“Can you see any white persons?” inquired Mr. Bell anxiously, as Jerry finished his observation through the telescope.
“No,” answered the lad. “It’s hard to distinguish any figures at all, and I don’t want to go lower, for fear they may sight us. I can’t tell whether those I see are Indians or whites. Can you, Jim?”
“No. Very likely the white people are nearly like the redmen now, from having lived among them so long.”
Over the whole length of the valley went the airship, but nothing more was disclosed. There were no indications that the presence of the Comet was observed, and, having gotten to the end of the big defile, the craft was sent back.
It was decided that a place just inside, but at the lower end of the valley, and near the spot where they had first landed after sighting the chasm, would be the best place on which to descend. As they neared it, on their return trip, a wall of fog shut it from view, but as its location had been carefully observed on the first trip, little apprehension was felt.
The adventurers returned to the place of their first camp in the mountains, just outside the valley, and prepared to stay there until it should be dark enough to make the descent into the abode of the prisoners.
“If we could only drop some message to the poor captives,” suggested Bob, “then they would know we were coming for them.”
“It wouldn’t be safe,” declared Jerry. “The Indians might get it and decipher it. We’ll have to take our chances at notifying them suddenly.”
After it grew dark the same mysterious lights were observed that had puzzled the travelers the first night. The adventurers decided to wait until the flickering gleams died away before venturing on a descent.