CHAPTER XXXIII
A FORLORN DASH FOR HELP
Am hour later Alan Hope, carried by the faithful Elmer Grissom andthe jovial Bob Russell, was laid gently on a blanket by the firewhose smoke had attracted the attention of the ragged, wornwanderers. Not until the sun had set did the exhausted lad open hiseyes again. But water and food had been forced through his lips andwhen reason came back strength was not far behind.
Ned sat by his chum's side all day, bathing his face and making himas comfortable as possible; from Elmer's medicine packet. A fewmouthfuls of food had sufficed Ned. But that night, when Alan cameagain to his senses, the four boys held a thanksgiving about acheerful fire and ate together. But it was no banquet.
What had happened was soon repeated to the weak but happy Alan.Elmer and Bob had waited and watched for ten days, using theirstores sparingly and ready always for the return of Ned and Alan.Two days they had seen the Cibola a speck in the sky far to thewest, and had watched it from the little waterfall on the edge ofthe plateau. Then it disappeared and they never saw it again. Thiswas three days after the boys departed from Camp Eagle.
Husbanding their provisions as well as they could, they at lastdecided to start on their return to the outside world.
This was two days before. The tent and the heavier articles werehidden in a cache. Their food had been reduced to a meagerquantity. They had two pounds of bacon, six pounds of flour, twoounces of tea and a little over a pound of beans. In addition theyhad a half dozen bouillon tablets, a little salt, pepper and sugar,and a complete and unopened medicine packet in which were quinine,adhesive plaster, cotton, bandages, morphine, and other needed andcompact drugs. With this light pack each boy had a rifle and arevolver, a few cooking utensils and a blanket.
Elmer had his own water bottle, and Bob improvised two out of theempty baking powder can and a lard pail.
Thus equipped, Camp Eagle was abandoned, and led by their compassElmer and Bob had set out bravely for Mount Wilson and the Chusco.But it was with no small regret that they made their way up the longslope behind them and then across the valley beyond. But, fresh andstrong of limb, they pushed forward and with Mount Wilson as alandmark made camp on the second night in the timber on the slope ofthe outer range.
Never wholly despairing of meeting Ned and Alan again, the two boyswere frugal both of their strength and their stores. The food theycarried would have been sufficient for a healthy man for perhaps aweek. They could not count on reaching civilization again withinthat time, even with good luck. That meant half rations at thebest. But if accidents came and delay even half rations would becut down. So, that night, in camp, there was no feasting. A littletea, and a cake of dough apiece made their supper; and then theyslept.
In the morning as they were about to breakfast and be off again Bobcaught sight of a deer. A little jerked venison would not comeamiss, he thought, and as the ammunition was plentiful he dartedthrough the woods in pursuit. The fact that Bob was a poor hunterprobably saved Alan's life. He was gone an hour and a half and whenhe returned it was after seven o'clock.
The two boys had just extinguished their fire and were about toshoulder their packs when a well-known but strained call arrestedthem.
"Camp ahoy?"
It was their leader, Ned Napier, his cheeks sunken, and his bodyswaying from weakness, but cheery as of old, advancing slowlythrough the trees.
Food and a night's rest restored Ned's strength. "And now, myfriends," said he in the morning, "these bandages and a little foodand good companionship have worked wonders. We are all ourselvesagain. But we can't stay here, pleasant--as it is. Alan ought notto travel for another day and then he ought to have some huskyattendant. Bob, you are nominated for that job. Elmer and I willtake a few pinches of tea, the soup tablets, one revolver and arifle and--"
"And what?" exclaimed Alan, suspicious of Ned's suggestion.
"And," continued Ned, "We'll just dash on ahead and bring you somehelp."
"No, siree," shouted Alan. "Do you think get back to Clarkeville,one hundred and fifteen miles or more, on six soup tablets? And forme? If you think you ought to go, all right. But you'll take halfof the food."
"Or more," interrupted Bob, "give us a little flour and salt andsome matches. I reckon I can get a deer before night."
But Ned convinced them in the end that he was right. He argued thateach mile he and Elmer made in advance was nearer help. Alan mustadvance slowly.
"All you've got to do," he explained to Bob and Alan, "is to reachthe Chusco, where Elmer camped, and take care of yourselves forseven or eight days. And we'll be there to help you, unlesssomething happens. You won't have much to eat but you'll have waterand you have ammunition."
And at seven o'clock that morning they parted. Just before thefarewells Alan called Ned to one side and said:
"Hadn't you better take my bag?" indicating the jewel case under hisarm.
"Why?" answered Ned.
"Well, you know we may never see each other again."
Ned took his chum's hand.
"Alan," he said, "we were not born to lose ourselves in the woods,much less to die there. We'll meet again all right. Don't you haveany fears on that point. But if we shouldn't, I won't care foramethysts or pearls. If I don't see you again it'll be because I'mbeyond the need of those things."
There were handshakes and cheering, good wishes, and the reliefsection was off.
"Elmer," said Alan, after the two had been trailing through thetrees Indian fashion some time, "it is daylight at four o'clock anddark at seven--that's fifteen hours. Can you walk two miles anhour?"
"Sho'ly," smiled Elmer, showing his white teeth.
"Well, that's thirty miles a day. If we could do that for four dayswe'd be in Clarkeville!"
"Clarkeville in fo' days it am den," echoed Elmer, "or bust."
"We've got six soup tablets. If we dine on one at ten o'clock inthe morning and one at seven o'clock in the evening we'll haveregular meals for three days."
"And de las' day we won't need none, we'll be in such a hurry,"added the colored boy, happy again in Ned's company.
That was the spirit in which the expedition started. Late thatafternoon they emerged from the timber and were on the sandyfoothills where progress was faster. Ned's feet bothered him and hewas in constant pain, but the adhesive plaster and cotton had beenof the greatest help. There was no pause. The first day's schedulehe was determined to make and at about eight o'clock the reliefexpedition gave a shout. The Chusco lay before them.
A little fire, some tea and bouillon--made in the pan after the teawas consumed--and the two boys found a bed on the soft sand with nocovering but the deep Mexican sky. At dawn they were up and awayafter a bath in the muddy river. Elmer was now the guide and hereadily picked up Buck's old wagon trail. Sharp at ten o'clock ahalt was made for breakfast, bouillon now without tea. Ned, hisface a little more sunken and his legs a little more unsteady thanthe day before, was sitting on the ground resting his burning feet,when Elmer suddenly touched him on the shoulder, set the soup panquickly on the sand and drew his revolver.
Far down the trail a horseman was approaching. Behind him in thedistance followed a wagon. What did this mean?
"Well, whoever it is, we'll have the soup," said Ned.
This consumed, Ned and his friend started forward.
"If it's good luck we'll meet it sooner this way," said Ned, "ifit's bad we'll know the worst quicker."
But it was good luck. The rider soon galloped up and swung his widehat in the air. It was Curt Bradley, the mayor of Clarkeville.
CHAPTER XXXIV
THE RESCUE
They told Ned afterwards that he keeled over in the sand and fainteddead away, but he always insisted that he didn't faint, that he kneweverything that was going on. Yet he did not hear a word of thelong story told by Elmer. When he roused himself he was lying inthe shade of the big freight wagon and a couple of cowboys weregetting
breakfast ready.
Then Mayor Bradley explained his presence in that mysterious way inwhich bad news always travels friendly Indians had sent him word ofthe attack on Buck's outfit and of the death of the veteranplainsman. This news had just reached Clarkeville and Mayor Bradleyhad at once set out to find the body if possible, and assist thosewho escaped.
Of course all speed was made toward the foothills and that eveningAlan and Bob, the former only a shadow of the lively youngster whohad left Clarkeville but two weeks before, were found and rescued.That night there was a new camp on the Chusco and meat and hotbread. The only shadow to dim the happiness of the rescued boys wasthe recollection of the murdered Buck.
The return to Clarkeville was made by easy stages in four days, andeven Alan was nearly his old self when that town was reached. Onenight's rest in real beds, with fresh linen from the baggage theyhad left behind them, and baths, removed the traces of privation andsuffering. There was little more to detain Ned and Alan.
A telegram was dispatched to Major Honeywell at Kansas City, wherethe boys and their patrons had agreed to meet. Then Ned's toolchest was forwarded by freight to Chicago. In company with MayorBradley Ned and Alan visited Mrs. Bourke, Buck's widow. Retainingenough to cover the costs of transportation to Kansas City he gavethe widow what remained of his funds, nearly five hundred dollars,and all the heavy stores remaining in the corral.
At midnight of that day four wide-awake and alert boys, neatly cladin summer suits, boarded the local train bound east for Albuquerque.The last hand they shook was that of Mayor Bradley.
"Mr. Mayor," said Ned as he parted from his friend, "I'm sorry Ican't tell you why we were here, or what we were doing. But youwere our friend and we'll never forget you. Some day I'm going toshow you how highly we regard you. And some day I hope I'll be ableto tell you what our mission was."
Three days later the quartette of boys sprang from the Limited inthe Union depot at Kansas City. The parting had come. None of theboys knew what that meant until the last moment.
"'Ned," said Bob Russell, once again in the field of his profession,"I've had many a strange assignment in my work and I expect to havemany another, but I'll never have one like this. I've got the storyof my life, but I haven't got yours. If the time ever comes when Ican write it, when you are free to tell it, just remember your bestfriend, Bob Russell, reporter, Kansas City Comet."
"Bob," answered Ned wringing his hand, "you have missed a goodstory. I'm sorry. It wasn't because you were not a good reporter.It was just our good luck. But if things work out the way I hope,I'm going to give you something better than a good story."
"And," broke in Alan, "just want to say this: if chance ever throwsadventures my way again I hope that the companions I share it withwill always include Bob Russell."
The details of how Ned and Alan, just one day late, kept theirengagement with major Honeywell and Senor' Oje in the Coates House,and of the almost unbelievable report they made and the richevidence of its genuineness that they submitted do not really belongin an account of the flight of the Cibola. Two things were done atonce, however. A handsome gold watch was purchased and sent toMayor Bradley with the compliments of Ned and Alan, and Senor Ojeforwarded an additional check for a thousand dollars to Buck'swidow.
The report on the value of the stones carried from the treasuretemple by the two boys was such that Senor Oje gave them his checkfor $25,000. Out of this each boy contributed part of his sharetoward a sum sufficient to give Elmer a business education. Finallythe two boys bought a draft for a thousand dollars, payable toRobert Russell. With it went this note: "Please accept this as someslight compensation for the story you did not get."
But in good time Bob Russell did get his story. For, otherwise,this narrative would never have been written.
How it came about that Bob got his story; how the treasure left inthe Turquoise Temple was finally lifted; how the young aeronauts indoing it battled successfully with a maelstrom in the clouds, weredriven far out over the Pacific, cast away on a derelict and finallymade an escape with their "sneering idol" by aeroplane into thewilds of Mexico, is a later and more remarkable chapter in theadventures of Ned Napier and Alan Hope, to be told in "The Air-ShipBoys Adrift, or Saved by an Aeroplane."
THE END
Air Ship Boys : Or, the Quest of the Aztec Treasure Page 33
