UNDER TROUBLED SKIES.
"Oh! how glad I am to think we've arrived at last!"
Andy uttered these words as he stood at the rail of a small but staunch
steam yacht, of rather ancient vintage, that he and Frank had leased
when arriving at Maracaibo, the city on the bay of the same name, from
whence so much of Venezuela's coffee is shipped to the States.
It had belonged to some Englishman who, becoming stranded at this South
American port while on a globe circling trip, was forced to let it go;
and the agents gladly secured a crew for the adventurous young
Americans, who were bound up the Magdalena River for some unknown
purpose.
"Yes," observed Frank, who leaned on the same rail close beside him,
"there's the town of Barranquila, all right. We've navigated the five
hundred miles in this little steam craft" with only a few break-downs of
the machinery, and just two days' delay. And the second step on our
journey comes to a close."
"The third ought to take us to that valley town up the river; ain't I
right?" asked the anxious Andy.
"Sure. As near as I can make it, Magangue must be not over two hundred
miles upstream. With good luck we can cover that in a couple of days,"
returned Frank.
"But why do you say good luck?" demanded his cousin, suspiciously.
"Oh! well, we are now in the land of tomorrow, you remember," laughed
Frank.
"You mean where they put off everything they can, saying 'no hurry;
plenty of time, señors all; the world was not made in a day'? Is that
it?" Andy went on.
"Partly. I was also thinking of another thing," admitted Frank.
"Yes, and I bet I can give a mighty good guess what it is, old fellow."
"Perhaps you can," Frank said, a little gravely. "Suppose you spout it
out."
"You've been pondering on what old Quito was telling us, in his broken
English, about this little revolution that has been slumbering around
the region of the Magdalena River of late. You have a hunch that we may
just be unlucky enough to run across some of those ragged chaps, who
want to upset the present government of Colombia, and seat some old
ex-president fossil in the chair again."
"Anyhow, you're a fine guesser, Andy," admitted Frank.
"Then that's what was on your mind?" asked the other. "I've noticed you
frown a whole lot lately, which is unusual for my cheery pard, Frank."
"Oh! well," observed Frank, calmly, "I acknowledge the corn. I was
wondering whether we might be troubled by any of those fellows while we
were navigating this river. I hope they'll just let us severely
alone. But you know, Andy, just as Colonel Josiah warned us, these
Colombians don't have any too much love for Yankees, ever since that
Panama rebellion, when, as they believe, our government openly assisted
the people of the Isthmus throw off the Colombian yoke, because we just
had to control that strip of territory for the canal."
"But why should the revolutionists want to stop us?" insisted his
cousin. "We are here only on a private quest. We seek no gold mines or
cocoa plantations. Our only object is a mission of mercy. And besides,
if these men are in open rebellion, they ought to be glad to see anybody
that their government detests, Yankees or not."
"Well," pursued Frank, with a cautious glance around, "I was thinking
that some of the people in Maracaibo took altogether too much interest
in our little monoplane. A lot of dark-faced men hovered around, and
asked many questions. They have heard and read much about the wonderful
things being done today in aeronautics, but have seen little or
nothing."
"Frank, that's so!" exclaimed Andy, quickly. "Please go on. You are
gripping my attention a heap, I admit. Tell me, do you suspect that some
of those same chaps may have been Colombians?"
"I'm dead sure of it, and more than that, old Quito gave me to
understand he believed they were connected with the junta that was
pushing this new revolution in Colombia."
"Yes?" Andy said, in a way that plainly invited further explanation.
"Stop and think," Frank continued. "Suppose now, they conceived the idea
that it would further their forlorn cause a heap if they only had such
an airship, and could threaten to drop all sorts of bombs into the camps
of the government troops!"
"Good gracious! I suppose that is so. I never thought of that, Frank!"
"You know how nervous and excitable these people are? Don't you think
they'd give the government the worst scare it ever had? And couldn't
they make almost any sort of terms of settlement?" Frank demanded.
"Yes, that's true. Then you imagine those fellows may have planned to
somehow steal our aeroplane, and that they've sent word ahead to their
friends along the Magdalena to look out for us?" was Andy's startling
question.
"Partly that. But don't you see, Andy, the little monoplane would be
utterly useless to them unless they had some one who knew how to run
it?"
The other gave utterance to a low whistle, just to indicate how his
feelings had been stirred.
"You mean they might try to capture _us_ in the bargain, and force us to
operate the aeroplane? But suppose we did, what would hinder our just
sailing away, once we got up in the clouds? Tell me that, Frank?"
"Oh! well, I'm not looking that far ahead," smiled the other. "Possibly
they might only let one of us go up, keeping the other as a hostage. Or
perhaps, there might be a fearless revolutionist officer aboard with
that one, sworn to shoot at the first sign of treachery. But don't let
us cross a bridge until we come to it."
"That's right. We don't want to fall into the hands of any ragtag
revolutionists, and we won't! We've got our work laid out for us, and
nothing must stop us. All the same I'm going to keep an eye on that
precious case in which our aeroplane is boxed, as well as the
engine. And Frank, I'm carrying the little shooting-iron Colonel Josiah
gave me as a parting present."
"Ditto myself," replied the other, in a low tone, as one of the crew
happened to draw near, while getting ready to make a landing at the
wharf. "He told us that down in this country it paid to be ready for
trouble; though I keep hoping we're not going to have anything of the
sort."
It was toward noon when they steamed up to the town that nestled near
the mouth of the great Magdalena River. Of course it was hot, for the
season of the year made that a foregone conclusion; but both boys were
dressed in suitable attire, and also wore pith helmets calculated to
allow a current of air fan the head.
Andy was shivering in a mixture between hope and fear. In this city they
would meet the writer of that pleasant letter, Señor José Almirez. What
if he had received further intelligence from the correspondent up-river
since the time he had mailed that letter? What if some terrible news
awaited the coming of the daring young Yankees, who had ventured to this
faraway country, bent on solving the mystery connected with the long
absence of Professor Bird?
But, as usual, it was Frank who buoyed his spirit up. There never was a
chum more devoted to the interests of his friend. Andy would long since
have succumbed to his fears but for the cheery words of the other.
It was said to be the rainy season in this country that lay in the
tropics. Up on the high mountain peaks lay snow the year around; but in
the low lands, and along the valleys and sides of the uplifts, they
could grow coffee, cocoa, bananas pineapples, oranges and all manner of
similar products.
A small crowd gathered at the wharf to see the little steam yacht come
in. Perhaps the former English wandering owner had been here before, and
some of them even recognized the vessel.
Scowls greeted her passengers when it was discovered that they were not
English but Americans. Frank and Andy paid little heed to these
frowns. They did not mean to leave the boat, if so be it were possible
to have Señor Almirez come aboard. And for that purpose they had written
to him ahead of time, telling him how they expected to reach Barranquila
about a certain date.
Several breakdowns of the engine had delayed them, so that they were
even now two days behind time. On this account, as well as through
prudence, they meant to stop here as briefly as possible.
Immediately their purser went ashore to make inquiries, and purchase a
lot of fruits that could be taken on the river voyage; though for that
matter they might expect to get anything they wanted at various villages
along the route.
Frank was looking the crowd over closely.
"I think I see him, Andy," he remarked, presently.
"You mean Señor José?" asked his cousin, eagerly. "I've been watching
that middle-aged gentleman who seems to be pressing close in on the
flank of the crowd. There, see, he is speaking to Manuel, our purser,
now, asking him some question. He looks up here at us; yes, and waves
his hand, with a smile! That must be Señor José, all right, Frank."
"I'm going down to meet him, to fetch him aboard," declared Frank, after
both boys had answered the signals of the dark-faced gentleman in the
white linen suit, and who was also wearing a Panama straw hat.
Three minutes later and Frank reappeared, having the other in tow.
Just as both of them had suspected it was Señor José. Receiving their
communication from Maracaibo, he had been on the watch.
"And he tells me, Andy, that there has been no new development since he
wrote. So that fear of yours must be set at rest. Just depend on it,
we're in this game to win out, and your dear father is going to be
found," Frank went on.
Presently they were deep in conversation. The boys found Señor José a
very intelligent gentleman indeed. He had spent some years in Washington
in connection with the embassy of his government, so that he not only
spoke and wrote English well, but had a high opinion of Americans;
something that the vast majority of his fellow-countrymen failed to
acquire, being possibly fed on stories that may have had their inception
in German or English trade sources.
From him Frank extracted all the information he could concerning the
wonderful country lying between Magangue and the Isthmus of Panama,
covering possibly some three hundred miles. It was little enough. Most
of it, he declared was a _terra incognita_, being utterly unknown land.
"But," continued the obliging señor, "you will certainly be able to
learn more concerning this when you see my fellow-countryman, Señor
Mendoza; for all his life has he lived there at Magangue, and surely he
must know something of that country to the south."
"We shall leave here with as little delay as possible," observed
Frank. "I have sent our purser, Manuel, to comply with the custom
duties, and secure us a few supplies. When he comes aboard again we
expect to start."
"It is just as well," remarked the other, significantly, and seeming to
be relieved. "Because, there is an uneasy feeling in Barranquila just
at present. Agents of the revolutionary junta have been here. They are
very active. And from secret sources I happen to know that they are
aware of the strange cargo you are bringing with you."
"You must mean our aeroplane, Señor?" remarked Frank, quickly.
"Si, Señor Bird," the other continued, nodding his head. "It has become
known that the two young Americanos are of the new and wonderful
aeronauts, with whom nothing is impossible. And if you remained here any
length of time I fear lest even my government might seek to find some
excuse for appropriating your little airship. The talk is all in that
direction now. Colombia is ripe to take a forward step, and have an
aviation corps."
"Well," said Frank, "under the circumstances we would seriously object
to having our monoplane confiscated now, because upon it we depend
wholly in our search. But I thought you were perhaps about to warn us to
look out for these revolutionists while passing up the river."
"It would be wise, Señor," observed the amiable Colombian
ex-diplomat. "They have agents here; and I happen to know that one is
even now on the wharf, observing. Possibly he seeks to communicate with
some spy who chances to be a member of your crew. So you see, it must
pay you to be always on your guard, and prepared!"