At the very bottom of the desk drawer Ned came upon a surprise.
“Not so tough as I supposed,” he said, turning to Frank. “Here’s a typewriter ribbon. The sort of people who set fire to forests and hold up trains are hardly in the typewriter class. What do you make of it?”
“Well,” Frank said, with a chuckle, “if you’ll tell me what the inhabitants of this place want of typewriter ribbons I’ll tell you why they bring great tins of opium here. It seems that we have struck something more important than forest fires.”
CHAPTER IV.—THE AEROPLANE IN DANGER.
A strong wind came out of the Western Sea at ten o’clock that night and swept the lofty plateau as a woman might have swept it with a new broom. Ned and Frank, pursuing their investigations in the cavern, knew nothing of what was going on at the camp, but Jack and Pat were not long in ignorance of the danger of the situation.
With the first strong rush of wind the boys were on their feet, steadying the aeroplane, driving stakes wherever the nature of the ground permitted, and running bracing cords. The shelter tents went down instantly and were blown against the rocks of the east, where they waved canvas arms in the tearing breeze like sheeted ghosts.
The black clouds which swarmed up from the valley brought no rain, but fitful flashes of lightning and deep-toned thunder made a threatening sky. The roaring of the swirling trees in the cañon and on the slopes came up to the ears of the boys like the boom of a strong surf.
After persistent efforts the boys succeeded in bracing the aeroplane so that there was little danger of its being swept away, though they still remained with their backs to the wind, holding on. As time passed, they crept close together in order that the situation might be discussed.
“Lucky thing we remained here,” Pat said, tugging with all his might to steady the monster machine against a particularly vicious dash of wind.
“It would have gone sure, if we hadn’t,” Jack screamed back. “I wish Ned and Frank would come and help. My back is creaking like a shaft that needs oiling with the strain on it.”