Though it was an exceedingly novel experience for both Jim Nestor and Sledge Hammer Tod to ride in an airship, one would never have guessed it from their manner. They were as calm and collected as though that was their usual means of locomotion.
Tod looked down at the earth, which was fast receding and in a low voice remarked to Jim Nestor:
“There sits the deputy sheriff on guard.”
“Yes,” added Jim, equally calm, “as long as he stays there things will be all right. Nixon and his gang won’t get much gold out of that mine.”
“How do you allow that the gang had the nerve to make a try for your mine?” asked Tod, turning to Ned and Bob.
“Oh, Tom Dalsett planned it,” replied Ned. “He has been in the West for some time now, and probably thought he saw a chance to make some money. He wrote to Noddy to come out here, as Jerry told you, and we found the letter when he ran away. How Noddy managed to get West after he ran away from our airship we can only guess. Anyhow, he did get here, and met Dalsett. Then Bill Berry arrived, probably on some freight train like one Jerry saw him board. Very likely he dropped off at a junction point, and came to Rockyford on a local. Then the three went to court and made their claim.”
Jerry came from the pilot house, having fixed the rudder stationary, after ascending to about five hundred feet.
“Well,” inquired the tall lad, as he looked at the old miner and at Jim Nestor, “how do you like it? Is it what you thought it would be?” He rather expected to see more of astonishment depicted on the faces of his friends.
“Well, it is and it isn’t,” was the somewhat enigmatical answer of Jim.
“It might be different,” added Tod, as carelessly as he could. “If it doesn’t act like a bucking bronco now and throw us off, it will be all right. Something of a distance to fall,” he went on casually, as he looked down to the earth.