Part 10 (1/2)

But in this the leader of the party of adventurers turned out to be wrong, for when they awoke the next morning the grove did not contain the professor or his red wagon. Only the ashes of his fire were there to tell of his sojourn. But on one of the trees they found pinned a note.

”Sorry to leave so abruptly, but circ.u.mstances compelled. Perhaps we shall meet again. Who knows!”

And that, for many days, was to be the last they saw of the professor. When they re-encountered him--but of the surprising circ.u.mstances under which this was to take place we shall learn later.

CHAPTER VIII

A DESERT FIGHT

There was too much before them for the party to spend much time in speculation concerning the professor's sudden disappearance.

Immediately after breakfast Mr. Bell called the boys aside and said:

”How long will it take to get an aeroplane ready?”

The question came briskly, as did all Mr. Bell's speeches.

”I think I can promise to have a machine ready for flight by noon,”

was Roy's rejoinder after a brief interval of thought.

”Good! In that case we will waste no time in getting to work. I am anxious to reach the mine and stake it out properly for claim filing purposes. The less delay the better.”

It was news to both boys that the definite legal claim to his discovery had not yet been made by Mr. Bell.

”Well, at any rate you are not likely to be bothered by claim jumpers away off here,” commented Roy.

”No, I hardly think so,” was the response, ”but in these matters one cannot be too careful. Since the news spread that I have struck it rich there are men capable of enduring any hards.h.i.+p if there exists a possibility of wresting it from me.”

”I should have thought that in order to be on the safe side you would have filed your claim before you came East,” put in Peggy, who had joined the little group of consultants.

”I would have done so were it not for the fact that to have filed my claim and given the location would have set on my track the entire, restless gold-seeking horde that hangs about desert towns,” said Mr.

Bell, with some warmth. ”It is an outrageous thing, but nevertheless a fact, that the moment one files a claim it becomes public property. In my opinion the government should protect the locator of a gold find.”

”But would that be quite fair to the others,” said Peggy softly.

”Shouldn't everybody have an opportunity to develop natural resources?”

Mr. Bell gazed at her admiringly.

”You are right, my dear, and I'm a selfish old bear,” he said, ”but just the same, not all gold-seekers make desirable neighbors. Many desperate men are among them.”

Peggy's mind wandered back to that midnight conversation she had overheard on the porch of the National House. But the same dread of ridicule that she had experienced then still held her, and she refrained from mentioning it.

By noon, with such good will did they work, that not only was one of the monoplanes erected and ready for flight, but a second was partially a.s.sembled, and only required the finis.h.i.+ng touches to be in readiness for its aerial dash. While the boys, with the girls eagerly helping them, worked on the flying machine, Mr. Bell carefully studied a map he had made of the mine's location, and tested his compa.s.s. This done he--as sailors say--”laid out a course” for himself. From the springs the mine lay about due southeast and some hundred and twenty miles away.

In case of accidents the mining man traced carefully a second map, which was to be left behind in the camp so as to be constantly available in case anything happened to the first one, it had been decided that Jimsy, who by this time had become quite a skillful aviator, was to accompany Mr. Bell in the preliminary flight.

Roy and Mr. Peter Bell were to be left in charge of the camp, and in the event of the first aeroplane not returning that night the second, one was to be dispatched in search of it.

As an old plainsman, Mr. Bell had not laid his plans without taking into consideration the possibility of accident to the aeroplane, and none realized better than he did what serious consequences such an accident might have.