JUMPING A PEAK
Before Carl had an opportunity to recover himself the Indian had seized
the golden bowl and was making off with it at top speed. It did not take
the lad long to comprehend the situation, however, and springing to his
feet, he soon overtook the would-be thief. Wresting the prize from him,
and throwing it to one side, Carl met the attack with the strength,
ability and skill only found in strong young manhood. But the older
Indian was fully a match for him, and the struggle promised to be a long
and hard one if Carl were left to fight it alone.
[Illustration: The struggle promised to be a long and hard one if Carl
were left to fight it alone. But this the other boys did not propose to
allow, and they immediately began to cross on the rope ladder.]
This the other boys did not propose should be the case. Forgetting all
fear for themselves in the face of Carl's danger, they immediately
prepared to utilize the rope ladder, crossing even more quickly than
Carl had done and surely with less caution, for their only thought was
to come to the rescue of their friend.
Carl's assailant, whose every energy was strained to gain an advantage,
did not hear their approach. Before he realized it he found himself
helpless in the hands of the strong palefaces, his hands tied behind his
back, a threatening Remington, in the hands of Jerry, pointed meaningly
in his direction. He was very much the worse for wear, his face having
been severely scratched across the lines of paint, and his clothes
considerably disarranged.
"Well, what shall we do with him?" asked Dunk, turning to Carl. "He
ought to be pitched over the ravine."
But the Indian boy's face wore a strange expression. His eyes were wide
and staring, and he stood, pale and open-mouthed, regarding his helpless
enemy.
"What's the matter!" cried Gray, alarmed.
Carl did not reply, but walked up to the captive, and, with a hand that
shook slightly, examined something that hung on a string around his
neck. Then he pulled out the charm from under his own shirt.
"Look," he said huskily.
The stones were exactly alike.
Although the older Indian betrayed no signs of surprise or emotion he
broke into an angry torrent of Apache.
Carl, stepping forward, took out his hunting knife, and cut the other's
bonds.
"Now get!" he commanded, allowing himself the pleasure of one strong
punch at the back of the conquered redskin, who lost no time in making
his get-away.
"That's my uncle," said Carl coolly. "I'm civilized and educated, or I'd
kill him. Come on, let's get back."
The others thought it best not to make any further reference to the
matter, and silently followed Carl, the bowl again in his possession,
across the ladder spanning the cascade. At the same time the boys in the
plane, who had watched the conflict with tense anxiety, started back to
the Fort.
"Gee, I can't stand much more to-day," ejaculated Fly, as they circled
the tower for the last time.
"Strange what a lot can happen to a fellow in a short time," commented
Herb, reviewing mentally the many adventures in which they had all been
involved that summer.
"But most important of all," continued Fly, "we've laid the Thunder Bird
low--we've done something for your father."
"Now the next thing is for you to teach us all to aviate," laughed the
southerner. "But I don't believe I can ever handle a machine as you do."
"Sure," exclaimed Fly. "Why you--" but he stopped short with an
exclamation of horror that fairly froze his companion's blood. At the
same moment, Herb was conscious that something--he knew not what--had
happened. The loud insistent voice of the machinery was abruptly
stilled.
Looking perplexedly at Fly, he saw great drops of perspiration starting
out on the young pilot's forehead. "The motor is dead," he breathed, his
throat and lips going dry.
For a moment Herb's heart seemed to stop in sympathy with the mechanism
that had failed them.
"Can't you volplane," he said giddily.
"Rocks, peaks, crags," sputtered Fly. Oh, if he were only over the
smooth meadow. But to volplane here would mean certain death. As it was,
he was sliding along at a perceptibly lessening speed. Any moment the
machine might balk and rear, hurling them both to destruction.
But Fly was plucky and after the first shock he recovered his nerve,
bending every energy of mind and body to maintain his balance. To keep
high enough and steady enough until they left the mountains was his sole
endeavor. After that, he felt confident that he could volplane with
safety into the meadow. Even now he could see this haven of inviting
green tantalizingly near at hand--and yet so far away. Grudgingly he was
obliged to slant, else the machine would rear and wrest the control from
him. But the slightest incline was too much now, for it meant landing on
the rocks.
Though a fever raged in his brain, he was rapidly calculating. Someway
he must save Herb. That was his predominant thought.
"I'll do it," he suddenly exclaimed through his shut teeth, at the same
moment swooping down with such rapidity that his companion's head was
jerked violently back, and he grabbed tight hold of his seat. Confident
that the end had come, the southerner resolutely shut his eyes and
relaxed.
But he was sitting rigid a moment later, for the aeroplane had shot
upward again with a jerk, mounting higher and higher, until it seemed
ready to tip backwards and whirl to earth like the mortally wounded
Thunder Bird.
"Fly!" he implored, suddenly petrified with the fear that his companion
had lost his senses and was deliberately throwing caution to the winds
with hopeless recklessness.
The suspense was only for a second, although that seemed to span an
eternity. At the last moment, when the plane seemed ready to tilt and
somersault backwards, Fly fairly threw it forward with main force, and,
as it plunged swiftly downward, he breathed a reassuring sigh. Below
them they saw the carpet of the meadow spread out calm and serene, a
pale slender stream winding its peaceful course zigzag between
flower-decked banks--gently flowing waters that would have reflected
their dash to death and destruction as undisturbedly as it mirrored
their safe descent.
Dizzy and faint, but almost sick with joy, they landed gently on the
bosom of mother earth. Fly had taken a desperate chance to clear the
peaks, and had succeeded.
"Safe!" he groaned, too weak to move from the plane. "I'm so glad, old
man," he added huskily. "If anything had happened to you--"
"Why, it's a couple of boys," a cheerful voice was saying just behind
them.
Herb and Fly turned to see two men approaching the plane, and, at the
same moment, their eyes took in another strange sight. A hundred feet or
so behind them stood another plane!
"I must believe it, for I have seen it with my own eyes," continued the
speaker, a slender young fellow with a spare blond mustache. "You
accomplished a feat there, my boy, that I wouldn't attempt for fifty
thousand dollars!"
"Who are you?" asked Fly weakly. Surely this was an apparition. The
nerve which had upheld him in the face of imminent danger seemed now
deserting him. He felt like falling over in a limp heap, abandoning
himself to the sick faintness which made his head swim. He saw the
stranger as in a haze, and his voice came to him faintly out of the vast
distance.
"I'll get him some water," said the other man. "He looks sick."
"No wonder," exclaimed the other. "I never saw such a performance as
that in my life."
"Is--is that plane yours?" asked Herb, who, like Fly, did not know
whether the two strangers were real beings or ghosts.
"Sure. I just had a silly little breakdown. Stopped to mend it.
Then--great Caesar, I saw you fellows up there. How my brain went
traveling when I realized the plight you were in. And you came through!
A couple of kids! Who is he?" he continued, referring to Fly. "Where did
he learn to control like that--at his age!"
The speaker's friend was forcing Fly to drink the water he had brought
for him from the stream, and when the boy had moistened his lips, the
man bathed his brow and face with the solicitude of a brother.
But Fly's sinking spell was only momentary and he soon recovered his
composure.
"Where you going?" demanded their new friend breezily. "I'm going to
take charge of you. You're in no condition to fly any more to-day."
But the young aviator was made of stronger stuff.
"Oh, I can handle her all right," he said contemptuously, a little
ashamed of the weakness he had shown.
"What!" ejaculated the blond young man, looking at his friend in
amazement, as much as to say, "Listen to that, will you!"
"Nothing doing," he added, decidedly. "Barkely, just take care of our
baby--follow us up--while I whirl this young dare-devil to--where will
it be?"
"Fort Bayard," said Herb, laughing. Certainly, this was an engaging
young fellow, and he didn't mind having him along at all.
"Now, young man, I'm going to throw you out of that seat if you don't
move over, and let me run this thing!" commanded the stranger. "Hike!"
Fly good-naturedly gave way, for he shared Herb's admiration and was
thoroughly pleased with this new acquaintance.
"Who--who are you?" asked Fly again, as the machine ascended.
"That's what I want to know about you," returned the stranger. "I'll
tell if you will. My name's Chance."
"Chance!" gasped the boys at once.
"Sure. Ever hear of me?"
"You bet," answered Herb heartily. "You know Hawke, don't you?"
"Hawke the government aviator?" repeated the stranger in surprise.
"Yep."
"Well, he helped us to build this machine, and taught us how to run it,"
informed Fly.
"Build this machine?" Young Chance scrutinized his informant as he would
look upon a strange, supernatural being.
"Say," he said. "We want fellows like you in New York. You wouldn't mind
making some good money, would you?"
"I--I--" began Fly, but he could not wield his tongue somehow.
"Got a father around the Fort?" asked the young aviator brusquely.
"Yes--yes," answered Fly. "You must meet him."
That evening, when Herb met the boys returning from their mountain trip,
triumphantly bearing the Thunder Bird, which Dunk and Jerry carried with
the aid of a stout branch stuck through its bound feet, and happily
flashing the golden bowl, he ceremoniously held up his hand for them to
halt, demanding silence.
"We formed a Boy Scout patrol," he began strangely. "Didn't we?"
"Why--yes," replied Fred, wonderingly.
"That's nothing." Herb wrinkled his nose contemptuously. "And shot a
grizzly?" he interrogated.
"Why yes," answered Gray, regarding him with a puzzled expression.
"That's nothin'," repeated the southerner. "We built an aeroplane," he
went on. "That's nothin'. Mere trifle. We shot the Thunder Bird.
Nothin', nothin' at all. That bowl's nothin'."
"Say, what you driving at," exclaimed Jerry. "Spit it out quick, or you
to the bug house."
"Because something has happened that makes everythin' else look like a
thunder clap when it quits."
"What?"
"Fly's goin' to New York to be an aviator with Chance!"
* * * * *
Vacation is over. We are again waiting for the train in the stuffy
little depot at Silver City. Gray and Fred are there--they are going
back to school. Mr. Phipps is there, smiling happily upon the handsome
boy who is returning to college. Captain Crawford and his wife are
there, proud of the stalwart young son they are sending to New Jersey,
where he will complete his education at Princeton. Lieutenant Rivers and
his wife are there, for Dunk is going to an eastern medical school.
And Carl is there, for Carl too is going to college. True, he lost the
money he had saved for the purpose, but the golden bowl, which the boys
persuaded him was his by right of conquest, proved to be of sufficient
value to pay his way through and leave him a generous surplus. Thus,
after all, the unselfish Indian realized his dream.
One of the boys is missing--Fly. He left a month ago for New York, where
he has already met Mr. Chance, and is showing promise of being one of
the most successful bird-men of the day. Before leaving the Fort, he
gave all of the boys sufficient instruction to enable them to fly alone,
and to qualify for the aviation medal, which, with a number of other
awards, for first aid, machinery, marksmanship and stalking, were
promptly awarded to the members of the Thunder Bird Patrol, at the
recommendation of Hawke, who remembers them now and then with letters
from Juarez.
The _Thunder Bird_ aeroplane is safely packed away at the Phipps ranch,
where it is to remain until next summer, for, if all turns out well, the
boys are again to spend their next vacation in New Mexico.
As for the Thunder Bird himself, stuffed and mounted it occupies a
prominent place in the Phipps ranch-house. So hideous is its aspect even
in this harmless condition, that you would not care to stumble on it
unawares in the dark, but it no longer makes nightly visits to the
sheepfold for prey.
The treacherous redskin, his idol dead, has disappeared, and, according
to Tommy, has gone back to the Mexican gold fields.
The antiquated train finally reaches the old depot, puffing and blowing
as though short of breath. Our young friends scramble into the dusty
coaches, stumbling over their suit cases, and bumping good-naturedly
against one another.
There are reluctant but cheerful good-byes, and the wheels turn slowly,
gathering speed as the last coach passes the station. The last we see of
it, handkerchiefs are still fluttering and hats waving farewell.
The Boy Scouts of the Air Books
_By_ GORDON STUART
Are stirring stories of adventure in which real boys, clean-cut and
wide-awake, do the things other wide-awake boys like to read about.
THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE AIR AT EAGLE CAMP
THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE AIR AT GREENWOOD SCHOOL
THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE AIR IN INDIAN LAND
THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE AIR IN NORTHERN WILDS
THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE AIR ON FLATHEAD MOUNTAIN
The Boys' Big Game Series
THE GIANT MOOSE.
The monarch of the big Northwest; a story told over camp fires in the
reak of cedar smoke and the silence of the barrens.
THE WHITE TIGER OF NEPAL.
The weird story of the man-killer of the foothills. Tinged with the
mysticism of India, dramatic and stirring.
THE BLIND LION OF THE CONGO.
A story of the least known part of the earth and its most feared beast.
A gripping tale of the land of the white pigmies.
THE KING BEAR OF KADIAK ISLAND.
A tale of the bully of the Frozen North and his mysterious guardian. A
game-and-man-story that makes a good boy-story.
THE ROGUE ELEPHANT.
A big game hunt that leads into strange lands and stranger adventures in
a real big game country.
_Books for Older Children by L. Frank Baum_
The Daring Twins Series
In writing "The Daring Twins Series" Mr. Baum yielded to the hundreds of
requests that have been made of him by youngsters, both boys and girls,
who in their early childhood read and loved his famous "Oz" books, to
write a story for young folk of the ages between twelve and eighteen.
A story of the real life of real boys and girls in a real family under
real conditions.
_Two Titles:_
The Daring Twins
Phoebe Daring
While preparing these books Mr. Baum lived with his characters. They
have every element of the drama of life as it begins within the lives of
children. The two stories are a mixture of the sublime and the
ridiculous; the foibles and fancies of childhood, interspersed with
humor and pathos.
The Famous AIRSHIP BOYS SERIES
_By_ H. L. SAYLER
_SEVEN TITLES_
THE AIRSHIP BOYS Or, The Quest of the Aztec Treasure
THE AIRSHIP BOYS ADRIFT Or, Saved by an Aeroplane
THE AIRSHIP BOYS DUE NORTH Or, By Balloon to the Pole
THE AIRSHIP BOYS IN THE BARREN LANDS Or, The Secret of the White
Eskimos
THE AIRSHIP BOYS IN FINANCE Or, The Flight of the Flying Cow
THE AIRSHIP BOYS' OCEAN FLYER Or, New York to London in Twelve Hours
THE AIRSHIP BOYS AS DETECTIVES Or, On Secret Service in Cloudland
Fascinating stories of that wonderful region of invention where
imagination and reality so nearly meet. There is no more interesting
field for stories for wide-awake boys. Mr. Sayler combines a remarkable
narrative ability with a degree of technical knowledge that makes these
books correct in all airship details. Full of adventure without being
sensational.
The Captain Becky Series
_By_ MARGARET LOVE SANDERSON
Resourceful, self-reliant, sunny-natured Captain Becky will find many
friends among girl readers. The Captain Becky Series is a noteworthy
contribution to books for girls--distinctive and individual in every
detail, inside and out.
Two very much alive stories of a girl who makes things happen--who is a
_doer_. Whether she is on cruise on the picturesque Indian River in
Florida or in laughable masquerade among the old homesteads of New
Hampshire, her experiences are worth writing about--and worth reading.
Two titles:
Captain Becky's Winter Cruise.
Captain Becky's Masquerade.
The Aeroplane Boys Series
_By_ ASHTON LAMAR
"The best yet written," says the Grand Rapids Herald. These stories have
a strong appeal to the active American boy, as their steady sales bear
witness. Each of the seven titles already published has met with great
popularity, and the new title, "On the Edge of the Arctic," is the best
of the series. Correct in all mechanical details, full of wholesome
adventure and excitement.
EIGHT TITLES
_IN THE CLOUDS FOR UNCLE SAM
Or, Morey Marshall of the Signal Corps_
_THE STOLEN AEROPLANE
Or, How Bud Wilson Made Good_
_THE AEROPLANE EXPRESS
Or, The Boy Aeronaut's Grit_
_THE BOY AERONAUTS' CLUB
Or, Flying for Fun_
_A CRUISE IN THE SKY
Or, The Legend of the Great Pink Pearl_
_BATTLING THE BIGHORN
Or, The Aeroplane in the Rockies_
_WHEN SCOUT MEETS SCOUT
Or, The Aeroplane Spy_
_ON THE EDGE OF THE ARCTIC
Or, An Aeroplane in Snowland_
The Aunt Jane's Nieces Series
BOOKS FOR GIRLS
_By_ EDITH VAN DYNE
EIGHT TITLES
_Aunt Jane's Nieces_
_Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad_
_Aunt Jane's Nieces at Millville_
_Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work_
_Aunt Jane's Nieces in Society_
_Aunt Jane's Nieces and Uncle John_
_Aunt Jane's Nieces on Vacation_
_Aunt Jane's Nieces on the Ranch_
Distinctly girls' books and yet stories that will appeal to _brother_ as
well--and to older folk. Real and vital--rousing stories of the
experiences and exploits of three real girls who do things. Without
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stories that have the tug and stir of fresh young blood in them. Each
story is complete in itself.
The Girl Graduate
HER OWN BOOK
_A Novelty Every Girl Wants_
In which to keep the happy record of her last year at school or
college--a book she will keep and prize always.
There is a place for everything dear to the girl graduate's heart and
memory--class flower, color, yell, motto, photographs, jokes and
frolics.
Departments for social events, officers, teachers, invitations,
baccalaureate sermon, programmes, presents, press notices, class
prophecy and various "doings."
THE GIRL GRADUATE is equally appropriate for young girls leaving grade
or high schools and their older sisters who have "finished" at college
or boarding school. It makes a suitable present at any season of the
year.
ANNABEL
_By_ SUSANNE METCALF
A girls' book with a clever, quick-moving plot is unusual. ANNABEL is
that kind. The heroine is a lovable girl, but one with plenty of
snap--her red hair testifies to that. Her friend, Will Carden, too, is a
boy of unusual qualities, as is apparent in everything he does. He and
Annabel make an excellent team.
The two, the best of chums, retrieve the fortunes of the Carden family
in a way that makes some exciting situations. The secret of the
mysterious Mr. Jordan is surprised by Annabel, while Will, in a trip to
England with an unexpected climax, finds the real fortune of the
Cardens.
ANNABEL is a book whose make-up is in keeping with the high quality of
the story.
School-Fellow Days
_Designed by_ CLARA POWERS WILSON
_A Memory Book for Younger Boys_
A record book suitable for boys of the upper grammar grades, through
high school, preparatory school and military academy. Striking
illustrations, printed in two colors on specially made, tinted paper
with good writing surface.
My Golden School Days
For schoolboys of all ages--with places and departments for every
important item of interest--and containing appropriate verses and poems.
Azalea
_By_ ELIA W. PEATTIE
The first book of the "Blue Ridge" Series
Azalea is the heroine of a good, wholesome story that will appeal to
every mother as the sort of book she would like her daughter to read. In
the homy McBirneys of Mt. Tennyson, down in the Blue Ridge country, and
their hearty mountain neighbors, girl readers will find new friends they
will be glad to make old friends.
This book marks a distinct advance in the quality of books offered for
girls. No lack of action--no sacrifice of charm.
The Flying Girl Series
_By_ EDITH VAN DYNE
_Author of "Aunt Jane's Nieces" Series_
_Exhilarating Books for Girls of Today_
Capital up-to-the-minute stories for girls and young people, in which
the author is at her very best. Thrilling and full of adventure, but of
that wholesome type parents are glad to put in the hands of their
daughters. Two titles:
The Flying Girl
Orissa Kane, self-reliant and full of sparkling good nature, under-study
for her brother, prospective inventor and aviator whose experiments put
the Kane family into great difficulties, in the crisis proves
resourceful and plucky, and saves the day in a most thrilling manner.
The Flying Girl and Her Chum
This story takes Orissa and her friend Sybil through further adventures
that test these two clever girls to the limit. A remarkably well told
story.