Suddenly Bess saw her cousin’s finger. “George, whatever did you do to yourself?”
“A snake bit me,” George replied, and she told them about her painful encounter.
Jan took a protective plastic finger from her first-aid kit and gave it to George to wear over her thumb. Then she said, “Now tell us about your search for Old Joe’s treasure. Any luck?”
“Yes and no,” Nancy responded.
She told Bess and Jan about the pyramid of rocks—a possible hiding place for the valuable wallet.
“It certainly sounds like a good guess,” Bess remarked.
Knowing Jan was knowledgeable about wood-lore, Nancy asked her if the pyramid might have been used for something else—perhaps to ward off some superstitious fear.
Jan shrugged. “Possibly. Or maybe someone erected it as an art object. It must have been pretty with the stream splashing around the pyramid.”
“It was,” George replied, then asked, “Jan, do you think it could have been a marker for fishermen?”
“Could be,” Jan replied. “But I doubt that anyone would place one way out there in this wilderness.”
Jan said she felt Nancy’s guess was a likely one. “You should tell Old Joe soon.”
Then Nancy described how she climbed the tree and learned that the flying saucer was gone.
“Did you hear it take off?”
“No.”
“Feel any wind?”
“No.”
“See any lights?”
“No.”
“It’s gone,” Nancy said sadly. “I wonder if it will ever come back.”
“Let’s hope so,” Bess said and gave Nancy a hug.
When Ned and Dave returned a short time later, Trixie was with them. She jumped around, delighted to see the campers.
Nancy asked what had happened at the naturalist’s cabin. To her dismay she learned that the interior was almost wrecked.
“Old Joe found footprints of a bear that got in somehow,” Dave reported. “Evidently Trixie couldn’t scare him away. The bear ate most of the food he found. Besides that, he emptied the contents of a jar of honey and another of maple syrup.
“He made a shambles of the place,” Dave went on. “We helped Old Joe fix things up as best we could. We left him repairing the cabin door which the bear apparently broke down. He must have been hungry.”
Nancy and George related their adventures. When Nancy finished, she said, “I’ll write a note to Old Joe about the pyramid of rocks and have Trixie deliver it. That might make him feel better.”
Hastily she wrote down what the girls had discovered, then tied the note to a small piece of rope which she secured around the dog’s neck.
“Take this right to Old Joe,” Nancy instructed the animal. “It’s very important.” Trixie understood and hurried off.
Without warning a brisk wind sprang up, and it started to rain. The campers put on their rain gear, wishing that the tents were with them and not with the missing packhorses.
“This is more than a rainfall,” Bess remarked presently. “It’s a deluge.”
“A black deluge!” Dave added.
The campers huddled together under a maple tree as heavy drops of rain pelted through the spreading branches.
“I’m really beginning to worry about Hal and Burt,” Jan remarked. “They’re long overdue. And this weather won’t help them any.”
“Probably it’s too dark for them to proceed,” Nancy suggested.
“I hope they’ve found the horses,” Bess remarked. “Then at least they could have something to eat and drink from the packs.”
The conversation was interrupted when the forest suddenly lit up with a strange, bright glow.
“Maybe the flying saucer is coming back!” Nancy exclaimed. “Oh, I hope so!”
Ned offered to shinny up a tree to find out. Before he reached the top, however, the mysterious light was gone. Once again it was pitch dark. Gingerly he climbed down.
“This is positively spooky,” Bess said.
Nancy stated firmly that she was not going to miss another chance to see the flying saucer.
“Ned,” she asked, “are you game to go down to Dismal Swamp with me?”
“Sure,” he replied. “Let’s take two lantern searchlights with us.”
Jan begged the couple not to walk. “You should ride, and take some candy in case you get hungry.” Quickly she took two chocolate nut bars from her pack. “I almost forgot I had these,” she said.
Nancy put a poncho over her rain gear while Ned took one out of his backpack. They swung the saddlebags across the animals’ flanks, then put on the saddles and vaulted into them, covering the saddles as best they could with their ponchos.
“Keep close,” Ned advised Nancy and nudged his horse to start off.
Nancy pulled her rain hood snugly forward and followed him. If only the rain would stop, she thought, we could make better time.
But it continued to beat hard, creating slippery craters of mud through the unbroken forest. When the riders reached a small clearing Goalpost picked up speed. He kicked up mud, splashing Susan B’s forelegs and causing Nancy to rein in sharply. The mare, however, did not obey. She dug her hooves faster through the wet grass, sinking, then skidding and almost throwing Nancy out of the saddle.
“Whoa, Susan B!” the girl detective ordered. “Whoa!”
Ned heard Nancy’s frantic cries. Instantly he swung Goalpost in her direction. The horse whinnied and stumbled toward Susan B. By now the mare was reluctantly under Nancy’s control.
“Are you all right?” Ned shouted to Nancy.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied, though still a bit shaken. “Let’s go on.”
As the couple started out again, a slight mist began to rise. Oh, no, Nancy thought. We don’t need this. I must see the mystery spaceship.
It was only a short time later that she and Ned, shining their lantern searchlights ahead, picked up the dim outline of the flying saucer. It was resting in the center of the swamp in complete blackness.
“It really smells as horrible here as Old Joe said,” Ned remarked. “Do you want to stay?”
“I sure do,” Nancy replied. “Let’s go the rest of the way on foot. We can leave the horses tied to trees up here.”
By now the rain had almost stopped, although it continued to drip steadily from the trees. The ground in Dismal Swamp was spongy but passable. What almost stopped them, though, was the rank, gaseous odor. They wondered: How much of it was from the swamp and how much emanated from the flying saucer?
The craft itself was completely silent. Nancy whispered, “If any creatures are aboard, they’re either asleep or keeping quiet to avoid detection.”
Ned agreed. “And we’d better watch our step so we don’t run into any surprises.”
He and Nancy sloshed through the swamp, shining their powerful searchlights on the mysterious craft. They walked around it, but saw no windows or doors.
“How does anybody get in or out of this saucer?” Ned asked. “It seems to be sealed up tight.”
Nancy suggested that perhaps no one was aboard. “The craft may be operated by remote control,” she said.
“Just the same,” Ned remarked, “I’d like to go inside. Who knows what we’d find—maybe someone dead!”
Nancy was as curious as her companion to find out. “Let’s pound on the hull,” she said. “Maybe we’ll get a response.”
10
Space Trip
The rain had started to fall again and within seconds was coming down in torrents. Nancy and Ned, however, paid little attention to the deluge as they pounded on the flying saucer. Though they knocked until their knuckles were sore, no response came from the interior of the mysterious craft.
Finally Ned remarked, “Maybe we ought to try communicating by mathematical signals. Suppose I try a few that I’ve learned in my courses.”
He took a key from his pocket and tapped it against the spaceship. First he in
dicated a simple triangle. There was no response. Next he tried a more complicated geometric formula. Again there was no answer.
Nancy was astounded that although the hull seemed to be made of metal, Ned’s tapping made no metallic sound.
That’s strange, she thought, and mentioned it to Ned.
“You’re right,” he agreed. “This ship has some kind of soundproof shell. Even if there’s an intelligent being inside, it probably cannot hear my signals.”
Wondering what the ship was made of, Ned tried to scrape the surface with his key. He was unable to chip off anything.
“This is incredible!” he exclaimed. “I’d like to know what kind of outer material this is. Possibly some substance from a distant planet.”
He sighed, regretting he had not brought chemicals and testing equipment with him.
“Even if we could get in touch with some scientists nearby, they might not be able to reach here before the saucer takes off again.”
He and Nancy speculated on the spaceship’s source of energy.
“Whether it’s programmed or remote-controlled,” she remarked, “I’m inclined to think the ship is solar-powered. Perhaps the reason it’s stuck here in the swamp is that we’ve had so much cloudy and rainy weather. The saucer may not have stored up enough solar energy to lift itself off the ground and back up into the air.”
Ned said he wondered if the swamp itself exuded special gas that gave the ship buoyancy. “It smells bad enough around here to launch anything.” He grinned. “I hope you and I don’t suddenly take off!”
She laughed. “In this mud? No chance.”
Suddenly aware that they were standing in a deep quagmire of mud and water, Ned asked Nancy if she were ready to go back to camp.
“Are you kidding?” she replied. “I want to see what happens! Whoever or whatever controls the ship may decide to leave suddenly.”
“In that case,” Ned said, “why don’t we get those chocolate nut bars out of our saddlebags?”
“Good idea,” Nancy agreed.
First, they retethered the animals so they could reach down to nibble on grass and roots, and even sleep until the couple was ready to leave. They removed their rations from the saddlebags and returned to the flying saucer where they ate the chocolate bars.
“Amazing how satisfying one large piece of candy can be,” Nancy commented, leaning against the ship. She yawned.
“I feel better too,” Ned remarked sleepily.
Suddenly Nancy felt the spaceship vibrate. She was startled and noticed a side door opening slowly. A mechanical hand reached outside and beckoned her and Ned to come aboard.
“Shall we go?” she whispered to him.
He did not reply. To her surprise, he walked, as if dazed, toward the doorway. She followed.
When they reached the spaceship, the mechanical hand helped them step inside, then retracted. The door slammed shut.
The interior of the craft was brightly illuminated but not by lights that the couple could see and there was no sign of anyone—human or humanoid.
The walls were lined with flashing lights and many kinds of buttons, gadgets, and tools. Some of them Nancy recognized as hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches; others were totally unfamiliar to her.
She tried to ask Ned what some of the unusual ones were. To her utter astonishment, no sound came from her throat.
We must be in a void, she surmised, but we’re not having any trouble breathing. How strange!
More baffling was the fact that all her rain gear was gone. Ned’s was missing also. What had happened to it?
Did it evaporate? she asked herself, completely puzzled.
A feeling of fear crept over the young detective. Was she locked in the flying saucer? Were she and Ned about to be kidnapped by unseen space beings and taken away from the earth forever?
Ned, less frightened, began to examine the odd gadgets. None was labeled to give a clue to its use. Curious, he pushed a button on one wall. Sparks flew toward both him and Nancy, slightly scorching the backs of their hands.
Ouch! Nancy cried out, but again she made no audible sound.
The flying saucer vibrated convulsively and lifted from Dismal Swamp. Instantly it turned into a glass cage, climbing higher and higher at a terrific speed. Within seconds it soared above the mountaintop and spun into space.
Although the flying saucer twirled rapidly as it flew, Nancy and Ned managed to stand with ease. Strangely, they forgot their fears. Both of them tried to figure out what had caused the ship suddenly to become transparent. As they gazed outside, the misty sky changed to clear dark blue.
I’m—I’m getting dizzy, Nancy said, reaching for Ned’s hand.
Of course, he did not hear her, and she noticed that his eyes were closing. He too was becoming dizzy. Was it from the height or the speed? In a moment he lost his balance.
Poor Ned! Nancy thought. I—I hope—
Both of them toppled onto the deck. As they fell, the flying saucer swirled jerkily. They realized that it was descending. Where was it about to land?
Nancy and Ned tried to stay awake and to get up and look outside to see what was happening. Their efforts were in vain. They could not move. Within seconds both of them blacked out!
11
Human Birds
Nancy and Ned had no way of knowing how long they were blacked out. When they became conscious, they were no longer in the flying saucer.
Instead, Nancy and Ned were lying on luscious green grass. The cloudless sky above them was a beautiful blue and the sun was shining.
The spaceship was not in sight. Where did it go? Nancy asked herself, feeling a chill sweep over her.
She realized it was very cold where they were. Nancy turned on her side to speak to Ned.
Where do you think we are? she asked him. To her utter dismay she knew that still no sound came from her throat.
Ned sat up and looked at Nancy. He asked with concern, Are you all right?
The identical phenomenon had happened to him. He was uttering a thought but not out loud. Suddenly Nancy became aware of what Ned was thinking. The two of them were communicating by thought waves!
This is fantastic! Nancy decided.
The couple stood up and gazed around. Again Nancy asked silently: Where do you think we are, Ned?
He shrugged and replied, Maybe we’re somewhere on earth or marooned on another planet. My guess is we’re out in space.
For a few moments she and Ned were terrified. They had enjoyed their lives on earth so much that they were not ready to say good-bye to parents, relatives, and friends. Nancy chided herself for being so eager to solve the mystery of the flying saucer in the first place.
Ned thought-waved to her: Don’t panic! It may be nice here.
Alone and not knowing what else to do, the couple walked around, trying to warm up. The ground was spongy, and for the first time Nancy and Ned looked fully at each other. They were no longer wearing their own clothes!
Both of them had on tight-fitting military-type pants and coats in a silver color, with a matching helmet that fit snugly. There were no buttons or zippers.
How does one get into and out of these clothes? Nancy wondered.
Ned did not speak, but he smiled broadly. Nancy could not hear him laugh, but understood what he was thinking.
This is weird! he was saying to her silently.
There was nothing in sight. No buildings, no trees, just a rubberlike expanse of green grass.
Nancy thought-waved to Ned: If we’re not in heaven, but on some other planet, do you think the flying saucer will come back, pick us up, and take us home to earth?
Ned shrugged. I’m freezing in this silly costume, he responded. I feel like a person acting a part in some play, like Earth Man Lost in Space.
Nancy smiled. I do too, she told him.
The eerie silence had been nerve-racking. By chance the couple happened to look up at the sky. Not far above them a huge bird was flying. It looked like
a combination eagle and airplane. As it passed overhead, the bird dipped its wings as if signaling to the couple below, then turned and repeated the gesture.
Was that a message for us? Nancy wondered, glancing at Ned.
At the same time she looked down at her feet. To her amazement the military-type silver pants ended in footgear that looked like bird’s claws.
I can’t believe it! Bird’s feet! She was puzzled by the whole thing.
Ned grinned. Maybe we’ve become birds! Human birds! You look pretty nifty at that, he told Nancy.
Are we supposed to fly? she responded, still amazed.
Automatically she pictured Ned as a bird and looked at the back of his broad shoulders. There were two retracted wings!
We are supposed to fly! she thought-waved to him. That’s what the bird was trying to tell us.
She pulled out the wings. They opened wide and in a few moments Ned was ready to fly.
Here I go! he announced.
Wait! Nancy pleaded. Don’t leave me here alone. She felt her own back, found a pair of wings like Ned’s, and asked him to pull hers out.
Nancy’s wings spread apart too. She wondered what she should do next in order to fly.
Ned solved the problem by indicating that she should run her fingers through the ends of the wings and hold on. He helped her do this, then put his own fingers to his feathery gear.
Ready! Set! Go! he signaled.
The couple ran as fast as they could over the uneven ground stumbling several times, then began to pump their arms. Within seconds they were airborne! Nancy loved her newfound freedom, as she and Ned soared over the landscape.
Isn’t this fun! she thought-waved to Ned who flew alongside her.
He replied, I wonder if I’d ever want to be an earthling again. Maybe it would be better to fly than to walk.
It dawned on Nancy that the two of them were moving at an incredible speed. She expected her arms to tire, but they had no feeling in them.
She pumped her wings a little harder and gathered speed. Strange! She did not feel wind rushing across her face. There was no sensation of any kind.
This is really contrary to everything I learned in science, she thought. Ned nodded that he, too, was puzzled.