Dave Dashaway, Air Champion; Or, Wizard Work in the Clouds

by Roy Rockwood

  CHAPTER XXIV

  THE HIDDEN DIAMONDS

  “Look out, Dave!” shouted his young assistant and, as a snap sounded heshot a quick hand towards the lever operating the rear controlmechanism.

  “Blade cracked, nothing serious,” instantly announced the pilot of the_Ariel_.

  The machine had been hit in turning shorewards with a big wind blastthat boomed like a cannon, and bore down upon it heavily. They felt themachine shiver and swerve, and there was some lateral flapping. Dave,however, kept steadily on back over the course he had so recently won.

  It took twenty minutes to overlap the shore line. They made out aharbor and upon the pier at its end the flag of the life-saving service.

  “You won’t lose time landing, Dave?” spoke Hiram anxiously. “We mightcatch up yet.”

  “Got to land,” reported Dave. “We can’t risk the blade snapping.”

  The _Ariel_ was directed across a flat sandy reach near the end of thepier. Dave sprang out instantly and ran towards two men who had watchedthe descent.

  “Schooner in distress,” he announced briskly to the men. “I think sheis sinking.”

  “Where away?” was inquired.

  Dave described the position of the imperiled vessel as best he could.The men ran down the pier. Almost immediately a signal bell tolled, anda steam yacht, and two lifeboats, set out on their mission of rescue.

  Dave had hurried back to the _Ariel_. He had the machine overhauled ina trice. One blade was seriously damaged. Those on the _Ariel_ were ofhard spruce wood, with a filling of mahogany. The lower veneer hadstripped off and was dangling.

  “It’s a wonder it didn’t strike the tail and cripple us,” observedDave, as he got out some tools and catgut, and had the defect remediedquickly. “I think that will last.”

  A report officer of the service had strolled to the spot, and askedsome questions which Dave answered.

  “He’s writing down our names,” whispered Hiram to his comrade.

  “All ready,” ordered Dave.

  “Good luck!” shouted the officer after the ascending machine.

  “I suppose it’s hopeless to think that we’re going to even make ashowing in this race,” spoke Hiram disconsolately.

  “I fancy you are right,” replied Dave as steadily as he could.

  Hiram was in suspense and misery. About twenty miles further along theymade out one of the laggard airships fighting its way against the wind.From its maneuvers it was easy to surmise that all its pilot was aimingat was to keep out of trouble.

  “Out of the race and knows it,” commented Hiram. “I suppose it’s fortypoints more for the _Whirlwind_.”

  Dave said nothing. He was thinking of the possible disappointment ofMr. Brackett. He speeded the _Ariel_ to its best pace, but had no hopenow of reaching the International grounds first.

  Hiram was in great suspense as they came up to the grounds from thesouth. His eager eyes scanned the center field. Then he fell back inhis seat with a groan.

  “One in—we’re beaten, Dave,” he almost sobbed. “It’s the _Whirlwind_.”

  They could see the Valdec machine plainly as they descended. There wasa crowd around it. Dave landed near the judges’ stand, turned the_Ariel_ over to two attendants in the employ of their hangar, and wentto headquarters to report. Bruce came running up to Hiram with adecidedly long face.

  “The blackboard gives the race to Valdec,” he spoke in a subdued tone.

  “I guess they’ve won it,” snapped Hiram. “Lording it over all creation,I suppose?”

  “They feel pretty flighty,” pronounced Bruce. “I’m dreadfully sorry.”

  “Where is Mr. Brackett?” asked Hiram, looking about for their friendand backer.

  “Why, he was called to Chicago on business, and had to go. Said he’d beback by evening, though.”

  It was with a laggard, disheartened way that Hiram proceeded to thehangar. Dave joined the boys soon after. He tried to act cheerily, butsecretly he was quite depressed.

  He had done his best. Better than that, he had done just right.Business was business, however. Dave realized how greatly Mr. Brackettcounted on the _Ariel_ coming out victor and winner of the big prize.It was not so much the amount involved that the manufacturer cared foras a final recognition of the superior qualities of his machine.

  “There’s the fancy stunt event left yet,” intimated Hiram after asomewhat gloomy spell of silence.

  “Of course we will make a try at that,” declared Dave, briskly. “Ican’t think of letting our practicing go for nothing.”

  “But fifty and forty make ninety,” grumbled the disconsolate Hiram.“There are only thirty points in the stunt event.”

  “Perhaps we can pick up a few points in the last day minor events,”suggested Dave, hopefully.

  Hiram would not be comforted. He spent a miserable afternoon. It addedto his wretchedness as he wondered what Mr. Brackett would say. Hiramdid not regret their action in the instance of the sinking vessel. Allthe same, their backer had a right to suppose they would have thoughtof his business interests first.

  They came across the manufacturer just as they were going to supper.Hiram looked pretty serious as Mr. Brackett advanced towards them. Hewas all smiles and animation. He grasped first the hand of Dave, andthen that of Hiram.

  “Boys,” he said, with a thrill of heartiness in his voice, “I’m proudof you!”

  “Why—you see—don’t you know that we lost out on the long distancerace?” stammered Hiram.

  “The long distance race is entirely secondary to what you two havedone,” declared the manufacturer. “I fancy you haven’t seen the cityevening paper? Well, there it is.”

  Mr. Brackett drew a late edition from his pocket. He shook it open andheld it in front of his young friends.

  “I’d rather be Dashaway and Dobbs, the way that article tells aboutthem,” said Mr. Brackett, “than win twenty races, and all the prizesgoing.”

  There, sure enough, was glory and honor for the young aviators. Atelegram with full details told of “the sure winner of the longdistance race” putting back to give warning to save a vessel fastsinking in mid-lake with all on board.

  “That’s the kind of advertising that counts!” cried Mr. Brackett, withvim and satisfaction.

  “But we’ve lost first place!” mourned Hiram.

  “Not in the estimation of the world at large. That will not soon forgetthe _Ariel_ and its crew.”

  Dave was relieved at the way his backer took the incident. It enhancedhis regard and respect for a true friend and a true man a thousand fold.

  The following day was to be given over to amateurs, and the exhibitionof machines and their utilities. There was no thought in the mind ofDave of giving up the fancy stunt event, even if the grand prize hadescaped him.

  “I say, Hiram,” suggested Bruce the next morning, “can’t you take me ona little trip this morning? We’ve got nothing much to do to-day exceptwait for to-morrow.”

  “Where do you want to go?” inquired the pilot of the _Scout_.

  “Oh, west—in fact, well, Hiram, I’d like to go to Wayville.”

  “Hum! same old idea about those diamonds still in your mind; eh?” askedHiram.

  “See here,” replied Bruce eagerly, “I’ve got good reason to believethat the trip is worth making. You’ll see when we get to Wayville. I’dlike to have you land right where that diamond robber left the _Scout_and show me as near as you can the route he took.”

  “All right,” assented Hiram. “You won’t rest until you get there, Isuppose.”

  The _Scout_ made a fast trip to Wayville. It was at the same hilly spotwhere Hiram had parted with his uncomfortable passenger that eventfulnight that he brought the machine to anchor.

  “Here we are,” he announced and he proceeded to describe as best hecould the movements of the fugitive after he had left the _Scout_.“That nearest thicket over yonder is the one he dove in
to first.”

  “Come with me, Hiram,” invited his comrade eagerly. “You are sure hewent through that thicket? We’ll go, too. Do you see that?” heinquired, as half-way through the densely wooded space they came to anold hut.

  “What about it?” asked Hiram.

  “Well, that was a favorite hiding place for that man Wertz I’ve toldyou about, when he wanted to keep out of the way of people hunting forhim to call him to account for some of his misdeeds,” explained Bruce.“How well I remember it! Ever since you described the spot, I havewondered if the diamond thief, who was just such a character as Wertzwas, didn’t know about it, maybe visited it in trying to escape.”

  “Why,” observed Hiram as they came to the front of the rude structure,“that padlock on the door looks rusty enough to have been untouched forages.”

  Bruce tried the door, but nothing less than a crowbar would budge it.

  “Aha!” he ejaculated suddenly, “look—the cellar window.”

  “Smashed in—I see,” spoke Hiram.

  “One pane of glass, yes,” proceeded Bruce excitedly. “And look, too,stains of blood on the fragments of glass and the window frame. Oh,say, I know! There’s a cistern right under that window. I remember itperfectly and—Hiram, help knock out the rest of the window. I’m goingto get into the house that way.”

  “And drop into a cistern!” railed Hiram.

  “It’s an old leaky one and was dry as a bone, I remember, when I washere with Wertz.”

  They smashed out the window frame with a piece of plank they found nearby. Bruce let himself cautiously backwards through the aperture.Hanging by both hands, he let go.

  “It’s all right,” his voice sounded, hollowly. “Throw me down somematches.”

  Hiram awaited the next developments with some impatience, andconsiderable curiosity. Then he saw a hand grasp the inside windowframe, then another, and he tugged at the shoulders of his strugglingcomrade and pulled him up into daylight.

  “For gracious sake, where have you been? In some dirty hole, I dodeclare!” cried Hiram.

  “It was dirty, but I don’t care about that,” panted the other youth.“Ouch!” and he proceeded to rub some dirt out of his left eye.

  “Shall I help you?” questioned Hiram, anxiously.

  “No, it’s out now,” was the answer.

  “Good.”

  Bruce was covered with dust and cobwebs. He scrambled to his feetbreathless, but his eyes were fairly snapping from some intenseexcitement.

  “Where’s your cap?” asked Hiram, noticing that his friend wasbareheaded.

  “Oh, that’s all safe,—and everything else!” cried Bruce, and heunbuttoned his coat and revealed his cap all wadded up. “Just look atthat!” he shouted and he opened the cap. Within it rested a great heapof jewelry, blazing with crystal sparks of radiance.

  “The diamonds!” gasped the astounded Hiram.

  “I guess so!” answered Bruce. “The bargain with the jeweler was fivethousand dollars’ reward. As my partner, Hiram Dobbs, I shall have thepleasure of handing you over just half of it,—two thousand five hundreddollars!”

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