CHAPTER V.
DHONDARAM'S EXCUSE.
What might have happened to Matt had not the canvasmen arrived while hewas pluckily facing and prodding Rajah, it is hard to say. Certainlythe young motorist's brave stand held the elephant at bay and saved thea?roplane. Before Rajah could make up his mind to strike Matt down andtrample over him to the _Comet_, the frenzied brute was assailed on allsides and, under the angry direction of Boss Burton, was beaten into astate of sullen obedience.
"Where's that confounded Hindoo?" roared Burton, as two of the otherelephants hauled Rajah off toward the animal tent.
McGlory, in his shirt sleeves, pushed through the crowd and up to thea?roplane in time to hear the question.
"Dhondaram is up there in the calliope tent," said the cowboy;"leastways he was a while ago. When Ping and I dropped into the lean-toto change our togs, the Hindoo was stretched on the floor, groaninglike a man who was having a fit. He didn't seem to be so terribly badoff, in spite of the way he was taking on, and I didn't have much timeto strip off my puncher clothes and get back here. Just as I got intomy regular make-up, and before I could take another look at Dhondaram,a fellow ran by and yelled that Rajah was runnin' wild again andheadin' for the _Comet_. That was enough for me, and I hustled hotfoot for here. I saw you, pard," and here the cowboy turned to Matt,"standing off that big brute with a tent stake. Speak to me about that!Say, I'm a Piegan if I ever thought you'd get out of that mix with yourscalp."
"It was a fool thing you did, King," growled Burton, very much workedup over the way events had fallen out. "You had about one chance in ahundred of getting out alive. What did you do it for?"
"There wasn't any other chance of saving the _Comet_," answered Matt,a bit shaken himself now that it was all over and he realized how closea call he had had.
"Your life, I suppose, isn't worth anything in comparison with thevalue of this a?roplane," scoffed Burton.
"That sort of talk is foolish, Burton," said Matt. "I remembered whatDhondaram had said about not being a coward around Rajah, so I jumpedin and got between the elephant and the machine. But there's no usetalking now. The a?roplane has been saved, and there's nothing much thematter with me."
"There _is_ some use of talking," snapped Burton. "Here comesDhondaram, with Ping. Now we can find out how Rajah got away. Dhondaramhas starred himself--I don't think. If that's the best he can do, onhis first try-out, I might as well give him the sack right here."
The Hindoo and the Chinese boy were coming through the excited crowdtoward the a?roplane. Dhondaram staggered as he walked, and there was awild look in his face.
"What's the matter with you, Dhondaram?" demanded Burton sharply, asthe eyes of the little group near the _Comet_ turned curiously on theHindoo.
"I was sick, sahib," mumbled the brown man, laying both hands on thepit of his stomach and rolling his eyes upward.
"Sick?" echoed Burton incredulously. "It must have come on you mightysudden."
"It did, sahib. I came in from the parade, then all at once I couldnot see and grew weak--_jee_, yes, so weak I could not stay on Rajah'sback, but fell to the ground and lay there for a moment, not knowingone thing. When I came to myself I was in a tent, and the _feringhi_sahib,"--he pointed to McGlory--"and the Chinaman sahib were gettingclear of their clothes. When I get enough strength, I come here. _Suchbhat_, sahib. What I say is true."
"You had Rajah properly tamed," went on Burton; "I never saw him actbetter in the parade than he did this morning. What caused him to makesuch a dead set at this flying machine the moment you dropped off hisback?"
"Who can say, sahib?" asked Dhondaram humbly. "He not like the machine,it may be. Has he a cause to dislike the bird-wagon? The elephant,Burton Sahib, never forgets. A hundred years is to him as a day when itcomes to remembering."
One of the canvasmen stepped up and asserted that he had seen Dhondaramdrop off Rajah's back and then get up and reel away. Thereupon thecanvasman, expecting trouble, called for some of the other animaltrainers, and they picked up the first things they could lay hands onand started after the charging elephant.
This was corroborative of the Hindoo's story, as was also the statementmade by McGlory.
"Are you subject to attacks like that?" queried Burton, with adistrustful look at the new _mahout_.
"Not at all, sahib," replied the Hindoo glibly. "It was the firststroke of the kind I have ever suffered. By Krishna, I hope and believeit will be the last."
"Well," remarked Burton grimly, "if you ever have another, you'll becut out of this aggregation of the world's wonders. Now hike for themenagerie and do your best to curry Rajah down again."
Without a word Dhondaram wheeled and vanished into the crowd. McGloryturned, caught Matt's arm, and pulled him off to one side.
"What's your notion about this, pard?" he asked.
"I haven't any," said Matt. "It's something to think over, Joe, and notform any snap judgments."
The cowboy scowled.
"These Hindoos are all of the same breed, I reckon," he muttered, "andyou know what sort of fellows Ben Ali and Aurung Zeeb turned out to be."
Matt nodded thoughtfully.
"I don't believe one of the turban-tops is to be depended on,"proceeded McGlory. "They're all underhand and sly, and not one of 'em,as I size it up, but would stand up a stage or snake a game of faro ifhe got the chance."
"There you go with your snap judgment," laughed Matt.
"It's right off the reel, anyhow," continued McGlory earnestly. "ThatRajah critter was as meek as pie all through the parade. It don't seemreasonable that he'd take such a dead set at the _Comet_ all at once.And, as for Dhondaram getting an attack of cramps, he stood about asmuch chance of that as of bein' struck by lightning."
Matt was silent.
"Blamed queer," continued McGlory, "that Ben Ali and Aurung Zeeb shoulddrop out, and then, two days after, this other Hindoo should show up.For a happenchance, pard, it's too far-fetched. There's somethingrotten about it."
"What had Dhondaram got against the _Comet_?" asked Matt.
"I pass that."
"You're hinting, in a pretty broad way, Joe, that the new _mahout_deliberately set Rajah on to smash the a?roplane."
"Then I won't hint, pard, but will come out flat-footed. That's justwhat I think he did."
"Why?"
"You've got to have a reason for everything? Well, I haven't any reasonfor that, but I think it, all the same."
"Ping!" called Matt.
The Chinese boy was standing by the front of the a?roplane, pattingthe forward rudders affectionately, looking at the machine with a fondeye, and apparently exulting over the fact that it had been saved fromdestruction.
At Matt's call, the boy whirled around and ran toward his two friends.
"Whatee want, Motol Matt?" he asked.
"You came here with the Hindoo," said Matt. "How was that?"
"My follow Hindoo flom tent. Him no gettee sick. My savvy. When McGlolymakee lun flom tent, Hindoo jump to feet chop-chop, feel plenty fine.Him makee play 'possum. Whoosh! When him come, my come, too."
"Talk about that!" exclaimed McGlory. "Worse, and more of it. There's ahen on of some kind, pard."
"Ping," proceeded Matt, "I've got a job for you."
"Bully!" cried the Chinaman delightedly.
"What I want you to do," said Matt, "is to watch Dhondaram. Don't lethim see you at it, mind, but just dodge around, keep tab on him, anddon't let him suspect what you're doing."
"Hoop-ala!" said Ping, delighted at having such a piece of work comehis way.
"Think you can attend to that?"
"Can do! You bettee. My heap smarter than Hindoo. You watchee, find umout."
"All right, then. Away with you."
Ping darted off toward the animal tent. At that moment Burton hurriedup.
"Better get busy and make your ascent, Matt," said Burton. "The crowd'sall worked up about that elephant business, and the quickest way to getthe people's minds o
ff it is by giving them something else to watch andtalk about."
"I'll start at once," replied Matt, taking his seat in his accustomedplace on the lower plane. "Let her flicker, Joe."
The king of the motor boys "turned over" the engine, switched the powerinto the bicycle wheels, and the _Comet_, pushed by McGlory and half adozen canvasmen, raced along the hard ground for a running start.