by Roy Rockwood
CHAPTER XX
ACROSS THE BORDER
"Did you see it?" asked Hiram, in a great state of excitement.
"Yes," responded Dave. "A rocket."
"See! See!" continued Hiram-"there's it second one!"
"Sure enough."
"Dave, this means something."
"For us, you think?"
"Yes, I do. Keep near the place where these rockets were fired,Dave. Now then, what do you think?"
Dave slowed down. There was certainly something to his companion'ssurmises or suspicions, whatever they were. Directly at the spotwhence the rockets had been fired there now suddenly flared up agreat reach of flames.
Watching these, the interested aviators saw them change to a reddishhue. Three times, at brief intervals, they did this.
"Don't you see?" persisted Hiram.
"See what?" asked Dave.
"A signal."
"You think so?"
"I surely do. Now, then, look sharp. There are figures about thefire. The fire is pitch or oil, or something that could be made toflame up quickly. One of the men threw something into it from abox. It was red fire."
"Why, yes," observed Dave slowly. "I'll admit that was some kind ofa signal."
"For the airship," interrupted Hiram quickly. "Look, look again,Dave! One of the men is shading his eyes from the glare of thefire, and is looking straight up into the sky. Why, it's plain asday. They saw our airship when that searchlight caught us. Theywere waiting for an airship to come along."
"Another airship than ours, you mean?"
"That's it, and I'll bet the Drifter! They took ours for theDrifter. They want us to land. Why, see there, one of the fellowsis looking through a field glass--as if he could make us out in thedark away up here!"
It did not take Dave long to drift to Hiram's way of thinking. Thespot where the fire showed seemed to be a large yard of some kind,attached to a factory.
"Of course this is all guess work, Hiram," said Dave, after amoment's thought. "Just the same, it fits in to your theory."
"Say," spoke Hiram suddenly, "I've an idea."
"What is it, Hiram?"
"Make a stop just as soon as you can."
"What's that for?"
"Let me out, and give me a chance to find out who that signal wasintended for."
"I declare, it's not a bad plan," said Dave at once.
"Can't you find some safe place where we can land?"
"There won't be much trouble about that."
"Do it, Dave," urged Hiram, "and right away, so I won't lose trackof the place yonder."
Dave inspected the country below as closely as he could at adistance. He circled to a lower level, and selected a patch of highgrass between two corn fields.
"Now then," announced Hiram. "I'm off."
"I shall wait anxiously for your return, Hiram."
"Don't worry, I shan't get into any trouble."
Dave did not leave the flying machine. He kept himself in readinessfor a flight, should anyone approach the spot. There was not muchfear of that, though, he reasoned, as the place was away from thetraversed roads and paths.
The young aviator had quite a spell of waiting. He began to fearthat Hiram had lost his way or that something had happened to him,as an hour passed by. Suddenly, however, his active young assistantbounded into view, chipper and lively as usual.
"What news, Hiram?" inquired Dave.
"The best in the world."
"You have found out something?"
"You'll think so when I tell you," declared Hiram. "I found theplace where they sent up the rockets without much trouble."
"What was it, Hiram?"
"An old factory yard. Part of the buildings have been burned down,and three or four loaferish looking fellows seem to live in an oldshake down there. They belong to the crowd of that fellow, Ridgely,the smuggler, right enough."
"How did you know that, Hiram?" asked Dave.
"Because I overheard them. They had let their signal fire burn downlow, and were sitting around it talking. I crept up behind an oldshed and listened. It was as near as I dared to get, and I couldcatch only a word now and then. They spoke the name Drifter,"asserted Hiram positively.
"You didn't see anything of Jerry Dawson?" asked Dave.
"No, but--say, yes, they mentioned his name, too. They were allexcited about seeing our airship. It seems they were trying towarn the Drifter."
"To warn the Drifter?" repeated Dave somewhat puzzled.
"Yes."
"Why, what for?"
"To keep away from the American shore. Somehow, they had found outthat the revenue officers were at Anseton. They knew, too, that theInterstate people had an airship out after them. It seems that whenwe didn't reply to their signal, they guessed that they had hailedthe wrong airship. They have sent a man to the city to telegraph tothe men on the Canadian side to look out for an airship on theirtrack."
"You don't know where they are going to telegraph to, Hiram?"
"But I do," cried Hiram triumphantly. "That's my big discovery.They talked over the whole thing. The message is to be sent to afriend at Brantford. He is to ride post haste horseback ten mileswest of that place to where the Drifter people have a camp in whatthey call Big Moose Woods."
"Hiram," applauded the young aviator, "you're a jewel. Why, youhave simplified the whole business."
"And you're going right after the Drifter?" propounded Hirameagerly.
"'We're going to try to," replied Dave, "but first we must get wordof all this to Mr. Price."
The Monarch II had mounted aloft while they were conversing. Davestarted the machine in a direction opposite to that in which theyhad been going. Hiram noted this.
"Are you going back to Desert Island?" he asked.
"First, yes. Then I shall skiff over to Anseton and report to Mr.Price direct or through any of his agents I may find."
The machine was brought safely to her old moorings within an hour.Dave, after landing on Desert Island, at once rowed over to themainland. Hiram was full of curiosity when he returned.
"It's all right," Dave explained. "I was lucky enough to meet Mr.Price himself. He and his men had already acted on the clew thatpicture of Jerry and the Chinaman gave us. The old factory yardwhere the rockets were sent up will be under watch before the nightis over, and Mr. Price is going to Brantford on a special boat."
"Then the crowd who stole the Drifter are as good as caught!"exclaimed Hiram hopefully.
"Hardly," replied Dave. "Mr. Price has advised me to get theMonarch II over to the Canadian side of the lake to night!"
"Which you are going to do, Dave?"
"Right away."
Dave, while in Anseton, had made some necessary inquiries as to thelocation of Brantford. He had also got a very good idea of BigMoose Woods. His arrangements with the revenue officer had beenprecise. He was aware that their only chance of getting near to themissing airship was to make new headquarters somewhere in thevicinity of Brantford, just as they had on Desert Island.
The darkness was fading in the east when Dave selected a plateau onthe top of a high hill as a landing place. Once landed, trees andbushes at its crest hid them from view except from overhead. Davehad used diligence and haste in getting out of possible sight, forday was breaking.
They had reach Brantford, sailed over it, and Dave calculated hadskirted the vicinity of Big Moose Woods. Nowhere, however, hadlights, a campfire or any other token indicated the camp orrendezvous of the Drifter party.
"We are within twenty miles of Brantford," Dave announced.
"And what's the programme?" inquired Hiram.
"Sleep, for we need it. We seem to be safely shut in here. Laterwe'll plan just what we will do."
"If the Dawson crowd are warned all around about us and the revenueofficers, they may run for some other territory," suggested Hiram.
"We want to be on the lookout for that," replied the young
aviator.
They made themselves a comfortable bed, and both were soon asleep.Hiram woke up first; and found the sun shining in his eyes, and wasabout to shift his position, intent on a longer nap, when he checkedhimself not moving a muscle.
Through his half closed eyelids, still feigning sleep, Hiram kepthis glance fixed on one spot. He almost held his breath. Thus fornearly five minutes he lay inert, but every nerve on the keenestedge.
His glance widened and seemed to be following some disappearingobject. Then he sat straight upright, stared fixedly down the hill,and leaning over pulled his companion by the sleeve.
"Dave! Dave!" whispered the excited boy-"wake up! We've beendiscovered!"
