AN INVITATION
It was not yet sundown when the Sky Buddies finally got to bed, and as
Bob said, they did not need to be rocked; they went to sleep almost as
soon as their weary heads touched the pillows. Long after breakfast had
been served in the Captain's home the next morning they opened their
eyes at about the same minute. Shades had been drawn to darken the rooms
but through a crack Jim could see light, so his first thought was that
he had probably rested about an hour, but Bob had a view of the clock
which contradicted such an idea.
"Wow," he exclaimed, seeing that his step-brother was awake, "it's
tomorrow, Old Timer."
"G'wan," Jim growled. "I've hardly been asleep."
"Go back if you want to, but I'm hollow to my boots--"
"Then hustle up and the trouble shall be immediately corrected." That
was Mrs. Seaman who had been listening for a sign that her guests might
soon begin to feel as if they had caught up with the sandman.
"Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Both. Good morning. My husband looked in on you a couple of times
before he went on duty, and said to let you have it out," she smiled.
"I'll have the orderly run the water for your baths and you can take
things easy today. Those are orders," she told them.
"And we always obey orders," Jim answered. Now that he knew it was late,
he banished the idea of another doze, stretched, yawned, and would have
thrown a pillow at Bob if they had been at home, but guests in a
stranger's house have to be more circumspect. Their toilet did not take
very long, for in the warm climate few clothes are required, and
presently the pair, feeling fit as a couple of fiddles, presented
themselves to their hostess, who looked them over with frank approval.
"You appear to be top hole," she said.
"And we are," Jim assured her.
While they were at breakfast one of the men came in with word that the
boat was leaving for the "bug settlement" to take Doctor Manwell on his
weekly inspection of the workers. Donald was making the trip with his
adopted father, and if the Flying Buddies cared to accompany the
expedition, there was plenty of room and they were quite welcome.
"That's the place Martin is managing, isn't it?" Jim asked.
"Yes. They were having some difficulties yesterday, but I expect it is
over by now. Those disagreements come up and pass quickly. I have also
been invited, and I have been delighted to accept. Mrs. Manwell and a
couple of other women are also going along. We'll have rather a jolly
time."
"Sounds mighty interesting to me," Bob told her.
"Then it is settled that we go. Donald will come and let us know when
they are ready to start," Mrs. Seaman explained.
Half an hour later the Indian lad, neat as a pin in his fresh white
suit, arrived to escort the party to the launch. They drove from the
barracks, out though the little white town with its conglomeration of
ancient and modern dwellings and small stores, along the shore road
where they had a wonderful view of the water, blue as a sapphire, and
finally stopped on the wharf where the doctor, his wife and the rest of
the party had already assembled. Mrs. Manwell was a kindly looking
woman, somewhat younger than her husband, and she presented two young
friends, Phyllis and Barbara Harding and their mother.
"We have been planning to take the trip to the 'bug settlement' for some
time," Mrs. Harding told the Flying Buddies with a cordial smile, "but
we residents of the islands are the greatest procrastinators in the
world; it is only when we have guests with us that we exert ourself to
show off our country."
"Bob is a bug-nut; crazy about insect and plant life, so he'll have a
whale of a time," Jim told her. "I enjoy seeing what people are
studying, but I haven't got as much brains for it as Buddy."
"We'll have a picnic lunch and you can see Dr. Manwell's clinic. He
takes care of both the natives and whites, babies and all," said
Phyllis, who was a jolly sort of girl.
"It'll be great," Bob declared enthusiastically.
"I suppose you would prefer traveling by plane," Mrs. Manwell said.
"It's quicker, but we like to be on the earth sometimes and have a good
look at her. Look at those fishes!" A whole school went scooting past,
some of them darting out of the water as if they too were thoroughly
enjoying themselves.
The boat made its way about a quarter of a mile from the coast, its nose
plowing a deep trough and its stern leaving a wide triangular trail of
rollers and foam. There was just enough breeze to make the trip
delightful and the picnickers jollied each other at a lively rate as
they sped along. It took nearly an hour to reach the mouth of the small
river they expected to go up, and when they finally turned inland the
change from the vast expanse to the narrower waterway, with its swamps,
extravagant growths and forests, made the Flying Buddies exclaim with
wonder.
"Wouldn't you prefer to be flying?" Barbara asked.
"This is immense," Bob told her. "I suppose the men of the expedition
have an airplane."
"They have two," the engineer answered, "but only one is at camp now.
It's a triple motor with a cabin, but the pilot has been sick for a
couple of days so it has been out of use. The other chap flew to Jamaica
to get some special equipment and will not be back for a couple of
days."
"My father is to see from what the pilot is suffering," Donald remarked.
"He did not let anyone know he did not feel well until this morning."
"I hope it is not anything serious, poor fellow. He should have been
brought in to town, it seems to me."
"We wanted him to come, but he insisted he'd do all right if the doctor
came and looked him over," said the engineer.
"If he would be better in town, we will fetch him back," Dr. Manwell
announced confidently.
They were making their way through a swift pass between high,
overhanging cliffs, and ten miles further along they saw the outskirts
of the tiny settlement with its rows of tents, log cabins, community
houses, and native's quarters. There seemed to be very few persons
about, but a couple of white boys came to meet the boat when it reached
the dock, and caught the hawser the engineer tossed to them.
"I suppose you want to go right to the village, sir, but I thought our
young American friends would like to go around the loop and get a good
look at the works, whatever is near here," the engineer said, and he
glanced at the Buddies.
"That's an excellent idea. It will not take long. I shall visit my
patients, and suggest that the ladies of the party get things ready for
our picnic luncheon," the doctor proposed.
"We will do that, and some of us may be able to help you," Barbara spoke
up quickly, because she had made up her mind that when she was old
enough she was going to be a nurse. The plan was adopted, and as the
landing party was helped ashore, the two southern boys eyed the Flying
Buddies with interest.
"Where is Professor Martin?" the Doctor inquired.
"He went off with a party of natives early this morning. They have been
angry with him, so I guess he's trying to square himself by giving them
a feast and a holiday," the older lad replied.
"That's good. He'll find that he will make much better progress if he is
a little patient in his dealings with them," said the doctor. "I suppose
that is why you two lads are alone."
"I don't like the Prof. and don't care about his parties, but the native
children and their mothers, most of them, went along with the men. I
guess they are going to hunt and have a great time, but I'd rather stay
when you are due," the younger lad answered frankly, and the doctor
smiled.
"All ashore who are going ashore?" the engineer called. "Got the
luggage?"
"Everything and everybody," laughed Phyllis.
"Then we're off." The hawser was drawn in, looped about its own hook,
the engine started again, and the launch went chug-chug-chugging back
into the middle of the stream, the party on shore waved, and the Buddies
waved back.
"Its great of you to think of taking us around," said Bob.
"It occurred to me that you would get a better view of things, a more
general one, if we went around the loop. By that I mean up a branch of
the river and across into where the main stream turns. This water does
more twisting around than you can shake a stick at, and when we first
came down we had to do a lot of exploring before we knew that it was all
one stream, not half a dozen. The pilots helped with that job. Any other
way would have taken weeks, for the forest is so thick in most places
that a man has to chop his way through. The site of our principal
investigations is an island, really, and the bug-men seem to have found
more specimens than they ever realized existed. I didn't think much of
the job when I got it, but I'm as interested as all the rest in what
they have accomplished," Howard went on pleasantly, and both boys
thought he was splendid.
"We heard that it came here under another leader," Jim remarked.
"It did, and believe me, it won't be long before the present incumbent
gets his walking papers. That's one thing the pilot is going to engineer
in Jamaica, because Martin is a bad man. He thinks he knows everything,
won't listen to anyone, and has caused more trouble in a few weeks than
we've had in the two years we've been here," he told them.
"Too bad he's such a die-hard," said Jim.
"Now, here we are. Look ahead there, I'll go a bit slow. See that
scaffolding way up high?" He pointed to the right and the boys saw the
framework above a thick roof of foliage, and even as they watched, could
see a couple of men moving slowly along it and apparently examining
something with magnifying glasses.
"Are they getting specimens?" Jim asked.
"Yes. They have discovered that insect life exists in layers. The bugs
that live above that foliage screen are different from those below it,
and in a place as high as that, there are sometimes several species in
the woods underneath."
"Expect they get some wonderful butterflies," said Bob, who had a fine
collection of his own at home.
"Indeed they do. You can see them before you go. They have dozens of
cases, and have already sent crates of them to the museums all over the
world." They passed this first station, and then putting on more speed
went rushing swiftly over the water, which was dark green and very deep.
The boys were intensely interested in this part of the trip, and when
the men in the stations noticed the boat, they shouted to Howard and
waved greetings to the visitors.
"Do they mind being away off alone?" Jim asked.
"Reckon they get homesick sometimes, but there are radios, and that sort
of thing in camp, and when the job is finished they will each get a good
vacation to make up for such a lot of hard work. Here we can go ashore."
Howard ran the boat close to the land, made it fast to a sapling, and
then led the way to where several men were busy collecting, assorting
and classifying the lower strata of insect life. They all nodded a
cheery greeting to the guests, showed them some of the exhibits, and the
paraphernalia, and Bob was so interested that he wished he could spend a
month with those busy fellows.
"You will get a chance to read about what we have accomplished and that
will be easier than staying here," one chap laughed.
"Gosh, a fellow would like to live half a dozen lives to take in all the
good things that are going on," said Bob.
"Great age we're living in, but even a bug can teach us no end."
"We are going all the way around, so we'd better start," Howard reminded
them, so with a sigh, Caldwell tore himself away, and presently the
three were back in the launch, chugging off from the shore and its
interesting workers. They made two more stops before they reached the
branch stream, where the researchers were all stationed on high
scaffolds.
"Their stuff went to camp yesterday, so you wouldn't see anything
different," Howard told them and they chugged by. The branch was so
narrow and winding that it took all his skill to pilot his boat, and the
boys were thrilled with the wonders all about them.
There were hundreds of great vines, heavy with fruit and flowers,
enormous interlocking trees through which birds of brilliant plumage
flashed swift as streaks. Some of them called hoarsely to the boatmen,
while others, far back, paused in their flight to trill their own sweet
melodies. Hundreds of monkeys of all sizes chattered at them or swung
from branches with inquisitive glances, and twice, impudent rascals
threw pieces of wood defiantly after them. They saw a couple of little
fellows leaping along the shore evidently curious about the great
rollers the boat left behind it, but when one extra large wave swept
over the leader, he leaped to the nearest tree and scolded roundly.
"You were looking for it," Bob chuckled.
"Like to take one home?" Howard asked. "The boys have caught a few, but
they usually let them go."
"I'd rather leave them here where they belong," Bob answered. "I do not
believe they would take to an airplane."
"Oh, you don't? That's where you are wrong. The pilot who went to
Jamaica found one stowed away in his bus when he first came down, and
he's been with him ever since. The little pest won't leave the machine
as long as he has his aviation suit on."
"Tell us another."
"That one is true. When they get up where it's cold, he gets into the
chap's pocket and pulls down the flap. That's a fact. There was a story
about it in the papers and a picture of the pair of them in the plane,"
Howard insisted.
"Reckon we'll have to believe it." Jim eyed a small monkey who was
clinging, frightened to his mother. "If it wasn't for your parents, I'd
take you along," he called, and as if the mother understood, she ran
along the branches until she was ahead of the boat, then stopped and
scolded furiously. "It's all right, you needn't get so het up about
it--I haven't taken him."
"He's admiring him, you flapper," Bob shouted. "You should be flattered
instead of mad."
"Now we're on the last stretch," Howard announced as the boat turned
again. "It's five miles by water to the village; three by airline."
"It was great of you to take us around," said Jim.
"Surely was," added Bob.
"Glad you liked it. We don't usually take parties over the route because
they are not always careful, but I had what you American boys call a
hunch that you would appreciate it and not do any damage. The site of
the work isn't generally known because the professors did not want to be
pestered with too many visitors, but a few have come. Some of the
scientific publications have sent writers to get articles, but several
of the men working here send out that sort of stuff themselves, so only
special men have been taken around the works," Howard explained.
"Sounds as if we are nearing the village," Jim remarked a bit later,
because he heard voices quite distinctly.
"We are near, and not near. We couldn't get across here, but it's only
about a quarter of a mile if we could go through. It's a mile and a half
by the boat."
"Suppose they did not want to cut the place up too much."
"No. They have had to do a lot of that anyway," Howard answered. They
were going through what appeared like a natural passage over which the
great branches formed an arch, and through the openings, the boys caught
glimpses of numerous parrots, some plain green, almost the shade of the
trees in which they perched, while others were gaily colored with bright
red and yellow, their long tails hanging gorgeous and graceful.
"I should not mind having one of them to take home to Mom," Bob
remarked, "but she'd be displeased if I caught it and brought it away to
live the rest of its life in a cage. My mother doesn't like to see
things confined."
"On the Cross-Bar ranch all the pens and corrals have to be huge. Even
the pigs have spacious quarters; so big they won't fatten. The foreman
built a small one where she doesn't notice it," Jim added with a grin.
"Doesn't she miss them?" Howard asked.
"He's managed so far to see that she doesn't," Bob replied, "but he's
lucky that she keeps away from the pigs pretty much."
"I see--"
"O--o--" Just then a shrill scream came so clearly and sounded so
startling that the Flying Buddies sprang to their feet. "O--"
"Is something the matter?" Jim asked quietly.
"That sounds like a woman's scream," Bob added, and their faces paled as
the panic-stricken cry came again.
"It is a woman," Howard answered, and he opened up his engine, putting
on every ounce of power he dared, and bending low as the boat shot along
the treacherous waterway.