CHAPTER XVI. CAN IT BE TRUE?
That announcement came with all the force of a bolt from the blue, andeven the professor dropped his glasses with a gasp of amazement, whileBruno would have leaped to his feet, only for the hasty grab which hisbrother made at the tail of his coat.
"White--where? Surely it cannot be that--Edgecombe--"
"Augh, take a tumble, boy!" ejaculated Waldo, giving a jerk thatrendered compliance nearly literal, though scarcely full of grace. "Wantto have the whole gang make a howling break this way? Want to--They'rewhite all right, though!"
"Where? Which direction? Point them out, and--I fail to see anythingwhich would bear out your--"
The professor was sweeping yonder field with his glass, searching forthe primal cause of that latest excitement, but without success. No signof a white face, male or female, rewarded his efforts, and he turned aninquiring gaze upon the youngster.
Waldo was peering from beneath the shade of his hand, but now drew backwith a long breath, to slowly shake his head.
"They've gone now, but I did see them, and they were white, just aswhite as--as anything!"
Bruno frowned a bit at that unsatisfactory conclusion, but the professorwas of more equable temper, for a wonder. He smilingly shook his head,while gazing kindly, then spoke:
"I myself might have made the same error, Waldo, but you surely were inerror, for once."
"What! You mean I never saw those white women, uncle Phaeton?"
"No, no, I am not so seriously faulting your eyesight, my dear boy,"came the swift assurance. "But even the best of us are open to errors,and there were in olden times not a few Aztecs with fair skins; notexactly white, yet comparatively fair when their race was considered.And, no doubt, Waldo, you saw just such another a bit ago."
But the youngster was not so easily shaken in his own opinion.
"There were a couple of 'em, not just such another, uncle. And they werewhite,--pure white as ever the Lord made a woman! And--why, didn't I seetheir hair, long and floating loose? And wasn't that yellow as--as gold,or the sunshine itself?"
"Yellow hair?"
"Yes, indeedy! Yellow hair, white skins,--faces, anyway. Blondes, thecouple of 'em; and to that I'll make my davy!"
And so the youngster maintained with even more than usual sturdiness,when questioned more closely, pointing out the very spot upon which thestrange beings were standing, the top of a large, tall building, clearlyone of the series of temples.
In vain the field-glass was fixed upon that particular point. The partlyroofed azotea was wholly devoid of human life, and though watch wasmaintained in that direction for many minutes thereafter, by one orother of the air-voyagers, naught was seen to confirm the assertion madeby the younger Gillespie.
For the moment that fact or fancy dominated all other interests, for,granting that Waldo had not been misled by a naturally fair Indian face,there was room for a truly startling inference.
"Could it actually be they?" muttered Bruno, face pale and eyesglittering with intense interest. "Could they have escaped with lifefrom the balloon, and been here ever since?"
"You mean--"
"The wife and child of Cooper Edgecombe,--yes! Who else could they be,unless--I'd give a pretty penny for one fair squint at them, right now!If there was only some method of--It would hardly do to venture downyonder, uncle Phaeton?"
The professor gave a stern gesture of denial, frowning as though heanticipated an actual break for yonder town, in spite of the oddsagainst them.
"That would be madness, Bruno! Worse than madness, by far! Look atyonder warriors, all thoroughly armed, and eager to drink blood as everthey were in centuries gone by! They are hundreds, if not thousands,while we are but three! Madness, my boy!"
"Four, with Mr. Edgecombe, uncle."
"And that means a complete host so long as we are backed up by theair-ship," declared Waldo, in his turn. "Those fellows!" with a sniff oftrue boyish scorn for aught that was not fully up to date. "What couldthey do, if we were to open fire on them just once?"
"Prove our equals, man for man, armed as they assuredly are," justas vigorously affirmed the professor, inclined rather to magnify thandiminish the importance of these, his so recently discovered people."You forget how the Aztecans fought Cortez and his mailed hosts. Yetthese are one and identical, so far as valour and training and blood cango."
"Huh! Scared of a runty horse so badly that they prayed to 'em as theydid to their own gods!" sniffed Waldo, betraying a lore for which he didnot ordinarily receive fair credit. "Why, uncle Phaeton, let you justslam one o' those dynamite shells inside a chief--"
"Nay, Waldo, must I repeat, we are not here for the purpose of conquest,unless by purely amicable methods. There must be no fighting, for oragainst. Savages though most people would be inclined to pronounceyonder race, they are human, with souls and--"
"But I always thought they were heathens, uncle Phaeton?"
The professor subsided at that, giving over as worse than useless theattempt to enlighten the irrepressible youngster, at least for the timebeing.
Silence ruled for some little time, during which each one of the triokept keen watch over the valley, the field-glass changing hands atintervals in order to put all upon an equal footing.
One thing was clear enough unto all: the Indians had been greatlywrought up by the brief appearance of some queerly shaped monster of theair, and while a goodly number of their best warriors had hastened outof the valley and up the difficult passes, in hopes of learning more,still others were astir, weapons in hand, evidently determined to defendtheir lives or their property from any assault, should such be made,whether by known or foreign adversaries.
This busy stir and bustle, combined with the novel architecture and somany varying points of interest, would have been a mental and visualfeast for the trio of air-voyagers, only for that one doubt: werewhite captives actually in yonder temple? And, if white, were they thelong-lost relatives of the aeronaut, Cooper Edgecombe?
Quite naturally the interest displayed by the Indians centred in thequarter of the heavens where that air-demon had been sighted, hence ourfriends saw very little cause for apprehension on their own parts.
Thus they were given a better opportunity for thinking of and thendiscussing the new marvel.
Again did Waldo vow that his eyes had not befooled him. Again hepositively asserted that he had seen two white women, wearing blondehair in loose waves far adown their backs. And once again Bruno, inhalf-awed tones, wondered whether or no they were the mother and childborne away upon the wings of a mighty storm, fifteen long years gone by.
"It is possible, though scarcely credible," admitted uncle Phaeton, ingrave tones, as he wrinkled his brows after his peculiar fashion whenill at ease in his mind. "Edgecombe lived through just such anotherexperience; though, to be sure, he was a man of iron constitution, whilethey were far more delicate, as a matter of course."
"Still, it may have happened so?" persisted Bruno, taking a stronginterest in the matter. "You would not call it too far-fetched, uncle?"
"No. It may have happened. I would rather call it marvellous, yet stillpossible. And if so--"
"There is but a single answer to that supposition, uncle; they must berescued from captivity!" forcibly declared Bruno.
"That's right," confirmed Waldo. "Of course all women and girls--I meanother people's kin--are a tremendous sight of bother and worry, and allthat; but we're white, and so are they."
"We must rescue them; there's nothing else to do," again emphasised theelder Gillespie.
"That is no doubt the proper caper, speaking from your boyish point ofview, my generous-hearted nephews; but--just how?" dryly queried theprofessor. "Have you arranged all that, as well, Bruno?"
"You surely would not abandon them, uncle Phaeton?" asked the youngman, something abashed by that veiled reproof. "To such a horrible fate,too?"
"A fate which they must have endured for fifteen years, provided yourtheory is correct, Bru
no," with a fleeting smile. "Don't mistake me,lads. I am ready and willing to do all that a man of my powers may,provided I see just and sufficient cause for taking decisive action.That is yet lacking. We are not certain that there are white womenyonder. Or, if white women, that they are captives. Or, if captives,that they would thank us for aiding them to escape."
"Why, uncle Phaeton! Think of Mr. Edgecombe, and how--"
"I am thinking of him, and I wish to think yet a little longer," quietlyspoke the professor, "keep a lookout, lads, and if you see aught ofWaldo's fair women, pray notify me."
For the better part of an hour comparative silence reigned, the boysfeasting eyes upon yonder spectacle, their uncle deeply in reverie; butthen he roused up, his final decision arrived at.
"I will do it!" were his first words. "Yes, I will do it!"
"Do what, uncle Phaeton?" asked Waldo, with poorly suppressed eagerness,as he turned towards his relative.
"Go after Cooper Edgecombe,--bringing him here in order that he may,sooner or later, solve this perplexing enigma. Come, boys, we may aswell start back towards the aerostat."
But both youngsters objected in a decided manner, Waldo saying:
"No, no, uncle Phaeton! Why should we go along? You'll be coming rightback, and will be less crowded in the ship if we don't go."
"And we can better wait right here; don't you see, uncle?"
"To keep the Lost City safely found, don't you know? What if it shouldtake a sudden notion to lose itself again?" added Waldo, innocently.
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