CHAPTER XV
THE RACE
Astonished and terrified as the Indians had been at the sight of thebig-winged craft, high in the air above their heads, Tom and theothers were no less surprised, though, of course, their fear was notexactly the same as that of the Alaskan natives.
"Do you really think that is Andy Foger?" asked Ned, as they watchedthe progress of the triplane.
"I'm almost sure of it," replied Tom. "That craft is built exactlyas his was, but I never expected him to have such good luck sailingit."
"It isn't going very fast," objected Ned.
"No, but it can navigate pretty well, and that's something. He musthave hustled to get it together and reach this point with it."
"Yes, but he didn't have to travel as far as we did," went on Ned."He put his ship together at Sitka, and we came from Seattle."
"Bless my memoranda book!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "The Fogers here!What's to be done about it?"
"Nothing, I guess," answered Tom. "I'd just as soon they wouldn'tsee us. I don't believe they will. Get back into the cave. We mustuse strategy now to get ahead of them. There will be a race to thevalley of gold."
"Well, he served us one good turn, anyhow, though he didn't meanto," put in Abe Abercrombie.
"How?" asked Mr. Parker, who was still examining his gun, as thoughtrying to understand it.
"He scared away them pesky natives," went on the miner. "Otherwisewe might have had a fight, an' while I reckon we could have beat'em, it's best not to fight if you kin git out of it."
The gold-seekers had withdrawn inside the mouth of the cave, wherethey could watch the progress of the rival airship without beingseen. The Indians had disappeared beyond a snow-covered hill.
The airship of Andy Foger, for such it subsequently proved to be,floated slowly onward. Its progress was not marked with the speed ofTom's craft, though whether or not the occupants of the ANTHONY (asAndy had vain-gloriously named his craft after himself) werespeeding up their motor, was a matter of conjecture.
The adventurers held a short consultation, while standing at themouth of the cave watching the progress of the ANTHONY. It rose inthe air, and circled about.
"He certainly IS trying to pick us up," declared Ned.
"Well, we'll start out after him to-morrow," decided Tom. "I thinkall the patches will hold then."
They resumed work on the RED CLOUD, and that night Tom announcedthat they would start in the morning. Meanwhile Andy's craft haddisappeared from sight. There was no further evidence of theIndians.
"I don't reckon they'll come back," spoke Abe, grimly. "They thinkwe are sure-enough spirits, now, able to call creatures out of theair whenever we want 'em. But still we must be on our guard."
As Mr. Parker was not of much service in helping on the airship heagreed to be a sort of guard and took his place just outside thecave, where he could make "observations," and, at the same timewatch for the reappearance of Indians. They had little fear of anattack at night, for Abe said the Alaskans were not fond ofdarkness.
The cold seemed to increase, and, even in the sheltered cave theadventurers felt it. There were several heavy flurries of snow thatafternoon, and winter seemed setting in with a vengeance. Thedaylight, too, was not of long duration, for the sun was well southnow, and in the far polar regions it was perpetual night.
After a brief inspection of the ship the next morning, following agood night's rest, when they were not disturbed by any visits fromthe natives, Tom announced that they would set sail. The day was aclear one, but very cold, and the gold-seekers were glad of theshelter of the warm cabin.
The RED CLOUD was wheeled from the cave, and set on a level place.There was not room enough to make a flying start, and ascend bymeans of the planes and propellers, so the gas-bag method was used.The generating machine was put in operation, and soon the big redbag that hovered over the craft began to fill. Tom was glad to seethat none of the several compartments leaked. The bag had been wellrepaired.
Suddenly the RED CLOUD shot up in the air. Up above the toweringsnow-covered crags it mounted, and then, with a whizz and a roar,the propellers were set going.
"Once more northward bound!" cried Tom, as he took his place in thepilothouse.
"And we'll see if we can beat Andy Foger there," added Ned.
All that morning the RED CLOUD shot ahead at good speed. The crafthad suffered no permanent damage during her fight with the hailstorm, and was as good as ever. They ate dinner high in the air,while sailing over a great stretch of whiteness, where the snow laymany feet deep on the level, and where great mountain crags were socovered with the glistening mantle and a coating of ice as toresemble the great bergs that float in the polar sea.
"I wouldn't want to be wrecked here," said Ned, with a shudder, ashe looked down. "We'd never get away. Does any one live down there,Abe?"
"Yes, there are scattered tribes of Indians and Alaskan natives.They live by hunting and fishing, and travel around by means of dogsledges. But it's a dreary life. Me an' my partner had all we wantedof it. An airship for mine!"
"I wonder what's become of Andy?" spoke Tom, that afternoon. "Ihaven't sighted him, and I've been using the powerful telescope. Ican't pick him up, though he can't be so very far ahead of us."
"Let me try," suggested Ned. "Put her up a bit, Tom, where I canlook down. Andy won't dare go very high. Maybe I can sight him."
The RED CLOUD shot upward as the young inventor shifted theelevation rudder, and the bank clerk, with the powerful glass to hiseye, swept the space below him. For half an hour he looked in vain.Then, with a little start of surprise he handed the glass to hischum.
"See what you make that out to be," suggested Ned. "It looks like abig bird, yet I haven't seen any other birds to-day."
Tom looked. He peered earnestly through the telescope for a minute,and then cried:
"It's Andy's airship! He's ahead of us! We must catch him! Ned, youand Mr. Damon speed up the motor! The race is on!"
In a few minutes the great airship was hurling herself throughspace, and, in less than ten minutes Andy's craft could be made outplainly with the naked eye. Fifteen minutes more and the RED CLOUDwas almost up to her. Then those aboard the ANTHONY must have caughtsight of their pursuers, for there was a sudden increase in speed onthe part of the unscrupulous Foger crowd, who sought to steal amarch on Tom and his friends.
"The race is on!" repeated the young inventor grimly, as he pulledthe speed lever over another notch.