“Mercy sakes alive! Poor boy! You are starving!”
In the same moment, Ann Harbor without speaking, darted2 into the small room at the rear which served as a kitchen. Evidently she believed in deeds more than in words.
“Not so bad as that, Aunty,” protested the caller; “I am pretty hungry, but I can stand it a little longer. I shall be glad to eat a belated breakfast, but I beg you not to hurry.”
“Not to hurry,” she repeated reprovingly; “we can’t hurry too much. You look pale and must feel faint. It won’t take us long to get you something.”
He protested again, but was not displeased3 by the promptness with which they met his need. Sooner than he expected, a bountiful meal was ready, and[113] the coffee remaining in the pot was quickly reheated and a brimming cup poured out for him. They urged him to eat until he was compelled to stop. He dared not offer payment and thanked them over and over again. Their pleasure was as great as his own.
“I’m downright glad I didn’t have my regular breakfast this morning,” he said, when he shoved his chair back.
“Why?” asked the hostess.
“I should have lost the best meal I ever ate.”
“La, now, you shouldn’t say that.”
“My mother taught me to speak the truth at all times; but Ann,” he added, turning to the girl who was removing the dishes, “while you are helping4 like the good girl you are, I shall go outside to watch for the return of the Professor. It won’t do to lose sight of him and he may come back at any time.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll go to my aeroplane, and when it is safe I shall bring it here for you and Aunty to look at.”
With this understanding he set out on his return to the spot where he had left his machine. He was so grateful to the women that he was anxious[114] to gratify them in every way possible, but he could not forget his simple-hearted friend who was in peril7. More than an hour had passed since the Professor had winged his way northward8 and he was liable to return at any time or possibly he might wait for a long while. Harvey had already run great risk and could not be too careful.
He found that no one had been near the machine and it was as ready as ever for service. It would have been the height of imprudence for him to bring it forth9 so long as the return of the Professor was impending10. He devoted11 a few minutes to oiling the moving parts and giving the structure a minute examination, and frequently he stepped into the open space and studied the sky through his field glass, searching for the object that had become familiar to him.
Remembering what Aunty Hep had said, he scrutinized12 the country a little to the east of north. It was mountainous, wooded, unsettled, and so far as he could judge contained very few or no cabins.
“It is the place where I should think he would hide Bunk13, but his prison may be a score of miles beyond the farthest reach of my vision.”
A mass of cumulous, fleecy clouds was drifting across the sky low down, while the firmament14 above was of a clear soft blue. Just below a[115] stratum15 of snowy vapor16, he saw what looked like a bird with outstretched wings sailing toward him. Its rapid increase in size and the power of the binoculars17 quickly disclosed the fact that it was a monoplane. Professor Morgan was returning to his workshop near the town of Purvis.
Instead of taking the same course as before, the inventor circled to the east, so that he was a fourth of a mile distant on his nearest approach to where Harvey Hamilton stood on the edge of the cleared space with leveled glass. He was still flying low, and in a few minutes sank from sight.
“I am sure that Detective Pendar would agree with me as to the meaning of what I have seen to-day. Professor Morgan carried food to Bunk, and at the same time gave his machine a test so far as he could. He has not yet accomplished18 all he has in mind, though he may be close to it, and has gone back to his workshop to continue his experiments. He will stay there for the rest of the day and make another trip to-morrow morning.”
This was drawing it fine, but our young friend was so confident he was right that he acted upon the theory. It will be seen that he was steadily19 narrowing the circle of search. At daybreak he had established the fact that the place where Bunk was held a prisoner was north of the ridge20 which[116] the pursuer crossed on his way to the home of Aunty Hephzibah Akers. He had learned later that it was somewhere in the wild region a little to the east of north, which loomed21 up on the farther limit of his vision. The next visit of the Professor to Bunk ought to locate the spot so nearly that Harvey could, so to speak, put his finger on it.
Aunt Hep had resumed her sewing by the window, and her niece having cleared off the table was chatting with her about the remarkable22 story told by their youthful caller, when both were startled by a roar and racket which caused them to listen with bated breath. Neither had ever heard anything like it, for it will be remembered that the monoplane to which they were accustomed sailed on its aerial voyages without ripple23 or noise. Ann sprang up and opened the door.
“O Aunty! here he is! come and look!”
As she called, she sprang off the little porch and ran out to where Harvey Hamilton had just finished volplaning to the earth only a few rods away from the front of the house. Her relative was at her heels, as much amazed as she. They stared at the strange looking thing, and upon the owner’s invitation went forward and listened, absorbed, to his description of the functions of the different[117] parts. Harvey patiently answered questions that belonged more to a child than to an adult.
“And now,” he added, “I want you to take a ride with me.”
They shrank back in dismay and shook their heads.
“I wouldn’t do it for worlds!” gasped24 Aunty, and the awful thought caused her niece to whirl on her heel and plunge25 through the door into the house. A minute later she emerged again and hesitatingly approached the others.
“Nothing could make me expose you to the least danger,” said Harvey soothingly26; “I have ridden hundreds of miles in this and never been hurt; I know better how to handle it than ever before; it is in the best condition and you need not have the slightest fear.”
The result of his persistent27 persuasion28 was that the two consented to the venture which a half hour before they would not have faced for a fortune. He explained that they had only to sit still, after he had adjusted their seats so as to balance right, lightly grasp the rods at their side, and then fancy that the long-reaching arms were their own wings and they were two innocent birds coursing through the upper regions. Just as everything was ready, Ann was seized with sudden panic and would[118] have leaped out, had not her relative caught her arm and sternly ordered her to keep her seat.
When, in response to the whirl of the propeller29 the machine began gliding30 down the slope, the girl screamed and her aunt had again to check her. Harvey sprang nimbly to his place and at the proper moment pointed31 the front rudder upward, and the aeroplane left the earth and soared into the heavens. The load being greater than usual he kept the propeller at its highest speed.
The young aviator32 proceeded on the principle of trying to kill two birds with one stone. He could give his friends the treat of their lives, but in doing so, he steered33 toward the point where he had first caught sight of the monoplane on its last return from the north. He had become so used to running the machine that he felt free to inspect the country while gliding over it. Before starting he had fixed34 the salient points in his mind,—the lofty peak to the westward35, the endless stretch of wilderness36, the villages and towns in the distance, the few scattered37 cabins, the ridge to the rear, the rushing, tumbling streams, and the lake a little way ahead and to his right. Scattered here and there were signs of life as shown by more than one canoe, gliding over the smooth waters, or paddled up the current or floating down it, with the fingers[119] of vapor pointing skyward from the depths of the forests where parties of tourists or campers were gathered beneath. It was the glad summer time, and the visitors to the Adirondack region were numbered by the thousands. The open season was not much more than a month off when the hunters would shoot one another in the ardor38 of their pursuit of big game, with an occasional deer thrown in as a counterpoise to their mistakes.
With some misgiving39 as to how his passengers would stand what was certainly an ordeal40, Harvey looked around at them. Each was tightly grasping the support at her side, and they sat as rigid41 as statues, their faces pale, but the glow of their eyes showing how entranced they were with the flight and how keen was their enjoyment42 of it. When Ann’s eyes met those of her friend, she shook her head and tried to smile, but did not make much of a success of it. Exalted43 as were her emotions when she gazed down at the wonderfully picturesque44 landscape sweeping45 past, she longed to feel it once more under her feet.
Harvey did not overdo46 matters. He flew ten or twelve miles, which he was sure took him to the point in his mind. He peered below but saw only trees, masses of rocks and a small waterfall, but no sign of life.
[120]“Now if Bunk is down there, as I believe he is, he ought to notice this biplane. Likely he is looking at me this very minute.”
Prompted by the fancy Harvey took off his cap and swung it round his head, searching the earth below in the hope of catching47 a response.
“He is so ready to do that sort of thing he ought to reply. As I am carrying two passengers he might not recognize me, but that need not prevent his answering my salutation.”
The solitude48 remained as unbroken, however, as at “creation’s morn,” and afraid to go any farther, Harvey made a wide curve to the right and began his return.
Although he had not caught a sign of Bohunkus Johnson, he saw others. Two men standing6 on the bank of the uppermost tributary49 of the Schroon discharged their guns. They could have done no harm had they been pointed at the aeroplane, for the distance was too great, but the weapons were aimed at nothing and the action was meant as a salute50 to the navigator of the air. He saw the gray puffs51 and waved his cap as the only thing he could do by way of acknowledgment. A man paddling up stream in a canoe held the blade motionless and circled his hat, while his two feminine companions waved their handkerchiefs[121] and doubtless said something appropriate to the occasion.
The large white tent to which allusion52 has been made and which stood on the shore of the small lake, was hardly a mile from the home of Aunt Hephzibah Akers. The young aviator sailed almost directly over it, leaning well to one side and peering downward, but the camp appeared to be deserted53. He decided54 that the campers were off on a tramp or fishing excursion.
From this point to the little patch of ground in front of the home of Gideon Akers, the guide, was so slight a distance that in a minute or so, Harvey spiraled down as gracefully55 as an alighting bird, on the spot where he had halted before. The women sighed with relief and enjoyment as he helped them to the ground. They were grateful and urged him to spend the remainder of the day at the house.
Harvey would have done so but for the feeling that it would be neglecting the interests of Bunk. Aunt Hep herself had commended his vigorous earnestness, but the question which he asked himself was whether to lay aside his aeroplane at this point or to return to where he had wheeled about when he came back. If he did the latter he would advance that much nearer Bohunkus, but[122] his scrutiny56 of the ground had not disclosed a suitable spot for landing. He feared he would be caught at a disadvantage and find his machine useless when he needed it the most. He decided upon a compromise. He would leave the aeroplane at the home of Aunt Hep, and since more than half the day remained, press on afoot.
Accordingly he pushed the machine to the rear of the dwelling57, where a shed gave shelter to the single cow whenever she was in want of it, and managed to screen the biplane from sight provided no one’s suspicion was drawn58 to the spot. Then he bade his friends good-bye for the time and started off on a tramp that was destined59 to bring him an experience of which he little dreamed.
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1
outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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7
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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8
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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9
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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10
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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12
scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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15
stratum
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| n.地层，社会阶层 | |
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16
vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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17
binoculars
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| n.双筒望远镜 | |
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18
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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19
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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21
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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22
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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23
ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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24
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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25
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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26
soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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27
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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28
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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29
propeller
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| n.螺旋桨，推进器 | |
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30
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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31
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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32
aviator
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| n.飞行家，飞行员 | |
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33
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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34
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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35
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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36
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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38
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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39
misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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40
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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41
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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42
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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43
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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44
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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45
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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46
overdo
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| vt.把...做得过头，演得过火 | |
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47
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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48
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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49
tributary
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| n.支流；纳贡国；adj.附庸的；辅助的；支流的 | |
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50
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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51
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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52
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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53
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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54
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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55
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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56
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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57
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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58
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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59
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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