CHAPTER XXIX
THE FIGHT
Silently the little band--the rescuers and the rescued ones--filed pastthe temple. They had to cross in front of it to take the path whichled to where the airship was anchored, but they thought there would belittle danger, on account of the important ceremonies going on.
"You take the lead, Jerry," advised Jim Nestor in a low voice. "I'llguard the rear. Have your guns handy. No telling what may happen, butit looks as if we were going to make a quiet getaway."
Alas for their hopes! They were at the temple entrance now, when theresuddenly emerged one of the medicine men. He was the same one who hadbeen given the lizard to destroy.
For a moment the Indian, after reaching the door, stared about him. Hewas evidently searching for the reptile he had carelessly laid down.Possibly he had been reproved for his hasty action, in throwing thereptile away, and been sent back to finish the work. But the flyinglizard was not to be seen, and good reason, for, at that moment it wasin the professor's green box.
The medicine man, not seeing it, stepped from the threshold of thecouncil house. His eyes roved over the ground, that was illuminated bydistant blazes, which were brighter, now that the rain had somewhatceased. Then the Indian looked up, and caught sight of the figuresmoving past the temple. At first he must have taken them for some ofhis fellows, but at that moment the lizard which the professor hadplaced alive in his specimen box, uttered a sort of curious squeak.There was no mistaking it, and the medicine man's sharp ears told himfrom whence the sound came. He must have suspected something, for,though the captives, like the rescuers, were dressed in skin disguises,the Indian sprang at them, and caught hold of one--a woman.
Instantly there was confusion. The Indian set up a yell which at oncestopped the weird chant inside the temple. Then the lone medicine manbegan to drag the escaping woman toward the big building. Jerry and Neddrew their revolvers.
"We've got to fight!" exclaimed the tall lad.
The Indian was dragging the woman from the restraining grasp of hercompanions. Jim Nestor stepped up to him.
"That will be about all from you!" exclaimed the miner. His fist shotout, and the Indian dropped like a log. Nor did he shout any longer.He had been knocked unconscious. "That's better than using a gun,"explained Nestor. "Now scoot for it--everybody!"
They needed no urging. The pursuit would begin any moment. Alreadyseveral of the Indians were running from the temple in response tothe call from the medicine man, and the ceremonies had evidently beenbrought to an abrupt end.
"Come on!" cried Jerry. "I only hope we can stand them off until wereach the airship. Are all your friends here, Mr. Deering?"
"All that are left of us," was the sad reply.
The captives and their rescuers hastened on. By good luck they were nowbeyond the gleams cast by the nearest fires and the crowd of Indiansthat poured from the temple could not at first discover the reasonfor the imperative summons given by their medicine man. But they soonlearned the cause, for the prostrate one, recovering from Nestor'sblow, excitedly told what had happened, that their prisoners wereescaping. There was a rush of feet and voices called one to the other.Then came a gleam as of torches being torn from their places in thetemple.
"Here they come!" exclaimed Ned, grimly.
"Do the best you can," advised Jerry.
The three women of the party were placed in the middle, with the mengrouped around them. Jerry and Ned were in the lead, while Nestor,with Professor Snodgrass, and one of the younger men of the prisoners,brought up the rear.
Suddenly there was a hissing sound in the air, and something seemed tofly over the heads of the escaping ones.
"Arrows!" exclaimed Mr. Deering. "They are shooting arrows at us. Fewof the Indians have guns, but those few may use them."
His fear proved correct a little later, when the darkness of the nightwas cut by slivers of flame, and bullets sang over the heads of ourfriends, and those they were trying to save.
"If they don't shoot any better than that we have little to fear," saidJerry.
"Wow!" exclaimed Ned, ducking as something sang over his head. "Thatwas closer. I'm going to fire, Jerry!"
As he spoke he leveled his revolver at the black mass of pursuingIndians, and fired. Jerry did the same. It was the only thing to doto save their lives and protect the prisoners. Jim Nestor now openedfire, and the professor, anxious to protect the flying lizard he hadso unexpectedly secured, plucked up courage to use the extra revolver,which the miner had thrust into his hand. Jerry, Ned and Nestor eachhad two, fully loaded.
The fight was now on in earnest, the Indians battling desperately,for they wanted to keep their prisoners, punish those who had daredinterrupt the sacred rites, and they wanted to secure the flyinglizard. With howls and yells they came on, now sending a flight ofarrows and again using their guns. Fortunately none of our friends werehurt, but occasional cries of pain from the Indians told that some hadbeen struck. The battle went on in the rain and darkness, the fourrescuers seeking to get the prisoners to the airship. On they rushed,firing and being fired upon. The ceremonial lights were less frequentnow, and the fugitives were better protected by darkness.
"Aren't we near the airship?" panted the professor, as he fired thelast shot in his revolver. None of the bullets could have found a mark,as he aimed the weapon high in the air.
"We're almost there," answered Jerry. "Are they coming any nearer, Jim?"
"They're pressing us close," replied the miner.
Suddenly, as the little band, running for their lives, turned a hugerock in the path toward the upper end of the valley where the airshipwas, they saw coming toward them several persons. In the darkness Jerrytook them for a party of Indians that had gotten ahead of them to cutoff their escape. He was about to fire, when a voice called out:
"Are you there?"
"Yes! Yes, Chunky!" cried the tall lad. "But why did you leave theship?"
"To come to your rescue," answered Bob. "We heard the firing, andcouldn't stand it any longer!"
CHAPTER XXX
NODDY NIXON DEFEATED--CONCLUSION
Jerry felt a sensation of relief. Help had appeared at a most-neededtime. An instant after he had spoken Bob raised his rifle and beganto pump bullets into the mass of Indians. His example was followed bySledge Hammer Tod and Mr. Bell.
Such an unexpected fire threw the savages into a panic. They fell back,their leaders crying in vain to make the warriors keep to the attack.
"Now's our chance!" cried Jerry, looking back, and seeing the confusionin the ranks of their enemies. "The airship is just ahead!"
With a final rush they gained it. The old men and women were helpedinto the cabin.
"Cast off!" cried Jerry to Ned and Bob, who were on the alert fororders. The tall lad rushed to the pilot house and started the gasmachine. The _Comet_ was tugging and straining at the holding ropes.
"We'll stand off the savages, Tod and I!" yelled Nestor. "You move theship, Jerry!"
There was need of defense, for the savages had again rushed forward,and now surrounded the airship. They could be plainly seen, as thescores of electric lamps in the craft had been turned on. The twominers began a fusillade against their enemies, Mr. Bell and theprofessor joining in.
The gas was rushing into the big bag, and, in a few minutes it wassufficiently filled. Jerry started the big propellers, and with a rushthe airship left the valleys, soaring upward toward the clouds.
"We're safe!" cried Jerry a little later, when he noted that theairship was a thousand feet high. "Now which way shall we go?"
"Anywhere, so long as it is away from this valley," replied Mr. Deering.
Jerry headed the craft back over the route they had come, and then,setting the automatic steering apparatus, he and the others gavetheir attention to the captives. Fortunately none of them was hurt,though all were well-nigh exhausted by the race for life. Hot coffeewhich Bob, true to his promise, had ready, revived them. Then thecomparatively slight inj
uries the rescuers had received were attendedto, and they exchanged experiences. Bob, and the others in theairship, had been waiting and listening, and, hearing firing, hadrushed out in the nick of time.
The rescuers divested themselves of their disguises, which were savedas souvenirs of the trip.
When matters had somewhat quieted down, Mr. Deering and several of themen prisoners came forward with sacks that seemed quite heavy. Theylaid them on the cabin table.
"What are these?" asked Jerry.
"The gold nuggets," was the answer. "We held on to them during ourflight. Now they are yours."
But Jerry and his chums and friends would not take the gold. Theyinsisted that the men and women who had been saved would need the moneyto provide the necessaries of life, now that they were to go back tocivilization.
This brought up the subject of what was to be their future, and, thoughMr. Bell offered to provide for the refugees, they decided they wouldall rather go to some small town, and there begin life over again.
"Then Rockyford is just the place for you," suggested Jim Nestor. "Youcan live there, as well as anywhere else, it's not far from here, andclose to the diggings, so I can sort of keep an eye on you, in casethese Indians try to recapture you," and he chuckled at the idea of theseverely punished redmen daring to venture out of their valley. "Todand I will soon be back at the mine," went on Nestor.
"That is, if Noddy Nixon hasn't gotten possession," remarked Jerry."I've been apprehensive ever since we came away."
"Oh, we'll get the best of him yet," ventured Bob.
After Mr. Deering and his companions had talked the matter over amongthemselves, they decided to adopt the advice of Jim Nestor, and maketheir homes in Rockyford. Professor Snodgrass wanted his cousin to comeEast with him, and aid science in searching for rare bugs.
"No, thank you," said Mr. Deering. "I've seen all I want to of bugsand flying lizards, since I've been among the Indians. I wouldn't evencatch a fly now, science or no science."
The professor sighed, but made no further suggestions. The refugees andtheir rescuers traveled all that night in the airship, and, though theboys managed to get some sleep, when they were not on watch, the recentcaptives found so many novelties to take their attention, and were sofraught with wonder at the idea of sailing through the air, that theydid not slumber much.
Three days later, flying under fair skies, and before favorable winds,the travelers of the air sighted the mountains that marked the locationof Rockyford, and the boys' gold mine.
"We'll be there in about an hour," announced Jerry, but he did notreckon on an accident that happened about ten minutes later. One of theauxiliary planes of the motor ship broke, and it was decided to descendto repair it. The work did not take long, however, and, while it wasgoing on, Mr. Deering and his friends left the ship, and strolledacross the grassy plain, for they were tired of their rather crampedquarters. Professor Snodgrass, naturally, could not miss a chancelike that, to hunt for specimens, and he was soon making a carefulexamination of the ground, and every tree and shrub that he approached.He caught several bugs and insects, all of which were very valuable, hesaid, but the boys were too anxious to get on to their mine, and seewhat was the outcome of the claim Noddy had made, to pay much attentionto the scientist.
At last the repairs were completed, the party re-entered the ship,Professor Snodgrass, as usual, being last, and then the journey wasresumed.
"Hurrah! There's Mike Malone on guard!" cried Ned, when, after comingwithin sight of the mine, he had peered through a telescope.
"Is he?" cried Bob. "Then, if he's in possession, the lawsuit isn'tsettled yet. There is some doubt about it, and we have a chance to holdour mine."
"Unless Mr. Malone is there in the interests of Noddy and his gang,"put in Jerry.
"Not much!" exclaimed Jim Nestor. "You couldn't hire Mike to work forthat bully. You'll find that the case isn't settled yet."
By this time they were within sight of the deputy sheriff, who hadsprung to his feet, when he first had a glimpse of the airship, and wasnow wildly swinging his hat.
A safe landing was made, and, even before they had seen to thedisembarkation of their refugee passengers, Jerry, Ned and Bob made arush for the deputy, who was broadly smiling.
"Well, how about it?" panted Jerry.
"How about what?" inquired Malone, with provoking slowness.
"The mine--our mine--is it still ours?" spluttered Bob.
"It sure is," was the hearty response of the deputy sheriff. "NoddyNixon and his gang have been cleaned out, bag and baggage, by theSupreme Court. Their case came up day before yesterday, and theirlawyer made a big talk. They went on the stand--Noddy and some of hiscronies did--but shucks! what they said didn't amount to a hill ofbeans. Then the lawyer you folks had hired made a little talk, and itwas all over but the shoutin'. The court said Noddy had no claim anddecided in your favor, and instructed me to remain in possession untilyou came, and then to turn the mine over to you.
"Which," went on Malone, "I do, to wit, in manner following, that is tosay, accordin' to the statutes in such cases made an' provided, all indue formality with the laws of the United States in general and Arizonain particular, an' blamed glad I am to get rid of this job, only youneedn't tell the judge I said so," and, with an air of relief, theofficial turned over to Jim Nestor papers confirming the right of theboys and their friends to the gold mine.
"Hurrah! That's the stuff!" cried Bob, throwing his hat up in the air,and trying to catch it, but failing, and stumbling down in a heap overa pile of slag.
"Did Noddy make any fuss?" asked Jerry.
"He tried to," was the grim answer of the deputy. "He come out here,and tried to sass me, but I ordered him off."
"Did he go?" Ned wanted to know.
"Well, I guess he did," was the quick reply. "He and those fellows withhim. Noddy allowed as how he was going to get even with you chaps,though, sometime or other."
"Let him try," remarked Jerry.
Noddy did try, and with what results, and what befell the motor boys inanother trip they made in their airship, will be told of in the nextvolume of this series, to be called "The Motor Boys Over the Ocean; Or,A Marvelous Rescue in Mid-Air."
After a short rest at the mine, and when the last of the legalformalities regarding the mine had been complied with, the _Comet_ wasagain put in motion, sent up into the air, and the trip to Rockyfordmade.
There the refugees were made comfortable in a hotel, until they couldobtain permanent homes. This they soon did, as the nuggets they hadmanaged to bring away with them proved to be very valuable.
As for our heroes, they found that the new gold vein that wasdiscovered in their mine, was richer even than Jim Nestor and hisminers had dared to hope. For a time there was some apprehension lestNoddy Nixon and his cronies return to do some mischief, but they seemedto have left that part of the country. Professor Snodgrass capturedmany more specimens, but none that gave him as much pleasure as did theflying lizard, which he mounted in a life-like attitude.
Nothing more was ever heard of the Indians of Lost Valley, for no onecared to make a trip to that perilous place, and it was thought thatthe savages were severely punished in the battle against the whites.Mr. Bell soon located his son, and had a thrilling story to tell him ofthe search and rescue.
The motor boys returned East, after a month spent in the vicinity oftheir mine, during which time they made frequent trips in the _Comet_.They were well satisfied with their trip across the Rockies, but werefully determined to seek other adventures in the near future, and itmay be said that they had little difficulty in finding them.
THE END
Printed in U. S. A.
Transcriber's Notes:
--Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in bold by "equal" signs (=bold=).
--Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.
&n
bsp; --Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.
--Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.
--The name of Jackson Bell's son, known alternatively as Tommy and Bobby, has been retained as in the original.
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