“But it’s none of our business, you know,” urged Frank; “and we don’t want to seem too curious.”
“But, Frank, we just can’t go off in the morning and leave the poor fellow here, you know; yet how under the sun can we get him to town? He couldn’t ride a horse, with that terribly broken leg, could he?”
“I’m afraid not,” answered the other, smiling. “But I was thinking, Bob, that if the worst came, we could make some sort of raft, and in that way I might drift with him down river, while you followed along the shore with the horses.”
“Well, if you don’t just beat the world thinking up things, Frank!” exclaimed the Kentucky boy; and then seeing the man looking at them curiously, he added in a louder voice: “What do you think of that for a scheme, Mr. Scott—my chum says that if you can’t ride a horse in the morning we might make a raft, and he’ll run you to town that way, while I bring the horses along the bank.”
“Could it be done?” asked the wounded man, as his black eyes sparkled with admiration, and perhaps pleasure.
“I think so,” replied Frank. “I’ve heard something about this river from our cow punchers. It’s swift, but deep, and without many rapids. Yes, given a little time, and we can make a raft that would be safe. And by night, or long before, we’d likely reach a doctor.”
“But in that way you’d lose a whole day, Frank,” remarked the balloonist.
“Oh! well, it just can’t be helped. Time is of value to us just now, I admit; but it would have to be something far more than the possible loss of money that could make me desert anyone in trouble. My dad would never forgive me, Mr. Scott, if I ran away, and left you here all alone!”
The balloonist tried to say something, but his voice failed him. He could only draw a long breath, and look steadily at Frank. Such sentiments evidently touched him even more than the able manner in which Frank had snubbed the runaway balloon, so that he could escape from the broken basket.
Nor did he attempt to join in the conversation of the two lads as they sat by the little fire later on and talked; though Frank imagined that Mr. Scott seemed considerably interested in what they were saying.