“As soon as a chute opens a man begins to fall slowly, and if he has his wits about him, he can guide himself in any direction. I knew that when Jim saw the plane coming under him, he’d make for it even if I didn’t get in exactly the right position. We were in a fog, and the dwarf just went tumbling on, going faster and faster. He was out of sight before I had picked up Buddy, then we were getting pretty low, so I began to climb. I didn’t know anything about what the water was like, so I didn’t dare go down. I might have landed on it half a mile from where the dwarf dropped,” Bob told them simply.
“And with the force the fellow would keep dropping.”
“Yes.”
“Well, my boys, you tell it as if it were a mere incident, but I know those were anxious moments for you all—ah, here are our two associates. Now, I am sure that we shall have things in our own hands and that all will be well after the meeting. Carlos, do take the boys where they can rest, and tomorrow perhaps you can show them something of our land. We think it very marvelous.”
“I say, maybe they’d like to fly to Amy-Ran. That’s mighty interesting and I’ve always wanted to get there in a plane. It’s an old Indian place, I won’t tell you anything about it, you can see for yourself. No one ever goes near it much, but there’s an Indian woman, no one knows how old she is, who lives near by,” Carlos told them.
“That surely sounds as if it would be worth seeing,” the Buddies agreed heartily. “Suppose you’ll be staying over tomorrow, Dad?”
“I believe that I may have to,” Mr. Austin answered.
“Stay over the day! Indeed you are, you shall stay several days,” De Castro announced emphatically.