“We ain’t goin’ to get up much speed runnin’ through this grass,” he suggested as he kicked his foot into the luxuriant tangle2.
“It’s gettin’ longer all the time,” laughed Phil depositing the fish in the cabin. “Let’s get busy.”
Taking their places in the car the boys, after a careful examination, turned on the power. The propellers3 fell to work and the trembling ship, heaving like a chained monster, strove to free itself. But the force of the propellers only pushed in the frame until, fearful of breaking it, the engine was shut off.
[214]
“Let’s pull her forward a bit,” suggested Phil. “Maybe she’s worn a rut here.”
The boys got out and pushed the ship forward a few yards. And before doing it they beat down the grass as well as they could into three paths for the wheels.
The Loon this time ran forward a few yards and then, one of the landing wheels sinking in softer ground the monoplane whirled in that direction almost at right angles, Frank stopping his engine just in time to prevent his right plane from turning plowshare.
“That’s the right idea,” insisted Frank, “only we didn’t go far enough. Let’s tramp down a longer road.”
This was done with considerable effort and another trial made after each irregularity had been smoothed to the best of the boys’ ability. The monoplane sprang forward but again it touched in the grass at the end of the improvised4 roadway and the strain on the plane truss became alarmingly apparent. Twice more the start was attempted on an enlarged runway, and each time the propellers were shut off just in time to prevent an accident. At half past[215] six the two boys, hot and dusty, their shoes and clothing still wet and heavy from crawling on the dusty ground, stopped for rest in half despair.
“I got it,” exclaimed Phil suddenly.
“We’ve both got it where we can’t get it out,” answered Frank, rubbing his stiffened5 fingers.
“The camp ain’t far from here,” went on Phil. “We know that.”
“Somewhere over that hill,” answered Frank pointing to the western edge of the grass meadow.
“And it’s at the mouth of the creek6,” said Phil. “We could get to the camp by following the Fording down to the Elk7.”
“That’s exactly what we’d do if we could get a start,” was Frank’s reply.
“It’s exactly what I can do without a start,” persisted Phil. “Get aboard. You can get away like a top with a little help. I’ll give you the shove that will do the trick at the right moment.”
“You—” began Frank.
“Then I’ll walk to camp. It can’t be far.”
[216]
“You’re crazy,” exclaimed Frank.
“We’re dumb-heads for not thinkin’ about it before,” went on Phil. “It’s supper time and that mess of trout8 is spoilin’. I’ll see your camp fire as soon as I get through the river channel, even if it is dark.”
“I’ll draw cuts to see who does it.”
“Gimme that flash light,” went on Phil. “If I ain’t there by dark, send ‘Grizzly9’ Hosmer up the creek for me. I’ll flash a light every five minutes after dark.”
“An’ stick to the river!” urged Frank.
“You’re off,” laughed Phil sticking the electric flash light in his pocket. “But say,” he added, “let me take your automatic—I may meet a grizzly on the hill.”
Handing Phil his new revolver Frank hesitatingly took his place in the cabin. In another moment the Loon made another spurt10 and Phil, sprinting11 behind, successfully gave it the last push that cleared the gluelike grass.
“Good-bye,” yelled Phil. There was a wave of Frank’s hand and the silver planes of the airship tilted12 as the monoplane veered13 to the west. Long before the birdlike craft had disappeared[217] over the Hog14 Back range, Phil was trudging15 stoutly16 toward the Fording.
Reaching the summit of the big hill, Frank expected to see a valley and some sign of the camp. Instead, he saw only an expanse of lodge-pole pine trees and a second and lower range about four miles distant. He immediately turned north until he was over the river and then followed its course until the stream made its way through a rift17 in the second range. For a better view he had gone up to one thousand feet. From the summit of the second range he easily made out the Elk River and then, still following the Fording, was soon relieved to catch sight of their junction18.
Ten minutes after he started and having covered seven miles, as he estimated, the Loon shot southward to a landing much like the deceitful one in Grass Meadow. There was much revolver firing and yelling as the Loon made a spiral drop. But Frank’s face and the absence of Phil stopped the jollification. The four camp tents had been pitched, the wagons20 parked and Mr. Mackworth and his guests were seated in comfortable camp chairs watching Jake’s supper[218] preparations when Frank reached the camp. But the lone21 aviator22 gave these things little attention.
It had seemed a simple enough thing for Phil to follow the river to camp. But as Frank traced its winding23 course and saw its rocky brier-lined shore up to the very edge of which the thick pine trees crowded, he realized that his chum had no easy task before him. Certainly it would be dark long before Phil could cover the seven miles, and that meant feeling his way through a tangled24 forest without even a trail.
Frank told his story in a frightened, excited manner.
“He can’t make two mile an hour follerin’ the river,” volunteered “Grizzly” Hosmer.
“Why didn’t he come over the Hog Back?” asked Skinner. “He’d saved a lot.”
“Regrets won’t mend matters,” interrupted Mr. Mackworth soberly. “‘Grizzly,’” he added, “you know the country best. Isn’t there a trail from here through the woods to the hill?”
“A plain one,” was Hosmer’s response.
[219]
“Well, you start at once with an extra horse and hurry to Hog Back Cut. You can probably get there before the boy does, as he has four miles to cover in that valley over there. Bring him home by the trail.”
In a few minutes Hosmer had saddled and was off. Both Sam Skinner and Frank wanted to join him but Mr. Mackworth thought the guide would travel quicker alone. Frank made a perfunctory examination of the camp and then remembered his fish.
The moment Mr. Mackworth saw them he demanded a detailed25 story of the fishing experience.
“To-morrow,” said Mr. Mackworth at last, “we go trout fishing. And, if we have luck like this, I think we’ll stop here a few days. It’s the finest string of fish I ever saw.”
“Give me one of these boys,” exclaimed Captain Ludington, taking Phil’s 3? pound fish up to admire it once more, “and I won’t care very much whether I get a sheep or not.”
It was too late for Jake to bake the fish that night but they were prepared and salted for breakfast. The evening meal was a wonder as[220] a camp product but no great hilarity26 accompanied it. And when it was over and the men had gone to their pipes and cigars Frank sat apart, far from cheerful, straining his ears for returning hoof27 beats. Eight o’clock and nine o’clock went by. Mr. Mackworth had long since begun to show anxiety. Nor did Captain Ludington and Lord Pelton conceal28 their solicitude29. Jake kept his cook fire blazing brightly as a guide to the returning wanderers.
At ten o’clock, the anxious and silent party were suddenly stirred by the sound of a distant shot and then, on the edge of the forest bordering the meadow, Frank caught the flash of a light. Followed closely by Skinner he ran in the direction of the sound and light.
“Now you see what you did,” exclaimed Frank as he came up with two horses hurrying forward in the moonlight and made out that Phil was on the rear one.
“We’d have both been there,” answered Phil, “if I hadn’t. But say, it’s a good thing Mr. Hosmer was there to stop me. I couldn’t follow the river. I had to take to the meadow. And that hill! Whew! But say,” he went on[221] with a chuckle—“first blood for me. See what’s here.”
An animal lay across Phil’s saddle.
“You don’t need to tell me what that is,” sniffed30 Frank. “It’s a billy goat. I can smell him.”
“A yearlin’ kid,” explained “Grizzly.” “Jist right fur brilin’ ur roastin’.”
Then it dawned on Frank.
“Why that’s what we’re here for, Rocky Mountain goats. Has it got horns?”
“Toothpicks,” laughed Phil. “But I saw some real ones.”
“Regular big ones?” asked Frank, his interest rising.
“Well, big enough to shoot, I reckon,” answered Phil. “Certainly big enough to climb some. I wish I’d had my rifle. That’s what you did by lettin’ me send my rifle in the wagon19.”
At this point the little cavalcade31 encountered Mr. Mackworth who had also come out to meet the party. At sight of the goat he asked immediately for all details.
“You see,” he said turning to Captain Ludington[222] and Lord Pelton who were just behind him, “we don’t have to go far to find ’em. And we’re just as likely to scare up a fine one right here as in the big mountains.”
“These were pretty middlin’ big,” explained Phil, trying to be conservative. “And there was a pile of ’em. I counted thirty anyway.”
“Why did you shoot such a little one?” interrupted Frank.
“I didn’t,” replied Phil. “That is I didn’t mean to. I aimed at the biggest Billy there, but I hit the little one.”
In the laugh that followed the party reached camp. While Jake prepared some supper for the late arrivals, Phil told his story.
“I got to the river,” he said, “and found that it was no place to travel. Then I cut across the valley straight for the hills. But I don’t think they are hills. They are what I call mountains. I saw I couldn’t walk over them; it was a climb. Well, finally, I got up but I was a wishin’ for the Loon you can bet. And when I got where I could get a peek32 on the other side and saw nothing but pine trees I knew I was on the wrong track. I couldn’t get through them and keep any bearings.
[223]
“There wasn’t anything to do but to keep on the ridge33 and go north hoping I could come to the Fording River Cut before it was black night. It wasn’t easy walkin’ on the rocks. What made it worse was that it was so awful still and so dark behind things. But there was a rim34 of sun left and I was hittin’ up my best pace when something went bang like a rock fallin’. Right in front of me something white jumped sideways; there was a rattle35 of ‘ba’s’ and, while I stood gulpin’, a flock of something went scamperin’ and circling around me and down the hill.
“The thing that jumped sideways was last. Once it stopped and then I could see it was a big goat. I didn’t have the buck36 ague, or whatever you call it out here, but I couldn’t get my bearings. When the old Billy stopped the rest stopped, too, just long enough to take a peek at me. A half dozen of ’em came back toward the big fellow and I did my best to size ’em up. ‘They’ll all be gone in a second,’ I said to myself and I let the big boy have the best I could give him with a revolver. That settled it. They all went scamperin’, with rocks[224] a rolling down the mountain before ’em, and disappeared behind a bend.
“I couldn’t see that I’d hit anything but I climbed down where they had been, hoping to see where they’d gone, thinkin’ you would be sure to want to find ’em again. And I found this little fellow—dead enough.”
“And where did you meet Hosmer?” Mr. Mackworth asked.
“It was really dark, then,” went on Phil, “and I made up my mind to follow the ridge until I came to where it broke into the river pass. It was pretty hard work for I had the kid on my shoulders. Finally it got so dark that I thought of stoppin’ till day. Then I remembered my flash light and I used it to pick out the way along the mountain side. I’d been doin’ that almost an hour, I guess, when I heard a shot. I was a good deal nearer the river than I thought. Mr. Hosmer saw the light and shot off his rifle.”
There were congratulations all around; many other questions and answers and then Mr. Mackworth said:
“I suppose I ought really spank37 you boys,[225] but I’ll forgive you since everything has turned out all right. We have a fine mess of fish for breakfast; you have located the Cutthroat trout for us and found the first herd38 of goats. What more could we ask? We have a good camp site here, plenty of spring water and we’ll stop long enough to have a good fish and, if possible, to get that big Billy. Jake, give the boys a good supper and then all turn in. We’ll be off for Josephine Falls in the morning. Gentlemen,” he concluded addressing his English guests, “you see we made no mistake in bringing our airship and aviators39. They’ve made a good beginning.”
“We ain’t started yet,” laughed Frank. “We were just warmin’ up to-day.”
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1
loon
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| n.狂人 | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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propellers
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| n.螺旋桨，推进器( propeller的名词复数 ) | |
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improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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elk
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| n.麋鹿 | |
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trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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spurt
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| v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆 | |
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sprinting
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| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的现在分词 ) | |
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12
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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14
hog
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| n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占 | |
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15
trudging
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的现在分词形式） | |
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16
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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18
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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21
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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aviator
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| n.飞行家，飞行员 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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25
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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hilarity
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| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
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27
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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30
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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32
peek
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| vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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35
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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36
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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spank
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| v.打，拍打(在屁股上) | |
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38
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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39
aviators
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| 飞机驾驶员，飞行员( aviator的名词复数 ) | |
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