“Very well,” replied the other, “I’ll creep over in the shadows and push the Ann down the valley so softly that they’ll never know what’s taken place. If you walk down a couple of hundred yards, I’ll pick you up. Then we’ll be away without disturbing any one.”
So eager were the two to leave the camp without their intentions being discovered by the others, that they did not stop to see whether all the three machines were still in place. The Ann stood farthest to the east, next to the Bertha, and Sam crept in between the two aeroplanes and began working the Ann slowly along the grassy sward.
Had he lifted his head for a moment and looked to the rear, he must have seen that only the Bertha lay behind him. Had he investigated the two rolls of blankets lying near the fire, he would have seen that they covered no sleeping forms!
But none of these precautions were taken. The Ann moved noiselessly down the valley to where Mr. Havens awaited her and was sent into the air. The rattle of the motors seemed to the two men to be loud enough to bring any one within ten miles out of a sound sleep, but they saw no movements below, and soon passed out of sight.
Wheeling sharply off to the west, they circled cliffs, gorges and grassy valleys for an hour until they came to the western slope of the mountain which held the fortress. It will be remembered that the Louise had circled to the east.
“And now,” Mr. Havens said as he slowed down, “if we find a landing-place here, even moderately secure, down we go. If I don’t, I’ll shoot up again and land squarely on top of the fort.”
“I don’t believe it’s got any roof to land on!” smiled Sam.
“Yes, it has!” replied Mr. Havens. “I’ve had the old fraud investigated. I know quite a lot about her!”
“You have had her investigated?” asked Sam, in amazement.
“You know very well,” the millionaire went on, “that we have long suspected Redfern to be hiding in this part of Peru. I can’t tell you now how we secured all the information we possess on the subject. It would take too much time.