“You know the rest of the story, and I can’t say anything more except that words don’t suffice to express my opinion of the perfectly bully way you have acted towards me.”
“Land! Land!” shouted Ned just then. “I can see the trees down below!”
CHAPTER XIX
A STRANGE COUNTRY
The shout of the lookout on Columbus’ ship when he first sighted the New World created no greater excitement than did Ned’s words among the boys on the Ocean Flyer. Each and every one of them rushed to the port windows with binoculars through which to scan the view more closely.
The scene was, however, most disappointing. As far as the eye could reach below stretched an expanse of sparsely-wooded uninviting plain, with white patches of snow still showing upon it. Far off to the southwest the peaks of a mighty range of rugged mountains loomed hazily. Not a bird flew in the sky; not a human habitation was to be seen. Away to the northwest a narrow ribbon of something gray was twisting slowly across the country. Little points of light flickered above it where the sunbeams struck.
“What is that?” asked Alan, pointing out the snake-like thing. “Is it a river?”
“No, I don’t think so,” answered Buck. “Ned, let’s get nearer to that thing and see just what it is.”
Accordingly the course of the Flyer was altered and, flying at an elevation of about 1,100 feet above the ground, she rapidly drew near the mysterious object.
Closer approach gave the boys a genuine surprise. The “snake” proved to be five battalions of soldiery on the march—infantry, cavalry and artillery. There seemed to be thousands and thousands of them—more men than any of the boys had ever seen gathered together before. The uniforms were of a dark blue. Some of the regiments wore little round caps of the same color, set rakishly on one side of their heads; others wore huge flat fur or wool hats. Most of the soldiers seemed to be unusually large and rough looking. The majority of them were bearded.