“Sure,” Jim replied quickly, for he always carried a small one that he used when he wasn’t flying. “Want me to set a course to the plane from here?”
“If you can. You will have to keep out of sight of the riverbed, but it curves just above where we were hiding, like a horseshoe, so we do not need to cross. When I camped here, I investigated that much because I knew it was well to familiarize myself with the locality,” Gonzalas explained.
“Good you did. Gosh, we were in a tight hole a while ago, but we’re not out of it yet,” he said softly, and by the aid of a match he studied the tiny instrument which would help them take a direct course. Recalling the place where they had landed, he soon calculated which way they should go.
“Come along,” he smiled.
“I think we can safely use a little light,” Arto suggested. He produced a small pocket flash, and the four started.
There was so much that Jim had overheard from the platinum hunters that his brain was in something of a turmoil, and he had two reasons for being anxious to get away as quickly as possible. Besides getting the Gonzalas to safety, he wanted to get a warning to Ynilea of the threatened attack, in case Cardow’s operations had by any chance escaped the attention of the Laboratory men. However, his immediate job was to lead his friends to the plane and get them away safely, if that was possible. Once in the air, they could shoot through the sky and get out of range of the machine gun, if Cardow gave chase.
Jim reasoned that the gang leader, or lieutenant, probably did not know either of the Flying Buddies, and the fact that he had not been seen near the supposed platinum deposit might make him unsuspicious, but the boy fully expected that when the plane took the air, at least the one with the machine gun would come up to investigate and make sure who was in it. The possibility of his not being recognized was mighty slim, but he hoped to get away too quickly for them to overtake him, in case Gordon should catch a glimpse of him. The boy dismissed the thought, for he knew perfectly well that his Texas neighbor would prove a nasty customer. As they proceeded, he mentally calculated the course he would take when they got into the air, if they did. He could start directly away from the gang plane or planes and that would give him a bit of advantage, but he wished with all his heart that it was the “Lark,” instead of De Castro’s plane he had with him.
“I smell cooking—bacon frying,” Mrs. Gonzalas sniffed the air and in a moment Jim too got a whiff of the appetizing fragrance, for the wind brought it directly to them.
“That’s a sign they are busy,” he said softly.
“You must be hungry. I have something in my pocket.” She produced a generous square of chocolate and a sandwich rolled in oiled paper.