by Edith Lavell
CHAPTER XIV
_Searching Parties_
When Linda Carlton and Dorothy Crowley left Jacksonville Airport onthe morning of June twenty-seventh in the Ladybug, and flew into theOkefenokee Swamp, they fully expected to telephone to their familiesthat night, or at least to send a wire to them, as they had promised.So when Miss Emily Carlton heard nothing from her niece she becameanxious, and directed her chauffeur to drive her to Mrs. Crowley'scottage.
Both women were established at Green Falls for the summer, whichwas the favorite resort of all Linda's friends from Spring City. Itwas there that the girl had called her aunt from Jacksonville, thenight that Dot and the Mackays had arrived. Only one telegram had shereceived since that time.
Mrs. Crowley, who was less inclined to be nervous than Miss Carlton,tried to reassure the latter, saying that she realized how busy thegirls would be. But when June twenty-eighth passed without any wordfrom them, she too became alarmed, and together the two women put in along distance call to Captain Magee at Jacksonville.
Briefly he told them what he knew--of Linda's decision to go"scouting," as she called it. And of her request for the revolvers.
The shock of that piece of news was almost too much for Miss Carlton.She jumped to the conclusion that the girls were dead.
"Aren't you doing a thing to find them, Captain?" she demanded, harshly.
"I was thinking about it," he replied. "But after all, they've onlybeen gone two days----"
"You don't know my niece!" interrupted the unhappy woman. "Linda alwayswires or telephones me every day, when she goes on these flying trips.She doesn't forget. It's because she can't--she has been injured orkilled!"
"I hope not," he replied. "But I will send a plane over the OkefenokeeSwamp tomorrow, Miss Carlton," he promised.
The two women gazed at each other in helpless dismay at the conclusionof this conversation. What could they possibly do, aside frominforming the newspapers--a decision which they carried out immediately.
Accordingly, on June twenty-ninth, every newspaper in the countrystated the fact that Linda Carlton, the famous aviatrix who had flownto Paris alone, was missing again--somewhere in Georgia--probably inthe Okefenokee Swamp, with a chum, Miss Dorothy Crowley of Spring City,who was also a pilot.
The unhappy news instantly produced the effect which Miss Carlton hopedit would accomplish. It aroused no fewer than five searching parties,all bent upon locating these two popular girls.
Captain Magee's men were the first to go. Summoning Sergeant Worth, hecommandeered a plane from the airport, and directed the pilot to flyover the swamp, searching from the air by means of spyglasses.
The second party was composed of the girls' fathers, both of whom werein New York City at the time. Mr. Crowley telephoned Mr. Carlton, andafter sending a wire to their families, they boarded a Florida traintogether.
The third volunteers were two young men at Green Falls, two collegeboys who considered Linda and Dot their special girl-friends, thoughneither of them was engaged, Jim Valier and Ralph Clavering heard thesad news at the out-door pool at Green Falls, just as they were aboutto join a group of young people for a swim. Kitty Hulbert, Ralph'smarried sister, read the head-lines aloud.
"Jim," muttered Ralph, when Kitty finished, "let's do something! We cantake a plane to Florida--and go on a search from there."
"O.K.," agreed the other boy, and quietly and quickly the two young mendisappeared from the group.
The story came to the Mackays in Washington, where Ted had business onhis return from Georgia. The instant that Louise read it, she jumped upin excitement.
"We must go, Ted!" she cried. "You can get your vacation now."
"I'll wire immediately," he agreed, without an instant's hesitation,and he went out to make the necessary arrangements and to order hisplane in readiness.
The fifth and last party was none other than Linda's two latestadmirers, the two young men she had mentioned to Dot in the hope of arescue--Jackson Carter and Hal Perry.
All in all, it ought to have been enough to satisfy Miss Carlton thatevery effort was being made to find the girls and to bring them back tosafety.
The airplane from the police department was the first of these groupsto get into action, the first to enter the swamp. Yet it did notactually enter it, but merely flew above it, for the pilot, lessexperienced than Linda herself, did not believe it possible to comedown on one of those islands. For hours, however, he circled about,over the bog, and the cypress-trees, while Sergeant Worth in the rearcock-pit scanned the landscape with his spyglasses. But neither man sawany trace of the autogiro or the girls, and late that afternoon theyhad to return in discouragement to Captain Magee.
"I couldn't even locate that camp on the island," Worth said. "Theone where we got the prisoners, you know. Unless you have the exactdirections, it's hard to find anything in that swamp.... And--I don'tsee much use in trying again."
Captain Magee looked exceedingly grave; he was genuinely worried.He blamed himself for letting the girls go alone. But there had beennothing official about the project--he had not really expected thatthey would run into the criminal. Besides, Linda Carlton had seemed socapable, and both girls were so eager to go.
"We mustn't give up, Worth," he said quietly. "It's more important tofind these girls than a dozen criminals. We owe it to them, to theirfamilies--to the whole country. Everybody has admiration and affectionfor Miss Linda Carlton, after all she has done.... You'll have to goback tomorrow--or get another man, if you feel too discouraged."
"No, I'm only too glad to help," the other assured him. "I would doanything in the world for Miss Carlton. But I don't see how it can doany good. A scouting party in boats would be much more likely to besuccessful."
"We'll try that, too, as soon as I can get some men together. Buttomorrow you fly out over the ocean to that island where the thieveshad the jewels. The girls might be stranded there. Take another pilot,and a bigger plane."
Worth looked doubtful.
"We haven't any way of locating that island, either," he said. "It wasMiss Carlton who took us there before, and I have no idea where it is."
"Just do your best, Worth," urged the Captain. "Fly around all theislands near the Georgia coast, keeping a sharp look-out for theautogiro."
"Rain or shine? It looks like a storm tomorrow."
"Yes, whatever the weather, you must go--or get someone else."
So, in spite of the terrible downpour and the high winds of Junethirtieth, a cabin monoplane flew across Georgia and out over the oceanto a group of islands just off the coast. Three men were aboard--twoexperienced pilots, one of whom was also a mechanic--besides the policeofficer.
Leaving the coast behind, they flew out into the grayness that wasocean and sky. The waves were high, the sea rough and angry, and therain was coming down in sheets, blinding their vision, but they pressedon, two of the men keeping their spyglasses on the water, watching forislands. They passed over several, but they were small, with little orno place to land. Eagerly the men watched for some sign of human life,some signal, some glimpse of the autogiro.
"They'd never be alive if we did find them," remarked Worth, gloomily."And if they did run into that gangster, he'd surely have made awaywith them."
"If only it would clear up," grumbled the pilot. "So we could seesomething!"
They were flying much lower now, for it was comparatively safe over thewater, and despite the weather, they were able to spot the islands. Allof a sudden the mechanic uttered a sharp cry.
"There she is! Look! Over there!"
"Miss Carlton?" demanded Worth, excitedly. "Where?"
"Not the girl! The plane--the autogiro! See--that island to the west!See the wind-mill on top?"
"By George! You're right!" agreed Worth, a thrill running up and downhis spine. Thank Heaven, he hadn't given up!
The pilot directed the plane over the island and circled about, landingfinally some distance from the autogiro. A glance at the latterassured t
hem that it had not been wrecked. Why, then, hadn't the girlscome back? Was it possible that all this scare had risen to alarm theworld for the simple reason that Linda Carlton had run out of gas?
The three men climbed out of the cabin and shouted as loud as theycould, since the girls had evidently failed to hear their plane, abovethe noise of the storm and the roar of the ocean. Eagerly they waitedfor a reply. But when none came, fear crept over them all.
Had the girls died of starvation, or was there foul play of some kind?With gloomy forebodings, they walked about the beach, seeking evidenceof some kind to tell the story of what had happened.
Finding nothing, the mechanic began to examine the autogiro. She wasundamaged, unhurt--everything in order, gasoline in the tank. Theengine started easily in answer to his test, and ran smoothly until heturned it off. No, the gallant little Ladybug could not be blamed forwhatever disaster had taken place!
Then, forgetful of the weather, the three men set out to search theisland thoroughly. Buckled in oil-skin coats, they felt protectedthemselves, but Worth shuddered as he thought of these girls alone insuch desolation, with no roof to cover them, no food to satisfy theirhunger, or water for their thirst. Gloomy and discouraged they plowedthrough the wet sand, calling the girls' names. Finally, abandoning thehope of finding them alive, they set themselves to the gruesome task oflooking among the underbrush for their bodies. At last they gave up.
"We'll fasten a canvas sheet over these bushes, so that we can locatethe island, and we'll pin a note on it to say that we'll be back,"decided Worth, "in case they are alive. One of you men take theautogiro, and the other the plane, and we'll go back now."
The rain was abating somewhat, and the two planes made the return tripwithout any mishaps, arriving at the Jacksonville Airport before darkthat evening.
A wildly enthusiastic crowd, which had collected in spite of theweather, greeted them with resounding cheers. The Ladybug was backagain--safe and sound! Women cried with joy, men threw their hats intothe air, children clapped their hands and whistled. In a miniature wayit was a demonstration like the one given Lindbergh upon his arrivalat the French Flying Field. But it was a false rejoicing, and thegayety was quickly changed into despair when the pilot reported thatthe girls themselves had not been found.
Weary and disappointed, the crowd turned away, and Sergeant Worth toldthe sad story to the newspaper reporters who waited to interview him,before he returned to the police headquarters.
Captain Magee was terribly affected by the news. Linda Carlton mighthave been his own daughter, from the grief which he could not conceal.
Two well-dressed young men were waiting in his office when Wortharrived, and they listened to the grim account. They were the firstof the rescue parties to arrive from the North--Jim Valier and RalphClavering.
"These two young men are friends of Miss Carlton and Miss Crowley,"explained the Captain. "They want to go into the swamp tomorrow in aboat.... Perhaps the girls have reached the main-land, or perhaps thatautogiro was stolen, and they never were on the island at all....Anyhow, we'll search the swamp again. Will you go with them, Worth?"
"Certainly," agreed the sergeant, though he felt as if it would befruitless. Those girls were at the bottom of the ocean, he was sure!
"A light motor-boat ought to be able to go up that little stream,"continued the Captain. "I will have one ready at the edge of the swamptomorrow morning at ten o'clock. If you young men will come here atnine, I'll send you over there in a car."
Jim and Ralph expressed their thanks to the officer, and promised to beon hand at the arranged time in the morning. But, like Sergeant Worth,they were exceedingly discouraged; they had little hope of success.
When they awakened the following morning, which was the first day ofJuly--the day that Linda should have reported to Atlanta--they foundthat it was still raining, although the storm had ceased, giving way toa dismal drizzle. What an unpleasant day to start off on an excursionlike theirs, that was gloomy at best! Yet the weather did not deterthem from their purpose, nor did it stop Hal Perry and Jackson whostarted earlier that morning in their canoe.
But it was difficult with a motor-boat, and all three of the men wereunfamiliar with the swamp and its little streams. No one knew where toturn off, as Jackson and Hal had learned from many vacations, and afterpushing ahead for two or three hours, they found themselves off theircourse--grounded.
"It's no use," muttered Worth. "We can't make it in a motor-boat.Magee's never been in the swamp, or he would have known. We'll have toturn back and get a canoe!"
"A whole day wasted!" growled Ralph angrily, as if it were thesergeants fault. "A day! When every minute is precious!"
"Well, it's nobody's fault," remarked Worth. "The sooner we get backthe better."
"Nobody's fault!" repeated Ralph. "No--ignorance is O.K.--if itpertains to the police! They shouldn't know a thing about the countryaround them!"
"No use getting mad at policemen, Ralph," drawled good-natured JimValier. "Haven't you learned from driving a car that it doesn't pay?Besides, they're always right."
"No, we're often very wrong," said Worth, humbly and seriously. "Andmaybe you don't think I care, Mr. Clavering, about finding those girls.But I do! I haven't thought about a thing but that for the last threedays."
Ralph made no answer, but applied his attention to searching thelandscape with his glasses. But, like everybody else thus far, he foundnothing.
Discouraged and silent, they managed to push the boat into the deeperwater and to turn it around. All that afternoon they spent in retracingthe progress they had made, and returned to the Captain's office justbefore supper.
"You want to try it again in canoes?" asked Captain Magee.
"Yes," replied Ralph. "Without any of your police this time. No usetaking an extra man--it only means more provisions to carry."
"True. But you must be careful of snakes and alligators."
The boys looked none too pleased at the idea, but when they rememberedthat Linda and Dot, if still alive, would be subjected to the sameperils, they were all the more eager to go.
This time, they decided, they would do it scientifically; they wouldgo prepared with a map of the swamp, equipment, food, and rifles.And above all, a compass! And they would not give up until they hadsearched every part of that dismal Okefenokee Swamp!
So, cheered by the optimism of youth and the promise of another day,the boys slept well that night.
