Over an early breakfast at Trujillo, their spirits rose once more. The trip inland was not far and they should reach the foothills in an hour.
“South America is different from what I expected,” remarked Terry, as she drank her breakfast coffee. “I thought that most of this country was jungles and tropical vegetation. Did you see that strip of brown sand, along the coast? It’s like a desert.”
“Which shows you didn’t study your geography very well or you’d have remembered that all along the coast, especially from here down, there’s a strip of desert, and in places it never has been known to rain,” replied Prim. “I always remember that, for it was one place I never had any desire to go. But here I am!”
“We’ll just give it a good look and fly high! I don’t like desert country either. But we’ll soon get to the foothills.”
“Let’s hurry, Terry! I’m anxious to get to the mine. I wonder what Peter Langley and his wife will be like? I hope they won’t turn out to be friends of Joe Arnold.” Prim picked up her belongings and hastened toward the door of the restaurant.
A few moments brought them to the flying field, where their plane had been refueled and stood ready for the take-off. There was no wind and Terry taxied across the field to get plenty of speed for the rise. As usual Prim had insisted on the parachutes. The harness always annoyed Terry, but she did not make any objection. Anything that would make Prim feel satisfied was worth doing.
The rising ground beneath them told that they were getting into the foothills. They saw the jagged peaks far ahead. Terry was glad that she would not have to cross the Andes on this trip. She had had enough excitement for a while; that could wait for another flight.
Seeing a small settlement ahead, Terry recognized it by the description given her of Majora. She flew straight toward the town, circled and came down on a wide, smooth field. Although it was not intended as a flying field, Terry had seen worse places to alight, and brought Skybird to a neat three-point landing.
But here the girls met disappointment. Ed Jenkins, an American storekeeper in the settlement, told them that it would be impossible to land a plane in the mountains near Peter Langley’s mine.
“There isn’t a square foot of level space anywhere in these hills. That pair of fools who went up there in a plane this morning will meet sudden death. They’re bound to!” exclaimed Jenkins.