THE STORM
"Gee, I could eat bear meat raw," exclaimed Fly. "Fur and all."
"Well, get busy, put on this grub," ordered Jerry.
Hawke made himself one of the boys, put on the wooden plates, helped
clean the fish, and broiled two of them.
The Indian had made a good fire of twigs which he had gathered, and had
buried some of the fish underneath in the sand, to bake, throwing
potatoes into the fire to roast.
"Look, fellows, mother put in a homemade cake," announced Jerry, setting
a tempting chocolate-covered cake on the papers which served as a table
cloth.
"Doughnuts and pickles," announced Fly, filling some wooden plates.
"Wow, chili sauce--hot--for baked fish."
"Con carni for anybody that wants it--I don't," put in Herb.
"Bread," "Sandwiches," "Olives," and so on each boy announced gayly as
his contribution to the feast, and, when they finally sat down in a
circle, they proved their keen appetites by the way things disappeared.
There was not much conversation during the meal. They were all too
hungry to talk.
"What's the use of hunting any more, fellows?" said Dunk, at last, when
there was some show of abatement on the part of the diners. "We can't do
much better'n a grizzly."
"What if we should get a deer," encouraged Tender Gray. "I saw some
prints around here."
"Suppose you know as much about deer prints as bear prints," teased
Herb, remembering Tender's mistake.
"I guess those were our pony's prints," said Fly, helping Herb along.
There was a general laugh, which Tender took in good part. "Well, I
ain't been a scout very long," he apologized.
"We're hunting for a thunder bird, too, you must remember," reminded
Dunk. "Wish't some of you could read tracks in the air."
"Let's look around and see which way we're goin' this afternoon,"
suggested Jerry, producing his spyglass.
"There's pretty thick timber in that direction," said Carl, as Jerry
pointed east.
All the boys had a turn at the glass. "That's a funny looking rock up
there," said Fred, looking westward. "Looks like a cliff dwelling."
"You've got cliff dwellin's on the brain," remarked Fly. "That's nothin'
but a rock."
"You look and see. If that ain't windows in there I'm a fish." Fred
handed Fly the spyglass.
"Well, it does look kind of queer," admitted Fly. "You look, Hawke."
"Looks to me like a tower," announced the aviator, when he had studied
the spot for some time.
"Like a square tower with windows!" prompted Fred, glad to have his
suspicions confirmed.
"I guess that's one of these lookout towers," said Carl, when he
inspected it. "Pretty high up, though."
"Let's go up that way," suggested Herb. "Might as well as any other.
Looks easier to climb, too."
"I'd like to get a picture of it to take home too," said Fred, whereupon
Jerry grabbed his hat, and gave him a tussle for it.
"Don't you want one of the windows for a souvenir," joked the
Southerner. "Gee, I wish I'd gone into the souvenir business before you
came. I'd gotten rich off of you."
It was finally decided, however, to follow the direction Fred had
chosen, principally because it seemed to be less thickly timbered.
It was a problem what to do with the pony. He would stand without
tethering, but he might be bothered by wild animals.
Carl, however, soon solved the problem by clearing the ground for
several feet around him, and then, gathering twigs and sticks, piled
them around the pony in a wide circle. He then set fire to them, and,
after they had a good start, smothered the flames carefully so they
emitted a thin line of smoke.
"I think that'll keep most animals away," he said, as they started for
the climb.
"It wouldn't take us long to get up there if we had our aeroplane," said
Fly. "Would it, Hawke?"
"It won't be many moons before we have it now," responded the aviator.
"I've ordered all the supplies, and I telegraphed to New York this
morning so they'd make an extra special rush on that bamboo."
"How many will it carry?" asked Jerry. "Can we all go?"
"I'm figuring on using a special patent of my own," said Hawke. "I have
a certain device which I have worked out which will so equalize the
balance that I believe I can carry six in safety. Ordinarily, three is
about the limit."
"Gee, I'm glad of that," put in Herb. "I'd like to have all the fellows
on."
"You'll all have plenty of it, turn about," said Hawke. "Besides, I'm
not saying anything, but I believe, when I get to work on the thing, I
can fix it so we can take more. But I don't want to hold out any false
hopes."
"Do you think we can build it in two weeks?" asked Jerry. "That seems
pretty good for amateurs."
"Not for such energetic young fellows as you," responded Hawke, smiling.
"And there's enough of us, if we all work hard."
"I'll work hard, all right--we all will," exclaimed Tender Gray.
"You bet," chimed in Dunk.
They had come to a rather difficult climbing place, and had to depend a
good deal on their sticks as boosters. By catching hold of shrubs and
pushing one another, they finally gained the top of a rather high point,
with almost perpendicular ascent.
They found themselves almost on the edge of a cataract, which they had
heard roaring for some time. The foaming water was rushing down in great
cascades, sending up white spray as fine as steam.
"Let's see that thing now," said Fred, borrowing Jerry's glass.
"If that's a rock I'll eat it," he added.
Hawke also made another examination, and said as before that it looked
like a cliff dwelling or tower.
"It's quite a ways up there yet," he said. "We'd better get a move on
us."
They entered a heavy growth of timber shortly, and Carl was obliged to
come and take the lead. It was beginning to get cold, and all the boys
had put on their coats.
"It's most three, ain't it?" asked Jerry, who had not brought his watch.
Hawke took out his timepiece and said, "Just three." Then he added: "Do
you think we can make this to-day?"
"We can tell better when we get out of these woods," answered Carl. "I
think you'll be quite near it then."
In a short while they reached the outskirts of the timber growth, and,
as Carl had predicted, found themselves very near the spot they had
aimed for. They could see it plainly now, a sort of square dwelling or
tower, the base of it thickly covered with various green shrubs and
vines. But they were hopelessly separated from it by a deep and wide
ravine, down which rushed a great torrent of roaring water.
"Guess we can't get at that," said Herb after they had stood for some
time silent on the bank of this cataract. "Let's go back--unless Fred
wants to take a picture."
"It's gettin' kind of dark for that," said Fred. At this remark the
others suddenly noticed that the sun had disappeared behind a cloud and
the sky looked black.
"Say," exclaimed Fly, "that looks like a pretty ugly cloud over there."
"What if there should be a bully storm?" exclaimed Jerry, eager for the
excitement.
"Gee, I was in a mountain storm once," recounted Herb, "and it was
great. There was a couple of tenderfeet with us, and they was scared to
death. Yuh scared, Windy?"
"Naw," replied Fred scornfully. "Anyhow, looks as though the sun has
just gone behind a cloud and will soon be out again."
"Kind o' cold," complained Fly, buttoning his coat. "Say, I wonder--" he
stopped, for there was an ominous rumble among the darkening clouds
which were hurriedly crowding together like a dark-clad army maneuvering
for a sudden attack.
"That's old man Thor," said Dunk, who was something of a poet at times,
and had read more extensively than the average boy of his age. "He's
gettin' ready to hit us between the eyes. Ain't you awful afraid,
Tender?"
Just then a blinding streak of fire cut its zigzag way through the black
sky, lighting up every peak and crevice, followed by a sharp crack that
broadened into a deafening roar and made the boys jump with surprise.
"We're in for it, all right," said Herb laughing. "My, this is going to
be terrible, Windy," he added with mock solemnity.
They stood not far from the cavernous ravine, where, almost beneath
them, they could hear the water tearing over the rocks. Soon a swift,
strong wind rushed out of the forest behind them, the trees bending and
swaying helplessly before the mighty torrent of air.
"There goes my hat," cried Jerry, as his sombrero was swept from his
head.
"No use going after that," laughed Hawke, for the hat was speedily blown
over the precipice and whirled down into the ravine. The other boys
quickly pulled their headgear down more securely.
"That old tower looks like a picture," exclaimed Dunk, as a bolt of
lightning lit up the ancient structure and painted its somber walls with
a vivid light more brilliant than sunshine.
"Why don't you take a picture of it, Windy?" asked Tender.
"Fine idea," exclaimed the Clevelander, adjusting his camera. "I never
had a chance to take a flashlight like this."
Almost as he spoke there was a report like that of a huge gun, and an
accompanying line of fire.
"Did you see that, fellows?" exclaimed Fred, when the noise had died
down.
"What?" came in a chorus from the boys.
"Didn't you see it?" Fred repeated.
"What yuh talkin' about?" asked Herb, a little impatiently.
"Was you looking?"
"Come across, Windy," exclaimed Fly. "What are you driving at anyhow?"
Before the Clevelander had time to reply to this question, they were
startled by a most peculiar shriek which pierced the air, and seemed to
cut to the very marrow of their bones.
It came only once, but left the party hushed and silent.
"Must be an eagle," said Carl finally, "though it's the fiercest I ever
heard."
"What was it you saw, Fred," asked Hawke.
"Well, when that light came, and I snapped the picture, I thought I saw
something big and black floating around over there by that old tower."
"I didn't see nothing and I was lookin'!" deprecated Tender, doubtfully.
"Did you see it, Hawke?" persisted the young photographer.
"I blinked my eyes when the lightning flashed," replied the aviator.
"Well, I tell you I saw something." Fred spoke with conviction. "And it
looked like a bird."
"Maybe it was--the one that yelled," said Dunk.
"The Thunder Bird, maybe," shouted Carl.
"Gee!" said several of the boys at once.
"I'll bet we're near his shrine," continued Fred excitedly, "and he's
raising this storm."
"Aw, come off, you're dreamin'," discouraged Tender, though half
convinced.
"I didn't see nothin' either," added Jerry, unwilling to admit that he
was a little scared at the supernatural aspect things were taking.
"Maybe the picture will show," said Hawke.
Bang--a cannon seemed to be hurling great balls against an iron wall
with a shock that reverberated in all directions. The tumult became so
continuous as to make conversation impossible, and the frequent flashes
of light gave the timber the appearance of being on fire. The boys stood
silent, rather enjoying the spectacle, though they were shivering with
cold.
After a while the clouds spent their gathered energy and the rain fell
in great torrents. Very soon the boys were drenched to the skin, but
there seemed no escape. To go into the timber was dangerous, and
blocking them in front was the yawning chasm.
"If we could only get at that old cliff dwellin'," suggested Fly, "we
might find cover."
"We'll have to wait until we get our airship, to do that," laughed
Hawke.
"There's a big rock down here," said Carl, returning from a short
excursion which he had made along the side of the cascade, looking for
shelter. "I think we can crowd under it till this is over."
The others hastily followed him, and were soon shielded from the rain
under a huge, projecting boulder situated almost perilously on a smaller
rock.
There they waited for some time, and about five o'clock the storm abated
as quickly as it had arisen.
"Wonder where our pony is by this time!" speculated Fred.
"No telling," answered the Indian boy. "I'm afraid he's gotten scared
and run away."
"With the grizzly!" Tender's tone was regretful.
They started back in the gray light of the obscured sun. Hawke hurried
them, having an older person's concern for their welfare, and fearing
they might suffer some bad results from wet clothing and cold.