“Then we’ll beat him to it!” Jimmie chuckled.
Toluca seemed to understand what the boys were about to do and smiled grimly as the machine lifted from the ground and whirled softly away. As the Louise left the valley, Mr. Havens and Sam turned lazily in their blankets, doubtless disturbed by the sound of the motors, but, all being quiet about the camp, soon composed themselves to slumber again.
“Now, we’ll have to go slowly!” Ben exclaimed as the machine lifted so that the lights of the distant mystery came into view, “for the reason that we mustn’t make too much noise. Besides,” he went on, “we’ve got to switch off to the east, cut a wide circle around the crags, and come down on the old fort from the south.”
“And when we get there?” asked Jimmie.
“Why,” replied Ben, “we’re going to land and sneak into the fort! That’s what we’re going for!”
“I hope we won’t tumble into a lot of jaguars, and savages, and half-breed Spaniards!” exclaimed Jimmie.
“Oh, we’re just going to look now,” Ben answered, “and when we find out what’s going on there we’re coming back and let Mr. Havens do the rest. We wouldn’t like to take all the glory away from him.”
Following this plan, the boys sent the machine softly away to the east, flying without lights, and at as low altitude as possible, until they were some distance away from the camp. Then they turned to the south.
In an hour the fortress showed to the north, or at least the summit under which it lay did.
“There’s the landing-place just east of that cliff,” Ben exclaimed, as he swung still lower down. “I’ll see if I can hit it.”