No matter. It was his business to put a sudden stop to the action. And while doing so he must not be too rough in his dealing with the fellow, lest the entire crew rise in revolt.

When he had reached a point that allowed of a leap, Frank suddenly sprang forward. He did not know just what he might be up against and had even taken from his pocket the splendid new pistol which Colonel Josiah, himself a world traveler, had insisted upon giving each of his boys before they started on their trip south.

"Surrender!" cried Frank, believing that the very sound of his voice would do much toward frightening the would-be traitor.

But he hardly expected such a tremendous upheaval as followed. The man, believing that possibly the "devil-bird" had broken out of its cage and was about to carry him off in its gigantic beak, gave a shrill scream of terror, and bouncing up, broke the slender hold Frank had secured upon his person.

Not to be outdone, Frank, recovering, chased after him. He believed it his duty to at least learn the ident.i.ty of the rogue, so that he might understand just how deeply the conspiracy had taken root in the crew.

Between himself and the hanging lantern he could make out the fleeing figure of the fellow, and hot in pursuit he followed as fast as his feet would let him. The man undoubtedly heard him coming, for, if anything, his fright increased. Out upon the open deck they flew, Frank just a few feet in the rear. He had even stretched out his arm and touched the garments of the runner, when with a screech the fellow made a furious plunge straight over the side of the boat.

He evidently chose to take chances in the swift current of the Magdalena rather than trust himself in the power of the unknown pursuer, which doubtless he believed to be the dreaded "devil-bird" that had been confined in the box cage!

CHAPTER XIV.

THE AIRSHIP LAUNCHED AT LAST.

Frank came near following after the unknown member of the crew, when the other made that flying leap over the side of the boat. Not that he wanted to take a bath just then, but his forward progress had been rapid, and he only saved himself by banging up against the taffrail, which was unusually high for so small a vessel, and holding on st.u.r.dily.

He had heard the splash as the fellow reached the water. Doubtless he was a good swimmer, as about all these natives seemed to be, and barring his falling a prey to some loitering alligator or other reptile, he would be able to gain the neighboring sh.o.r.e further down.

At any rate it was folly to think of looking for him.

"What's all the row?" cried Andy, as he came plunging forth from his stateroom.

Some of the crew were even then looking over the side, and Frank imagined they could give a pretty good guess as to what it meant. But he heard not a word from even old Quito, and while the absence of a man must be noticed in the morning, there would probably be no complaint.

When Andy heard about the attempt to injure the monoplane he was in a tremble.

"Did you ever?" he exclaimed. "Why, it seems as though everything just wants to knock us. When we give the government officials the merry ha!

ha! and even slip past the revolutionary army, after being bombarded by their old cannon, here even our own men want to smash our precious aeroplane, under the belief that it's an evil bird, come to bring bad luck to the people."

"Better go back to your bunk and forget it," remarked Frank, who was tenderly rubbing his elbow where it had come in contact with the hard taffrail at the time he stopped so suddenly, balking at a bath.

"Me? Not on your life, Frank!" declared Andy, with much emphasis. "I'm going to take a blanket and just lie down in front of that blessed door. n.o.body can get in then without walking over my body. And if I catch a fellow trying it on, believe me, I'll give him something he won't forget in a hurry. It'll be touch and go with him, I bet you."

Which he actually did, much to Frank's secret amus.e.m.e.nt, camping out there on the floor as close to the locked door as he could get, and bracing his back up against the same.

But then, fortunately, morning was not so far away and Andy would have only a couple of hours, more or less, of his self-imposed labor.

They knew that if the pilot of the river expedition said truly, they must even now be drawing near the town of Magangue. Possibly it would break upon their vision with the coming of dawn.

Frank himself had no more intention of retiring to his bed than had Andy, but continued to keep watch and ward until he saw the first peep of daylight over the port side of the vessel.

Then he communicated the glad intelligence to his chum, and together they stood there, watching the slow unfolding of dawn. From an ashen gray the sky began to be marked with brighter hues; pink flushes traveled along in lines that centered in the spot where the sun would presently appear, and the gloom of night retreated once more back to its hiding places among the mountain pa.s.ses.

"There's the d.i.n.ky old town!" cried Andy, pointing with trembling finger.

"It is and no mistake," replied Frank, himself experiencing a sensation of considerable relief, for at times it had seemed more than doubtful whether the little expedition could ever overcome the many difficulties that beset its pa.s.sage up the swollen river.

And so they came to land just as the glorious sun showed his smiling face. Andy declared that this was a harbinger of good luck, and his cousin chose to readily agree with all he said, for it pleased him to see Andy look more like his old self than he had been for many a day.

"Remember, only one of us ash.o.r.e at a time until we land this cargo,"

remarked Frank, as they came to bring the boat to the bank, where a group of natives waited to see what it all meant, surprise written largely on their dark faces.

"That's right," responded the other traveler. "But I'm going to have the aeroplane carried out on deck at once, so it can be taken ash.o.r.e as soon as we find where we are at. What we want first of all is to hear about our friend, Carlos Mendoza, the cocoa planter. Perhaps he lives miles away and we'll have to get some sort of conveyance to tote our machine out to his place."

"Yes," observed Frank, "I've been laying out plans along that line. If you don't mind I'll drop ash.o.r.e while you're having the crates brought on deck and make inquiries. Even away down here in this wilderness money talks. Colonel Josiah told us it did for him in the heart of darkest Africa, you know. And a few bolivars will hire all the help we want."

Andy was perfectly agreeable that his companion should have taken upon himself the task of engineering things.

"You can always discount me when it comes to bargaining," he said, laughingly; "so go ahead and fix things to suit yourself, Frank."

Upon reaching sh.o.r.e, Frank, who had taken old Felipe along with him to serve as interpreter, found that Carlos Mendoza had his home just on the border of the town, though it was a little distance away. He soon made arrangements for hiring a native cart to be used in transporting the precious aeroplane.

In less than half an hour they were on the way. The boat had been left in charge of McClintock, the Scotch engineer, who would make sure that the crew remained on board or lost the wages coming to them.

Both of the boys were so excited that they paid little attention to the strange scenes which now surrounded them in the valley town far back in the interior of tropical Colombia. Indeed, one might even have suspected that they had always been accustomed to living in a region where all manner of tropical fruits abounded, coffee and cocoa were raised as crops, and birds of brilliant plumage flew overhead.

The truth of the matter was, they knew they would presently come face to face with the planter who had actually picked up the little messenger sent out of his cliff bordered prison by Professor Bird. And this fact set their nerves to trembling with eager antic.i.p.ations.

In due time the cart on which the aeroplane had been secured, together with the luggage which the young aviators wished to carry along, drew up before a long, low white building, back of which could be seen orange trees and other evidences of a real tropical home.

Their coming must have been noted, for a gentleman was advancing from the grove at the rear. Senor Carlos looked surprised at seeing the caravan bringing up before his door, but that was as nothing in comparison with his amazement upon learning how one of the two young Americanos was the same Andrew Bird to whom he had desired his friend, Senor Almirez, to forward the strange message picked up in his cocoa grove one day several months back.

The boys had learned from Senor Jose that the owner of the plantation could understand English and even speak it fairly well. Thus they had no need of fetching Felipe along to act as interpreter.

"Oh, please first of all let me see the remains of the silk parachute that was attached to the bark letter!" said Andy, after they had conversed for a short time and some of the planter's hired servants had unloaded the boxed aeroplane, which was stowed away in a place of security.

Doubtless the planter understood the reason for the boy's solicitude. He immediately took them inside the house and in another minute had thrust into Andy's eager hands a discolored piece of silk, such as is used in the making of balloons.

Nor did either Frank or the Colombian planter think it strange that the boy should press the token again and again to his lips, while tears ran down his face. They could understand the feelings that filled his heart, and no matter what the nationality may be, the honest love of a lad for his father cannot but provoke admiration and respect.

"And now," said Frank, presently, when his cousin had in a measure recovered from his first emotion, "will you tell us, Senor Mendoza, just how you found this strange communication? I hope you remember the exact day, because it is of the greatest importance to us that we learn, as near as possible, from just what quarter it came."

"Si, senor, I understand that," replied the planter, eagerly, his dark face aglow with enthusiasm. "I made note of the day in my diary, also the fact that it was the third day in succession when the wind blew direct from the south, with just a faint turn to the west."

"Splendid!" cried Frank, turning to give his chum a rea.s.suring nod. "What did I tell you, Andy? The forethought of Senor Carlos has made our task much easier. There can be little doubt, then, that the hot air balloon must have started in a region that lies almost due south of here, possibly with a slant, as he says, toward the south by west quarter, as a sailor would call it. And now, senor, can you tell us just where a direct line that way would bring us?"

"First over the lowland and the forests. Then, if you go far enough amigos, it is the Sierra San Jeronimo mountains you would strike,"

replied the planter.

"Yes, I remember them on the map we have, and that corresponds exactly with all I had in my mind," Frank observed, his forehead wrinkled with serious thought.

"What sort of country is it up in those mountains?" asked Andy.