Part 15 (1/2)

The planter shrugged his shoulders.

”That I am unable to tell you, amigos, since I have never been there. From all I have heard I believe it is one of the wildest and most inaccessible regions in all our country. Lofty peaks warn back the most daring explorer. Few have ever ventured to attempt to go among them. Some never came back, they say. The superst.i.tious declare those mountains are filled with evil things. Nothing on earth could tempt one of my peons to accompany an expedition thither.”

”Then it is lucky that we will not need any a.s.sistance in our adventure,” remarked Frank. ”With an aeroplane one may be independent of help. And now, Andy, what shall we do? It will take us the better part of the day to a.s.semble our little flier and get things ready for an ascent.”

”That means another horrible night of waiting before we can make a start,” said Andy, looking quite forlorn.

But he soon understood that it could not be helped. Both boys were presently hard at work, with the deeply interested planter watching every move. All the while they conversed and the subject of pretty much all their talk had more or less to do with the country, the peculiarities of climate, what sort of weather they might expect to have and dozens of similar matters.

Doubtless Senor Mendoza would like to hear of things connected with the great outside world, which he seldom saw anything of, but he realized that these would keep until after the brave young senors had completed their task of humanity.

Before evening came they had everything arranged to suit the critical Frank. Both boys were pleased to find that the monoplane had come through its long journey without any damage having been done.

That night they were uneasy about the precious airs.h.i.+p, and at their request the planter had their beds made up in the shed where the ”Bug”

lay. But there was no attempt made to injure it in the least.

Then came the morning. Andy could hardly eat a bite of breakfast, for the eagerness that possessed his soul. Every servant on the plantation had gathered to look with awe upon the wonderful bird-like machine, on which, it was whispered, these two venturesome young Americanos meant to soar among the clouds.

Finally the last word was spoken, the planter shook hands with each of his visitors, Frank turned on the power, the aeroplane with the motor exhaust sounding like a volley of musketry started to run along the level ground, and presently, to the consternation of the entire gathering, began to climb upward, just like a creature of magic!

Cries of awe arose from scores of throats and to a man the peons threw themselves flat on their faces, hardly daring to look at the terrifying spectacle.

CHAPTER XV.

AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE.

”At last, Frank, we're on the move!”

”Yes,” replied the one at the wheel, as the cries and cheers from below were drowned by the volleying motor explosions; ”and did you see the senor kissing his hand after us, while his men were flat on their faces?”

”It was a queer sight,” Andy remarked. ”And no wonder these ignorant peons call our little monoplane a 'devil-bird.'”

”Look down now. Just to think of two Yankee boys being allowed to swing over a tropical scene like that,” said Frank.

Both of them were deeply interested. In the valley they could see the little town, with the river stretching off toward the south. Then there were the patches of tropical vegetation, the fruit trees and the cocoa plantations--all those interesting things which neither of them had ever set eyes on before.

Senor Mendoza had told them how the coffee was grown upon a certain part of the mountain slopes, since it did not do well in the valleys, preferring a higher alt.i.tude.

They followed the course of the river generally, intending to cover possibly something like eighty or ninety miles before trying to comb the land from side to side, in the endeavor to find the strange cliff enclosed valley.

From time to time Andy would call the attention of his aeroplane chum to some striking feature of the landscape far below. The little Kinkaid motor was humming merrily, without ever missing a stroke, and Frank, having the utmost confidence in its steadiness now, after so many trial spins, could take a few seconds at a time to observe these things.

”When we've gone something close on an hundred miles direct,” remarked the pilot of the craft, presently, ”I think we'd better make a descent, if given the chance.”

”You spoke of that before,” remarked his companion, anxiously. ”What is the reason for doing it, Frank?”

”Oh, nothing serious,” replied the other. ”We will then be at the parting of the ways, you know.”