys were dauntless andtireless. Fine weather and favorable winds assisted them, and without asingle notable mishap they had reached the great Brazilian metropolis.
The young aviator was anxious to get to a telegraph office at once. Heleft Hiram and Elmer in charge of the _Comet_. Jabez Hull insisted onaccompanying him to the city.
“I want to get action on that keg of treasure,” he said. “I know severalshipping houses in Rio. I’ll be back here to the airship by noon.”
“Make it noon, sharp,” advised Dave, “for we cannot afford to lose asingle second in the race now.”
“I’ll be here on time, don’t you fret,” declared the castaway.
He and Dave parted when they reached the heart of the city. The youngairman was back with his friends before noon. He had gotten in touchwith Washington. What he learned made him more than anxious to resumethe flight.
“We are third, fellows, so far as heard from, I am sorry to say,” heannounced to his anxious comrades, and this put them in a great flutter.
“You don’t mean to say that any of the machines has reached goal?” criedHiram, his heart sinking to his boots.
“No,” replied our hero; “but number seven was reported at Parayesterday. This morning number two was at Cayenne. They are hundreds ofmiles nearer home than we are.”
“Then it’s a run day and night from this on,” insisted Hiram, bustlingabout excitedly.
“It will have to be, if we expect to make good,” said Dave. “Mr. Hullhas not returned yet?”
“Not a sign of him,” reported Elmer.
They were all busy for the next hour, getting things in shape for aspeedy and sustained flight on the home stretch. Dave glanced at hiswatch.
“It is after noon,” he observed. “I don’t see how we can afford to waitany longer for Mr. Hull.”
“Why, we simply mustn’t,” declared the impatient Hiram.
“Get ready for a start, then. Here, Elmer,” and Dave wrote a few lineson a card. “Take that to the hotel keeper and tell him to give it to Mr.Hull when he shows up.”
“What were you writing?” inquired Hiram, as Elmer darted away on hismission.
“Directions as to how he can wire us and where he can find us later,”replied our hero.
They waited ten minutes after the return of Elmer, but there were nosigns of the missing passenger of the _Comet_. The machine went aloft asif filled with the spirit that infused its crew. They were soon whizzingon their way north.
“Wonder what our queer shipwreck friend will say when he finds us gone?”inquired Hiram.
“He will understand the urgency of the situation, for I explained it inmy note,” said Dave. “He has some money with him, I know, and willdoubtless make for Washington at once.”
“I say,” broke in Elmer; “what do you fellows think about this boastedtreasure of his?”
“I, for one, don’t think anything about it at all,” responded Hiram,bluntly. “He’s either a dreamer or a skeesicks. His not coming back tous looks as if he had served his purpose in getting to safe territoryand has abandoned his old keg.”
“I’d like to know what it holds,” said Elmer.
“Well, it isn’t gold and it isn’t diamonds,” replied Hiram, rathercontemptuously. “I noticed in shifting it this morning that its canvasjacket was greasy at one place, just as if the keg was full of oil.”
“Never mind,” spoke Dave. “It will do for ballast till we reach home.Then, if Mr. Hull does not appear, we will have to open the keg and seewhat is in it.”
The _Comet_ made five hundred miles in three laps. Once only, atCaracas, did they have to stop for gasoline. It was early one morningwhen the _Comet_ came to a stop near Belize.
Dave as usual hurried to the nearest telegraph office, and soon had thewires busy. His anxious assistants greeted his return all in a quiverover expected news.
“What have you found out, Dave?” projected Hiram.
“Yes, we’re all on edge to know if there is a chance to get in first,”added Elmer.
“Number seven is two hundred miles ahead of us—just sighted at VeraCruz,” said the young airman. “No word has been received about numbertwo since our last report.”
“Oh, Dave,” cried Hiram, in a wild fever of longing and suspense, “we’vejust got to reach goal first!”
“We shall make a very hard try, at all events,” replied our hero,doughtily. “Get out the chart, Elmer. We must save every needless crookand turn from this on.”
The eager boys were soon inspecting the chart. Vera Cruz was two hundredmiles away. Number seven had over six hours’ lead, estimating thesituation on a full speed basis. The young air pilot did some intensecalculating. Then he drew his finger across the chart past New Orleans,across Louisiana, and on a line as the crow flies for Washington.
That day was one of the greatest stress for the airship boys. There wasno thought of sleep, and they cared little for food. Hiram chattered thegreater part of the time. Elmer was so anxious that he was restless andworried. Dave kept at the wheel, grim, determined and persevering.
They ran steadily all the next night. At a little town over the borderof Georgia they had to stop for gasoline. The storekeeper from whom theyobtained it gave them some information that spurred them up afresh.
“You’re the second in the last three hours,” he informed them.
“You mean the second airship?” inquired Hiram, eagerly.
“Just that. One flew over about daylight.”
“How headed? What did it look like? Where did it go?” In his hurry andeagerness Elmer stumbled over his words recklessly.
The man could not describe the airship, but enough was gathered from himin a general way to give the boys some idea of the course taken by theirpredecessor.
“It’s number seven, I have every reason to believe,” said Dave, whenthey started up again.
“Then it will be a close finish,” declared Hiram. “We’ve gained on her agood deal, you see.”
It was superb running
for several hours after that. The landscapebeneath them, now wild and desolate, seemed to spin along like a rapidpanorama. They were traversing an uphill and down dale course, whenHiram suddenly uttered a positive yell.
“Dave, Elmer,” he shouted—“look there!”
“It’s number seven, sure as you live!” echoed Elmer, excitedly.
“I think so, too,” agreed their pilot more quietly, but all his senseswere on the keenest alert.
Over beyond a high ridge all hands saw distinctly an airship. Itsoutline answered to the description of number seven. The way it sailedtold that it was an expert racer and under the control of a trueprofessional.
It was lost to view behind a tree-capped ridge. When the _Comet_ in itscourse has got past this obstruction, the airship had disappeared.
“It’s gone, but where?” called out Hiram.
“There it is,” suddenly cried Elmer.
About three miles ahead of them was a little settlement. This side of ita fenced-in farm showed. In the center of its barnyard the airship boyssaw the machine that had been sailing aloft a short time previous.
Apparently it had descended on account of some break or accident. Thereseemed to be no valid reason why it should land at a remote farmhouse.
“Why, there’s trouble,” exclaimed Hiram.
* * * * *
“There surely is,” said the young pilot of the _Comet_, and the trioviewed a somewhat startling spectacle.
The owner of the other airship stood near his biplane. Four mensurrounded him. Three of them were armed with guns, and they confrontedthe airman in a menacing way.