CHAPTER IV
PLANNING A FORTUNE HUNT
“Well, I feel better now,” remarked Bob with a sigh of satisfaction, ashe pushed back his chair from the table.
“You look better, too,” spoke Jerry, with a laugh. “You haven’t thatworn and hungry appearance you had a while ago, and I guess the rest ofus can have a little peace now.”
“Peace? What do you mean?” demanded the stout youth indignantly.
“I mean that you won’t continually be talking about something to eat.”
“I guess you were hungry, too,” went on Bob. “I notice that your plateis empty.”
“Here, you two quit scrapping,” advised Ned good-naturedly. “I guess wewere all hungry. It was the excitement over rescuing Noddy that causedit.”
“That’s right!” chimed in Andy Rush. “Whoop! That was excitingall right. Let’s go back and see if they’ve got the busted dammended--maybe there’s a lot of men drowned--maybe we can see whereNoddy’s boathouse went to pieces in the rapids--wow--some excitementall right--I’m going--come on, fellows!”
“No, we’ve got business on hand,” answered Ned, a bit soberly. “Butdon’t let us keep you, Andy.”
“All right, I’m going--I like excitement--maybe they’ll let me helpmend the dam,” and taking Ned’s words as a sort of gentle hint, theexcitable little lad arose from the table and was soon hurrying downthe street.
“I guess they’ll keep him away from the dam if they know what’s goodfor it,” remarked Jerry, as he watched Andy hurrying away. “He mighttalk so much that he’d put another hole in it. But what business didyou mean, Ned?” and he looked across at his chum.
“The radium business, of course,” returned Ned promptly. “You fellowsdon’t mean to say you’re going to let a chance like this slip!”
“What!” cried Bob, “do you intend to go after it, Ned?”
“Well, I’m willing, if you and Jerry are, and if the professor wouldlike to go along----”
“Go where?” asked Uriah Snodgrass, looking up from a scientific book hehad started to read as soon as the meal was over. “Where do you want meto go?”
“After the radium on Snake Island,” put in Jerry. “Ned thinks we canget it, but I don’t know that it’s possible, after what you have toldus about how hard it is to get down into the Grand Canyon.”
“It _is_ hard,” said the professor seriously. “I haven’t in the leastmade up my mind to go on the expedition, but whoever does go, oughtnot to risk going in a boat, as the other scientists did. It is almostcertain death. I really don’t know how one could make the descent intothe canyon. The island, as I understand it, is in the middle of theriver, near a place where there are dangerous rapids and whirlpools.The cliffs on either bank of the stream are impossible to scale.
“Of course at certain points it is possible to make a descent into thatgreat canyon. I remember reading an article on it and it stated thatthere were several trails that could be used, Bright Angel Trail isone, and then there are Bass’s, Boucher’s, Berry’s and the Red CanyonTrail. Berry’s is near Grand View, as it’s called, and Snake Islandlies somewhere between that point and Bright Angel Trail. Oh, a boat isout of the question, I think.”
“Then what’s the matter with our airship?” asked Ned quickly.
“That’s it!” cried Bob eagerly. “Why didn’t we think of that before?We’ll go in the airship, fellows, and get that radium! It will bejust the thing! Here it is almost vacation time, school will close ina couple of weeks, and that will be our summer outing--to go after theradium fortune in our airship.”
“You forget that the airship is in Denver,” put in Jerry. “You know weloaned it to Mr. Glassford to give an exhibition at the internationalaero meet, and in his last letter he said he has won several prizeswith it.”
“But the meet is over; isn’t it?” asked Ned, who seemed unusuallyexcited over the prospective trip.
“Yes, and I suppose Mr. Glassford will soon be sending our motorshipback,” admitted Jerry. “But----”
“Oh, don’t go to finding a lot of objections,” broke in Bob. “What’sthe matter with leaving the airship out in Denver?”
“And walk out there to use it?” inquired the tall lad sarcastically.
“No, motor out there. Our auto will soon be out of the repair shop, andwe could have a fine time going West in it. Say, things couldn’t happenbetter; could they, Professor?” and Bob began pacing up and down theroom.
“What has happened?” asked the scientist suddenly, for he had againbecome absorbed in his book, and had paid no attention to the talk ofthe boys. “Is anything the matter?”
“We’re still talking radium,” explained Ned. “Trying to get Jerryenthused enough to go to Snake Island.”
“Oh, I’ll go if the rest of you do,” agreed the widow’s son. “Only itdoesn’t sound feasible. Our airship isn’t at hand, the motor is laid upfor repairs, and----”
“But we have the motor boat,” broke in Ned. “We can use that.”
“On dry land!” laughed Jerry. “Say, you fellows have greatideas--great!”
“Give us some of yours then,” suggested Bob.
“Well, my notion is----”
“I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” fairly yelled Professor Snodgrass, leapingfrom his chair, and holding the book above his head. “I’ve got it!”
“What is it this time?” asked Jerry. “A pink-eyed toad or a blue-nosedgrasshopper?” for the scientist was continually on the lookout forstrange and rare insects or reptiles.
“Neither one,” answered Mr. Snodgrass, “but I have just found, in thisbook, an article telling about a strange double-tailed toad, very rare,which is said to be a native of New Mexico. It is a species of thehorned toad, but very different. For years I have been investigating,trying to get on the trail of this sort of toad, and now, mostunexpectedly, I come upon a clew. Boys, this has indeed been afortunate day for me. I shall start right away for New Mexico. I musttelegraph the college president at once that I can get a most valuablespecimen to add to our collection. Oh, this is indeed fortunate!”
The professor was rapidly making notes from the article in the book.The boys looked at one another. Then Ned spoke.
“Fellows,” he said, “this just fits in. New Mexico is on the way to theGrand Canyon--or at least it won’t be much out of our way to go there.We can have a try for the radium fortune and at the same time theprofessor can look for his tailless toad. How about it?”
“Two-tailed toad! Two-tailed!” cried the little scientist. “Don’tmake that mistake, Ned. But I think that will be a good plan. I wasundecided about it before, but, since you are going, I will go withyou, and I’ll do all I can to help you get to Snake Island.”
“And we’ll help hunt the two-tailed toad,” added Bob. “Now, how aboutyou, Jerry?”
“Oh, I’m game. I’ll go along, but we’ve got to straighten out about ourauto and motorship. First we’ll write to Mr. Glassford, asking him tohold the _Comet_ in Denver for us. Then we must hurry the repairs onthe auto.”
Mr. Glassford, as my old readers probably remember, was the man whofirst helped our heroes to construct their motorship. He had recentlyborrowed their latest and largest craft for exhibition purposes.
“Well, get busy,” advised Ned. “Here is some paper. Take my fountainpen and write some letters. It’s decided then; we’ll have a try for theradium, and we’ve got to get a move on to get ready.”
“Here comes the postman,” spoke Bob. “I’ll get the mail, Ned.”
The stout lad came back with several letters. One was for Ned Slade. Hequickly tore it open, and, as he read it he gave a startled cry.
“What’s the matter--bad news?” asked Jerry.
“Sort of that way,” replied his chum. “This letter is from the man whowas repairing our auto. He says he discovered a flaw in the back axle,and, in order to have a new one properly fitted in he sent the car toPittsburg, where there is a firm that makes a specialty of su
ch things.Our auto is in Pittsburg!”
“Then it’s all up with using it on the trip west!” exclaimed Jerry.“We’ll have to go by train I guess.”
“No we won’t!” cried Bob eagerly. “Fellows, I’ve got a plan.”