CHAPTER XVII. AN ENIGMA FOR THE BROTHERS.
In place of the indulgent smile for which he was playing, Waldo receiveda frown, and directly thereafter the professor spoke in tones whichcould by no possibility be mistaken.
"Come with me, both of you. I am going back to the aerostat, and I darenot leave you boys behind. Come!"
Kind of heart and generally complaisant though uncle Phaeton was,neither Bruno nor Waldo cared to cross his will when made known in suchtones, and without further remonstrance they followed his lead, slippingaway from the snug little observatory without drawing attention tothemselves from any of yonder busy horde.
Not until the trio was fairly within the gulch did the professor speakagain, and then but a brief sentence or two.
"Give me time to weigh the matter, lads. Possibly I may agree, but don'ttry to hurry my cooler judgment, please."
Waldo gave his brother an eager nudge at this, gestures and grimacesbeing made to supply the lack of words. But when, the better to expresshis confidence that all was coming their way, the youngster attempted acaper of delight, his foot slipped from a leaf-hidden stone, and he tookan awkward tumble at full length.
"Never touched me!" he cried, scrambling to his feet ere a hand couldcome to his aid. "Who says I don't know how to stand on both ends at thesame time?"
Barring this little caper, naught took place on their way to theair-ship; and once there, the professor heaved a mighty sigh, wiping hisheated face as one might who has just won a worthy race. But he betrayedno especial haste in setting the flying-machine afloat and Waldo finallyventured:
"Can we help you off, uncle Phaeton?"
But he was assured there existed no necessity for such great haste.
"In fact, it might be dangerous to start while so many of the Aztecs areupon the lookout," came the unexpected addition. "I believe it would bevastly better not to leave here until shortly before dawn, to-morrow."
It took but a few words further to convince the brothers that this ideawas wisest, and while the young fellows felt sorry to have their viewcut so short, neither ventured to actually rebel.
After all, the day was well-nigh spent, and, besides preparing theirevening meal, it was essential that their plans for the immediate futureshould be shaped as thoroughly as possible.
Professor Featherwit had resolved to fetch Cooper Edgecombe to the sceneof interest, in order to give him at least a fair chance to solve theenigma which was perplexing them all. Even so, he felt that no smalldegree of physical danger would attend that presence, particularly ifit should really prove, as they could but suspect, that both wife anddaughter of the involuntary exile were yonder, among the Aztecans.
Much of this the professor made known to his nephews during thatevening, the trio thoroughly discussing the matter in all its bearings,but before the air-ship was prepared for the night's rest, uncle Phaetonmade the youngsters happy by consenting to their remaining behind asguardians to the Lost City, while he went in quest of the balloonist.
"But bear ever in mind the conditions, lads," was his earnestconclusion. "I place you upon your honour to take all possibleprecautions against being discovered, or even running the leastunnecessary risk during my absence."
"Don't let that bother you, uncle Phaeton," Waldo hastened to giveassurance. "We'll be wise as pigeons, and cautious as any old snake youever caught up a tree; eh, Bruno, old man?"
"We promise all you ask, uncle, but does that mean we must stay righthere, without even stealing a weenty peep at the Lost City?"
Professor Featherwit felt sorely tempted to say yes, but then, knowingboyish nature (although Bruno had just passed his majority, while Waldowas "turned seventeen") so well, he feared to draw the reins too tightlylest they give way entirely.
"No; I do not expect quite that much, my lads; but I do count on yourtaking no unnecessary risks, and in case of discovery that yourather trust to flight, and my finding you later on, than to actuallyfighting."
So it was decided, and at a fairly early hour the trio lay down tosleep. Although so unusually excited by the marvellous discoveries ofthe day just spent, their open-air life tended to calm their brains,and, far sooner than might have been expected, sleep crept over them,one and all, lasting until nearly dawn.
Perhaps it was just as well that the wakening was not more early, forthe professor was beginning to regret his weakness of the past evening,and had there been more time for drawing lugubrious pictures of probablemishaps, he might even yet have insisted on taking the youngsters withhim.
Knowing that it was rather more than probable some of the Indians wouldbe stationed upon the hills to watch for the queerly shaped air-demon,the professor felt obliged to lose no further time, and so theseparation was effected, just as the eastern sky was beginning to showstreaks and veins of a new day.
"Touch and go!" cried Waldo, with a vast inhalation as he watched theaeromotor sail away with the swiftness of a bird on wing. "And for aweenty bit I reckoned 'twas you and me as part of the go, too!"
In company the lads enjoyed a more leisurely meal than their relativehad dared wait for, knowing that, at the very least, they would have thewhole of that day to themselves, so far as uncle Phaeton was concerned.As a matter of course, he would not attempt to return except under coverof night, or in the early dawn of another day.
All that had been thoroughly discussed and provided for the eveningbefore, and was barely touched upon by the brothers now. Their first andmost natural thought was of yonder Lost City, with its inhabitants, red,white, and yellow, as Waldo put it; but being still under the forebodingfears of the professor, they finally agreed to remain where he left themuntil after the sun crossed its meridian.
It was a rather early meal which the brothers prepared, if the wholetruth must be told; and the last fragments were bolted rather thanchewed, feet keeping time with jaws, as they hastened towards theobservatory.
There was pretty much the same sort of view as on the day before, themain difference being that many of the Indians were labouring in thefields, instead of watching for the air-demon.
Using the glass by turns, the lads kept eager watch for the white womenwhom Waldo stubbornly persisted were within the town; but hour afterhour passed without the desired reward, and Bruno began to doubt whetherthere was any such vision to be won.
"The sun was in your eyes, and you let mad fancy run away with yourbetter judgment, boy," he decided, at length. "If not, why--what now?"
For Waldo gave a low, eager exclamation, gripping the field-glass asthough he would crush in the reinforced leather case. A few momentsthus, then he laughed in almost fierce glee, thrusting the glass towardshis brother, speaking excitedly:
"A crazy fool lunatic, am I? Well, now, you just take a squint at theold house for yourself and see if--biting you, now, is it?"
For Bruno showed even more intense interest as he caught the right line,there taking note of--yes, they surely were white women! Faces, hair,all went to proclaim that fact. And more than that, even.
"Fair--lovely as a painter's dream!" almost painfully breathed the elderGillespie. "I never saw such a lovely--"
"Injun squaw, of course. Couple of 'em. Nobody but a fool would everthink different. The idea of finding white women--"
"They are ladies, Waldo! I never saw such--and I feel that they must bethe ones lost by poor Edgecombe when that storm--"
"That's all right enough, old fellow," interrupted Waldo, claiming theglass once more. "No need of your playing the porker on legs, though, asI see. Give another fellow a chance to squint. But aren't they regularjo-dandies, though, for a fact?"
The two women in question, clad in flowing robes of white, lit up hereand there by a dash of colour, were slowly pacing to and fro upon thetemple where first discovered by the keen-eyed youngster. Thanks to theexcellent glass, it was possible to view them clearly in spite of thedistance, and there could be no dispute upon that one point: both motherand daughter (granting that such was their relationship)
were more thanordinarily fair and comely of both face and person.
For the better part of an hour that slow promenade lasted, and untilthe women finally passed beyond their range of vision, the brothers tookeager and copious notes. Then, in spite of the fact that scores of otherfigures still came within their field of vision, curiosity lagged.
"It's like watching a street medicine show, after hearing Patti orseeing Irving," muttered Bruno, drawing back and stretching his weariedlimbs beyond possible discovery.
"Or the A B C class playing two-old-cat, after a league game of extrainnings; right you are, my hearty!" coincided Waldo, feeling pretty muchthe same way, "only with a difference."
Shortly after this, Bruno suggested a retreat to the rendezvous, and fora wonder his brother agreed without amendment.
The brothers passed down to the gulch, which formed the easiest routeto their refuge, saying very little, and that in lowered tones. Theconfirmation so recently won served to stir their hearts deeply, andneither boy could as yet see a way out of the labyrinth that discoverymost assuredly opened up before them.
"Of course we can't leave them there to drag on such a wretchedexistence," declared Bruno. "We couldn't do that, even though we learnedthey held no relationship to Mr. Edgecombe. But--how?"
"I reckon it's--what?" abruptly spoke Waldo, gripping an arm andstopping short for a few seconds, but then impulsively springing onwardagain as wild sounds arose from no great distance.
A score of seconds later they caught sight of a huge grizzly bear inthe act of falling upon a slender stripling, whose bronze hue as surelyproclaimed one of the Aztec children from yonder Lost City.
What was to be done? Disobey their uncle, or leave this lad to perish?
The Lost City Page 17
