But while every Indian was questioned, few could give any information in regard to the plane, although many had seen or heard it as it had flown southward more than a week before.
Each day and every night too, the boys had listened at their radio sets, but no more messages from the plane had been heard and all had begun to think that the aircraft had departed and that the long journey would prove fruitless. The boys, however, had had the time of their lives. They had taken numerous trips into the bush with Joseph and the other Indians. They had shot deer, wild turkeys, peccaries and a tapir, while a splendid jaguar skin and two beautiful ocelot hides were safely stowed among their belongings as trophies of their prowess as hunters, and Rawlins treasured a huge snake skin from a twenty foot anaconda that he had secured.
Much of Mr. Pauling’s time had been spent trying to decipher the messages the boys had received from the plane and the “reds’” confederate, for it was his boast that there never had been a secret code which he could not interpret.
“I guess I’ve had my trouble for nothing,” he announced one afternoon. “I’ve got it, but as I expected, it’s in some foreign tongue--Russian most likely. Yet it doesn’t look exactly like Russian either. It’s not German, but whatever it is, it’s no value to us now. Of course, we can get it translated eventually, but I’d give a lot to know what it says.”
“May I see it?” asked the explorer. “Possibly I may be able to identify it, even if I can’t read it.”
“Certainly,” replied Mr. Pauling, handing him the sheet he had covered with writing.
Mr. Thorne glanced at the paper. “Why, it’s Dutch!” he exclaimed. “Here, Colcord, can you read this?”
The Boviander fished a pair of battered spectacles from his pocket, adjusted them low on his nose and looking, as Tom said, as grave as if he were about to preach a sermon, he peered at the writing.
“Yes, sir, Chief,” he declared after a minute’s study. “I ’spec’ I can. I don’ comprehen’ Dutch too much, Chief; but I can tell yo’ what it mean.”
“All right, what is it?” replied Mr. Pauling.