CHAPTER XV
AT THE MINING CAMP
“What’s the matter? What’s the trouble?” cried the hotel clerk, running up.
“Aw, dere’s a guy in dere what’s got bats in his belfrey, boss,” explained the bell boy, in his choicest slang. “He’s a bug-house.”
“Is he a friend of yours?” asked the clerk of Jerry.
“If it’s Professor Snodgrass, he is,” replied the lad, “but I can’t imagine what makes him act so,” for the pounding on the walls continued.
“Well, we’ll soon see!” exclaimed the clerk. “Here, Jim, you and Jack break down that door, and stand ready to grab the lunatic. He’ll smash the hotel.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to see if the door is locked, before smashing it in?” suggested Mr. Duncan. “You may alarm the unfortunate man unnecessarily if you break it down.”
“I’ll open it,” said Jerry, eagerly, and he tried the knob. It turned readily and Jerry stepped into the room. The others followed timidly but they need have had no fears. For, no sooner had Jerry stepped over the threshold than the professor, for it was the scientist in the room, cried out:
“Oh, Jerry, I’m so glad you’ve come. Help me to get him! I can’t reach him!”
“What is it?” asked the lad, looking about, and noting that nothing in the room had been disturbed, in spite of the terrific racket.
“It’s a new kind of water bug,” explained the professor. “One with red stripes down his back. I must get the specimen, but it is so high up on the wall that I can’t reach it, even by standing on a chair. I tried to jar it down, by pounding on the walls, but the little beauty is still there. See, there he is!” and Mr. Snodgrass pointed to a curious insect high upon the wall.
“Was that what made the pounding?” demanded the hotel clerk, evidently much chagrined.
“It was, my dear sir,” replied the professor calmly. “I knocked as softly as I could, yet I felt I must have that bug. It is worth a hundred dollars at least.”
“Say, the hotel’s full of ’em,” murmured the bell boy. “I’ll catch you a dozen for a quarter.”
“Ah, but they have no red stripes down their backs,” declared the scientist. “Help me get this one, Jerry.”
Jerry said little. In fact there was not much he could say. The professor gazed calmly at the crowd that had entered his room. Then he inquired mildly:
“Has there been a fire, or anything like that?”
“No, only a little excitement,” responded Mr. Duncan, trying not to smile. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, of course. Why shouldn’t I be?”
“I didn’t know,” murmured Mr. Duncan, turning aside.
Jerry got on a chair, and, being tall, soon had the red-striped water bug, which the professor carefully put in his specimen box. Then, as the janitors, clerk, bell boy and chambermaid withdrew, the professor remarked:
“When I left the airship I saw a rare specimen of a Buffalo bug-moth on a lady in the crowd. I captured that and then I saw several other valuable specimens. I was so busy making a collection, for this is a wonderful town for bugs, that, before I knew it, night had fallen. I inquired my way to the hotel, and I knew you would find me as soon as the cable was strung. Isn’t it nearly done, Jerry?”
“It’s all finished,” replied the lad. “We had started off without you, when we suddenly remembered that you were not with us, and we came back. Then the chambermaid said——”
Jerry paused, somewhat embarrassed.
“Yes, what did she say?” asked the professor, innocently. “Did she know of any more of these bugs?”
“I guess not,” finished Jerry. “But I came back to get you, professor.” He did not mention the alarm the scientist had innocently caused.
“Oh, you needn’t have been in any hurry. I was enjoying myself here. I never saw so many rare bugs in one town before, in all my life.”
“Well, are you ready to go on with us?” inquired the tall lad.
“Oh, yes, I suppose so. I must soon begin to search for my flying lizard amid the mountains. Yes, I am ready to go.”
Looking carefully to see that he still had the red-striped water bug, the professor gathered up his belongings, and, after paying his small hotel bill, left with Jerry.
Once more they started off, and all that night the Comet made good time, skimming along just beneath the clouds. The next two days were devoid of incident, and they covered a number of miles. Occasionally, in the next week, they descended to replenish their supply of gasolene and oil, or to buy fresh provisions. The ship was behaving admirably, and they expected, in about three days more, to reach their destination. They had telegraphed Jim Nestor, the veteran miner, that they would soon be with him.
They reached the first range of the Rockies late one afternoon, and that night began their flight across them.
“Just think of it, boys,” announced Jerry. “We’ll soon be over Pike’s Peak!”
“If nothing happens,” remarked Bob.
They recalled the remark of the stout lad the next day, when, as they were sailing along over a high range, there came a sudden snap, and one of the planes that had been damaged when Noddy had run away with the car, broke.
Instantly the Comet began to fall, since the gas bag was not filled to the usual capacity.
“We’re going down!” yelled Ned.
“Keep cool,” advised Jerry, as he shut off the power. “I think I can glide down safely.”
“Shan’t I start the gas machine?” yelled Bob.
“Yes,” replied Jerry. “Maybe we can make enough to bear us up before we hit anything solid.”
But the vapor could not be generated fast enough to do any good, and it looked as if the Comet was going to strike the earth with force enough to demolish it. Jerry, however, kept his head, and, by the skillful use of the deflecting rudder he threw up the head of the craft so that, striking a heavy strata of air, the ship slid down on it, like a sled upon the ice. The craft came to the ground with considerable force, but the improved springs in the starting wheels took up most of the shock, and the boys suffered no more than a severe jolt.
“Well, we came down out of that fairly well,” remarked Jerry, with a sigh of relief. “Now we’ll see if we can fix things.”
“Guess we’d better wait until morning,” suggested Ned, after a glance at the broken plane. “We’ll have to cut a new frame for it.”
Jerry agreed with this, and, after tying the craft securely, to prevent it being blown away during a high wind, the boys prepared to spend the night on top of one of the higher ranges of the Rockies. They were undisturbed, save for the far-off howls of some big mountain lions.
They set to work in the morning, and, by dint of hard work, had the repairs made by noon. Then, at Ned’s earnest request they did go on a mountain lion hunt. But the lions seemed to prefer darkness to daylight, and the only one seen was a small specimen, which Ned killed after three shots. He wanted to save the skin of it, but his chums persuaded him that he could get larger and better specimens where they were going. As usual, the professor began a search for insects as soon as the landing was made, and he kept it up until they were ready to start.
“But I didn’t get my flying lizard,” he complained. “Still, I have hopes.”
They started again, early the next morning, and Jerry set the motor at a good speed to make up for lost time. Toward evening, of the second day, when they had crossed the extreme end of a range known as the Magollon Mountains, and were sailing over a wide valley, Bob suddenly called out:
“Doesn’t that place look familiar, down there?” He pointed to a small settlement. Jerry seized the telescope from his chum, and applied it to his eye.
“It does!” he announced excitedly. “That’s the settlement near our mine. We ought to sight our diggings in a few minutes.”
“Go lower down,” advised Ned.
Jerry shifted the deflecting rudder, and, a moment later, the Comet was nearing the earth. There could now be observed numbers of miners running about, and pointing upward. Nearer and nearer to the earth came the airship. Then Ned cried:
“There it is! There’s the place. I see the hut we used to live in, when we opened the mine! Hurrah! We’re here at last, fellows!”
“And ready to solve the mystery of the valley,” added Jerry in a low voice.
“There’s some one waving at you,” remarked the professor, pointing to a man who was vigorously swinging his hat.
“Jim! It’s old Jim Nestor!” cried Bob, who had good eyes. “Jim is waiting for us!”
Down glided the airship. She was at the end of the first part of her trip. But a harder voyage was yet ahead of her and the boys.