CHAPTER XIV. A MARVELLOUS VISION.
But the night was considerably older ere any one of that quartette losthimself in slumber, for all had been too thoroughly wrought up by theexciting events of the past day for sleep to claim an easy subject.
By common consent, however, that one particular subject was barred forthe present, and then, sitting in a cosy group about the glowing firethere in the cavern, the recently formed friends talked and chatted,asking and answering questions almost past counting.
Little wonder that such should be the case, so far as Cooper Edgecombewas concerned, since he had been lost to the busy world and its manychanges for a long decade.
Then, too, his own dreary existence held a strange charm for theair-voyagers, and the exile grew wonderfully cheerful and bright-eyedas he in part depicted his struggles to sustain life against such heavyodds, and still strove to keep alive that one hope,--that even yet hemight be able to discover a clew to his loved and lost ones.
"Not alive; I have long since abandoned that faint hope. But if I mightonly find something to make sure, something that I could pray over, thenbury where my heart could hover above--"
"You are still alive, good friend, yet you have spent long years outhere in the wilderness," gently suggested the professor.
Edgecombe flinched, as one might when a rude hand touches a still rawwound.
"But they, my wife, my baby girl,--they could never have lived as I haveexisted. They surely must have perished; if not at once, then when thefirst cruel storms of hideous winter came howling down from the farnorth!"
"Unless they were found and rescued by--who knows, my good sir?" forcinga cheerful smile, which, unfortunately, was only surface-born, as theexile lifted his head with a start and a gasping ejaculation. "Since itseems fairly well proven that this supposedly unknown land is actuallyinhabited, why may your loved ones not have been rescued?"
"The Indians? You mean by the Aztecs, sir?"
"If Aztecans they should really prove; why not?"
"But, surely I have heard--sacrifices?" huskily breathed the greatlyagitated man, while the professor, realising how he was making a badmatter worse, brazenly falsified the records, declaring that no humansacrifices had ever stained the record of that noble, honourable,gallant race; and then changed the subject as quickly as might be.
Nevertheless, there was one good effect following that talk. CooperEdgecombe had dreaded nothing so much as the fear of being left behindby these, the first white people he had seen for what seemed more thanan ordinary lifetime; but now, when the professor hinted at a longing totake a spin through ether, for the purpose of winning a wider view,he eagerly seconded that idea, even while realising that it would bedifficult to take him along with the rest.
Still, nothing was definitely settled that evening, and at a fairlyrespectable hour before the turn of night, the air-voyagers were wrappedin their blankets and soundly slumbering.
Not so the exile. Sleep was far from his brain, and while he reallyknew that danger could hardly menace that wondrous bit of ingeniousmechanism, he watched it throughout that long night, ready to risk hisown life in its defence should the occasion arise.
Why not, since his whole future depended upon the aeromotor? By its aidhe hoped to reach civilization once more; and in spite of the greatloss which had wrecked his life, he was thrilled to the centre by thatglorious prospect. Here he was dead while breathing; there he would atleast be in touch with his fellow men once more!
An early meal was prepared by the exile, and in readiness when his trioof guests awakened to the new day; and then, while busily discussingthe really appetising viands placed before them, the next move was fullydetermined upon.
Not a little to his secret delight, the professor heard Edgecombe broachthe subject of further explorations, and seeing that his excitement hadpassed away in goodly measure during the silent watches of the night, hetalked with greater freedom.
"Of course we'll keep in touch with you, here, friend, and take nodecisive move without your knowledge and consent. Our fate shall beyours, and your fate shall be ours. Only--I would dearly love to catch aglimpse of--If there should actually be a Lost City in existence!"
"If there is, as there surely must be one of some description, judgingfrom the number of red men I have seen collecting here at the lake,"observed the exile, "you certainly ought to make the discovery with theaid of your air-ship. You can ascend at will, of course, sir?"
Nothing loath, the professor spoke of his pet and its wondrouscapabilities, and then all hands left the cavern for the outer air, toprepare for action.
As a further assurance, uncle Phaeton begged Edgecombe to enter theaerostat, then skilfully caused the vessel to float upward into clearspace, sailing out over the lake even to the whirlpool itself beforeturning, his passenger eagerly watching every move and touch of hand,asking questions which proved him both shrewd and ingenious, from amechanical point of view.
Returning to their starting-point, Edgecombe sprang lightly to earth tomake way for the brothers, face ruddy and eyes aglow as he again beggedthem all to keep watch for aught which might solve the mystery yetsurrounding the fate of his loved ones.
The promise was given, together with an earnest assurance that theywould soon return; then the parting was cut as short as might be, allfeeling that such a course was wisest and kindest, after all.
For an hour or more the air-ship sped on, high in air, its inmatesviewing the various and varying landmarks beneath and beyond them, allmarvelling at the fact that such an immense scope of country should forso long be left in its native virginity, especially where all are soland-hungry.
Then, as nothing of especial interest was brought to their notice, unclePhaeton quite naturally reverted to that suit of Aztecan armour, andthe glorious possibilities which the words of the exile had opened up tothem as explorers.
Bruno listened with unfeigned interest, but not so his more mercurialbrother, who took advantage of an opening left by the professor, tobluntly interject:
"What mighty good, even if you should find it all, uncle Phaeton? Youcouldn't pick it up and tote it away, to start a dime museum with. And,as for my part,--I'll tell you what! If we could only find somethinglike Aladdin's cave, now!"
"Growing miserly in your old age, are you, lad?" mocked his uncle.
"No; I don't mean just that. His trees were hung with riches, but mineshould be--crammed and crowded full of plum pudding, fruit cake, angelfood, mince pies, and the like! Yes, and there should be fountains oflemonade! And mountains of ice-cream! And sandbars of caramels, andchocolate drops, and trilbies, and--well, now, what's the matter withyou fellows, anyway?"
He spoke with boyish indignation at that laughing outbreak, but thekindly professor quickly managed to smooth the matter over, although notbefore Waldo had promised Bruno a sound thumping the first time they setfoot upon land.
Until past the noon hour that pleasant voyage lasted, without anyremarkable discovery being made, the trio munching a cold lunch at theirease, rather than take the trouble to effect a landing.
But then, not very long after the sun had begun his downward course,there came a change which caused Featherwit's blood to leap through hisveins far more rapidly than usual, for yonder, still a number of milesaway, there was gradually opening to view a hill-surrounded valley ofconsiderable dimension, certain portions of which betrayed signsof cultivation, or at least of vegetation different from aught theexplorers had as yet come across since entering that land of wonders.
Almost unwittingly Professor Featherwit sent the air-ship higher, evenas it sped onward at quickened pace, his face as pale as his eyes wereglittering, intense anticipation holding him spellbound for the timebeing. And then--the wondrous truth!
"Behold!" he cried, shrilly, pointing as he spoke.
"Houses yonder! Cultivated fields, and--see! human beings in motion, whoare--"
"Kicking up a great old bobbery, just as though they'd sighted us, andwanted to know--I
say, uncle Phaeton, how would it feel to get punchedfull of holes by a parcel of bow-arrows?"
With a quick motion the air-ship was turned, darting lower and off ata sharp angle to its former course, for the professor likewise saw whathad attracted the notice of his younger nephew.
Scattered here and there throughout that secluded valley were humanbeings, nearly all of whom had sprung into sudden motion, doubtlessamazed or frightened by the appearance of that oddly shaped air-demon.
Brief though that view had been, it was sufficiently long to show theprofessor houses of solid and substantial shape, cultivated plots, humanbeings, and a little river whose clear waters sparkled and flashed inthe sunlight.
It was very hard to cut that view so short, but the professor had notlost all prudence, and he knew that danger to both vessel and passengersmight follow a nearer intrusion upon the privacy of yonder armed people.Yet his face was fairly glowing with glad exultation as he brought theaerostat to a lower strata of air, shutting off all view from yondervalley, as it lay amid its encircling hills.
"Hurrah!" he cried, snatching off his cap and waving itenthusiastically, as the air-ship floated onward at ease. "At last!Found--we've discovered it at last! And all is true,--all is true!"
"Found what, uncle Phaeton?" asked Waldo, a bit doubtfully.
"The Lost City of the Aztecs, of course! Oh, glad day, glad day!"
"Unless--what if it should prove to be only a--a mirage, uncle Phaeton?"almost timidly ventured Bruno, a moment later.
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