“After the gold, of course,” came from Mr. Brill. “But they’ll have a fight before they get it. I think I saw some of the grub-stakers in the bunch,” he added, for he had gazed long and earnestly at those on the cliff.
“And maybe we’ll have trouble before we get the nuggets,” put in Jim Nestor. “If you can be mistaken once on your landmarks, Harvey, you may be again. And this valley seems to be full of queer-shaped rocks.”
“It is,” assented the miner; “but once we start down it from the other direction I know I can pick out the place where I buried the nuggets. I’ll get ’em!”
“I hope so,” murmured Ned, for he knew his father had placed much confidence in the efforts of himself and his chums.
“Now to pick up the professor,” announced Jerry, when the meal was over, and the airship ready to proceed. A look at the cliff showed no signs of the spies, though all realized that they might be down behind rocks, peering at the gold-seekers, and so hidden as to be out of sight even of the powerful glasses.
The Comet sailed back down the valley, keeping but a short distance above the tallest peaks, or groups of boulders.
“Look for the red flag,” counseled Jerry. “I told the professor to hoist it on a pole to guide us to him.”
“And he’s just as likely to take it and make some sort of snake trap of it, as he is to hoist it,” said Ned. “In fact I doubt if even he remembers to put it up, he’ll be so much taken up with looking for the snakes.”
As they neared the place where they had left the scientist they all looked down for a sight of him, but they saw no red flag, nor did they glimpse the little figure of the collector.
“He must be back of some rocks,” said Bob. They were drifting along now, before a gentle wind, and the motor was shut off. Moving as a balloon, and guided only by the breeze they made not a round.