Aeroplane Boys on the Wing Read online

  CHAPTER XI.

  OUT OF THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE.

  Frank took the first watch.

  It was to begin about ten o'clock that night; for both of them hadremained on deck, talking, up to that hour. The night was so comfortableafter the hot day that they disliked going into the sleepingquarters. These happened to face the deck, however, so that the vesselwas admirably suited to cruising in tropical regions.

  "Every thing seems to be going on decently right now," remarked Andy,yawning, as he prepared to have a few hours' sleep.

  "That's so," returned his chum. "But while we've got some of thefaithful ones on duty, we mustn't forget that there may be other snakesaboard. Enrique and the little shouter may not have been all thesympathizers with the revolutionists. And not for a minute will we relaxour vigilance."

  That was Frank's way; and just now Andy fully approved of it. His heartwas so set upon having a chance to use the monoplane in the endeavor todiscover that strange cliff-enclosed valley, where his father wasimprisoned, that he did not mean to take any chances of losing outthrough over confidence.

  So he packed off to his berth, while Frank prepared for three hours oflonely vigil. He expected to make the rounds just about once in sooften, and have a few words with the man at the wheel. Felipe haddeclared that it was his intention to keep busy himself through thenight, since he dared not trust the wheel in the hands of aninexperienced pilot while darkness lasted.

  In the morning he could give directions, and allow an assistant to dothe work, while he secured some rest.

  There was no moon after early in the evening, when the young queen ofthe night disappeared in the west, leaving the bright stars to controlthe skies.

  The boat continued to make good headway against the current, though atthis season of the year the Magdalena is bank full with the summerrains, which fall almost every afternoon in a deluge.

  A searchlight sent a dazzling shaft of light far ahead on the troubledsurface of the booming flood. This was an absolute necessity, forotherwise it would have been too dangerous bucking against that tide;laden as the river was with floating tree trunks of gigantic size, thathad been swept from their resting-places in the lowlands above.

  Once Frank had seen a wild animal crouched on one of these greatlogs. The boat passed so very close to the floating refuge of the beastthat ere darkness claimed the strange craft with its stranger cargo,Frank had been able to see the tawny hide of the crouching beast, andnote the quick, jerky motion of its long tail.

  Upon hurrying to the pilot house and making inquiries of Felipe helearned that, just as he suspected, the animal was a jaguar, the mostfeared inhabitant of the tropical forests away off at the headwaters ofthe Magdalena and Orinoco rivers.

  There was a spice of peril hovering over the progress of the little boatduring every hour of that night. It might come in the sudden leap of awild animal, that judged any port would be better than a floatinglog. Then there was a chance of their running afoul of a monsterderelict, in the shape of a drifting snag, that might punch a hole intheir bow, and bring about trouble.

  On top of all was this unseen peril from the revolutionists, who weremaking the Magdalena country the center of their renewed activity, forsome reason or other, and had their minds set on securing the firstaeroplane ever known to be in Colombia.

  The time passed away. When three hours had really gone, and all seemedwell, Frank awoke his chum. Generous to a fault, he might have held outmuch longer, for he did not feel exhausted; but Andy, who knew him likea book, had made him promise faithfully, on his word of honor, that hewould arouse him at exactly the time agreed upon.

  "Everything lovely, and the goose hangs high!" Frank said, as the otherjoined him presently on deck.

  "That's good," replied Andy. "And as it is now one o'clock, with notrouble doing, looks good to me that we'll pull through the nightwithout a mess."

  "You never can tell," observed the careful Frank. "And the only way todo is to act just as if you felt positive something was bound to cropup."

  "I know it," came the reply, as Andy started to walk up and down a bit,so as to get the last remnant of drowsiness out of his system.

  For an hour he found little trouble in keeping awake. He made frequenttrips to where Felipe stood at his wheel, his keen eyes keeping constantvigil ahead, in order that he might steer clear of such snags asthreatened to stove a hole in the hull of the steam yacht.

  Now and then Andy could see one of the crew moving about; but as some ofthem must have duties to perform, even in the night, he did not lookupon this as a suspicious circumstance. Only, he made sure that no onewandered in the near vicinity of the locked lazerette, where theprecious monoplane lay, securely crated.

  In some places the river proved much narrower than in others. And, ofcourse, it was here they had their greatest trouble. The current wasincreased, for one thing. Then the floating objects swept forward withmore speed, so that it required additional dexterity in order to avoidthem.

  But old Felipe knew his business well. Andy believed they had made nomistake in leaving matters fully in his hands.

  It was about the end of his second hour that the pilot volunteered someinformation that gave Andy more or less uneasiness.

  "Just ahead, young senor," he said, when for the fifth time the boyentered his deck pilot house, "we come to the narrowest place in thewhole river at this section. And there, if anywhere, I expect that theywill be waiting for us."

  "Do you mean the revolutionists?" exclaimed Andy, interested instantly.

  "No other, senor. If we manage to get past there, all will be well. Butthey may be encamped on both shores, and demand that we draw in underpenalty of being fired on," Felipe went on, without removing hissnapping black eyes for even a single second from the ever-movingpanorama of shifting water and floating debris, that the searchlightdisclosed ahead of the laboring boat.

  "But nothing must tempt us to obey; no matter if they send volleysaboard. The distance is too far for them to do much damage; and I hearthey are as a rule pretty punk shooters."

  Felipe may hardly have known what that word meant, but he could give aguess.

  "But sometimes, young senor, they even have cannon!" he remarked.

  "You don't say!" ejaculated Andy, in new alarm; but he quickly caughthimself, and went on. "Let 'em try it then. We'll just shut off thesearchlight, and take our chances for a while with the old floaters onthe river. Then perhaps they won't see anything to bang awayat. Anyhow, just make up your mind, Felipe, we don't haul in, not whilethe blessed old tub keeps above water."

  "It is good to hear such brave talk," said the old pilot,chuckling. "Me, I will keep going straight ahead, no matter what comes,until I have the order from you to turn the boat. Yes, let them shoot,senor. After all, I do not believe they could hit the side of a palacein this dark."

  All the same Andy thought he ought to arouse his cousin, and make Frankaware of the new threatening peril.

  On hearing the facts, Frank agreed with all the one on guard said, evento being ready to extinguish the useful searchlight when the criticalmoment arrived.

  "We'll just have to take chances, that's all," he declared. "Even if wecame swat up against one of those floaters, that's no reason we'd besnagged and sunk. They make these boats pretty strong, over there acrossthe big pond, and I guess our hull could stand a hard punch."

  "Yes," remarked Andy, feeling easier, now that Frank was on deck, readyto take matters in his able hands; "and after all, it's a choice betweentwo bad things, in which we pick out the lesser. Hang the oldinsurrectoes, I say! Why can't they just pay attention to their ownbusiness, and let us two peaceful Bird boys alone?"

  "Well," laughed his chum, "you know how it is yourself, when you wantsomething pretty hard. And they've got the notion in their stubbornheads that if they only had a modern, up-to-date aeroplane, they couldjust make the miserly old government come to terms instanter. Don'tblame them too much, Andy. Maybe you and I would do the same t
hing--ifwe were Colombians, and on the outs."

  "Looks to me like there was something like a fire ahead, Frank!"declared Andy, right at that juncture.

  "I say, you're on the spot every time, old fellow," observed the other,as he shaded his eyes to look. "There's a sharp turn ahead, where Felipesays we enter the narrow place. And I honestly believe they've got abonfire burning on the right-hand bank."

  "Then, after all, shutting off our bully little searchlight won't do usmuch good," complained Andy, regretfully.

  "Don't you believe it," Frank hastened to remark. "A fire isn't going toreach all the way across the river, which is pretty wide, even at itsnarrowest part. And depend on it, our clever old wheelsman will keepjust as snug up against the left hand shore as he dares go."

  All the same, despite these assurances from his cheerful chum, Andyconfessed to a secret feeling of apprehension as they drew closer to thepoint of land beyond which the danger possibly lay in wait.

  It seemed to him that every conceivable species of peril threatened thesacred enterprise, upon which he had so eagerly embarked. From varioussources did harm hover over their heads. And even though they passedsafely through all these, there must be many more to come, after theyhad launched their little airship, and started to explore the strangeregions of this tropical land.

  "It's a fire, all right, Frank," he said, as they negotiated the bend,and opened up a new vista ahead.

  "Yes, that's so for a fact," returned his chum. "And notice, will you,Andy, how old Felipe has managed to keep over well toward the portshore. He sized up the situation all right, and knew how to act."

  "Yes, Felipe tells me he used to serve in the army. Many a battle he hasbeen through, not only in Colombia, but in other countries as well. Hewas once something of a soldier of fortune. But where are you going,Frank?" as his comrade started to leave him.

  "I must warn the crew to keep out of sight, or they may be hit, if therehappens to be any shooting going on," called the other, over hisshoulder.

  He found that every member of the crew seemed to be awake, as if theyhad talked the situation over, and also guessed where the trouble wouldlie in wait for the venturesome young Americano senors.

  So Frank gave his warning, and saw that they obeyed. While they were inhis employ he felt a certain degree of interest in these ragged fellows,and did not wish to be held responsible for any damage they mightreceive, if inclined to be reckless at times.

  When he once more reached Andy's side the latter was looking through apair of marine glasses they had fetched along, thinking they would proveespecially valuable in scrutinizing the country over which they might bepassing in the aeroplane.

  "They're our friends, the revolutionists, I reckon," he announced. "Ican see several who carry big swords that dangle around their heels. Andthe common soldiers, while they have little if any uniforms, and some ofthem no shoes, seem to all have guns in their hands. Here, look andtell me what that is on the little rise. I'm afraid our worst fears aregoing to come true."

  "Well, you're right, Andy," replied the other, after he had clapped thebinoculars to his eyes. "That's a cannon, all the same, and they'regetting ready to shoot!"

  "Oh! my! It makes a fellow's flesh just creep, to think of being bangedaway at with a great big cannon!" declared Andy.

  "This one isn't so very big, I think. And now we're nearly oppositewhere the fire burns. They're going to make a move to show theirhand. Drop down flat on the deck, Andy--quick with you!" and Frank, ashe spoke, set the example himself.

  Hardly had the two boys thus thrown themselves down than there was aheavy boom, accompanied by a brilliant flash of fire from the shore.

  The revolutionists had fired upon the little steam yacht!