“Well, I, for one, can’t understand all of it,” said Andy. “Whoop! But things must have happened, though.”
“Several things very evidently happened,” remarked Jerry dryly, “and rather mysterious happenings they were, too,” and then the leader of the motor boys explained his view of the matter. It was his opinion that Mr. Jackson Bell, at one time a hermit, but whom the boys had not seen in some time, had come East with a view of providing for the rescue of some persons (his friends, probably) from some strange valley. Unexpectedly he had met with Noddy Nixon, so Jerry believed, and Noddy had seized the opportunity to make some money out of Mr. Bell, deceiving him as to the ownership of the airship.
Jerry explained how he believed that Noddy had forged the note he took to Sud Snuffles, accompanied by Jack Pender, and the former hermit.
“Everything went well, I think,” went on Jerry, “until after Noddy had handed over the forged note, and prepared to take away our airship. Then he became fearful that it would be evidence against him, and he and Jack attacked Sud, to take the note away. They rendered the watchman unconscious, smashed open the big doors, and floated out in the Comet, for Noddy has seen us operate it often enough to understand the mechanism. Now the question is, to decide where they have gone. Very likely Noddy set off in quest of the mysterious valley, that Mr. Bell knows about.”
“Anyhow, I’m glad I managed to keep the forged note,” observed Sud Snuffles.
“Yes, it will be a sort of clew,” remarked Bob.
“It’s a wonder Mr. Bell didn’t get suspicious and leave when Noddy and Jack were struggling with Sud,” suggested Ned.
“He probably didn’t hear the fight,” was Jerry’s opinion. “Mr. Bell (if it really was he) was, very likely, in the cabin of our airship, and the fight, as Sud says, took place at the rear of the shed. Besides, probably Mr. Bell was thinking so deeply over the prospective rescue of his friends from danger, that he paid little attention to anything else.”
“What danger do you suppose his friends are in, Jerry?” asked Bob.
“Haven’t the least idea. It must be something desperate, though, to induce him to seek an airship with which to rescue them. It’s a mystery—a mystery of the air, and we’ve got to solve it.”