“Maybe it was the painter I saw over on Flathead one day. It was early in the morning and I saw some kind of animal moving about over there. But it was so far away I couldn’t make out what it was. I thought at first it was a man.”
CHAPTER XIV
BUILDING THE AIRSHIP
Fortunately the waterbottles had been well saddled on the burro, and it carried them safely to the top of the mountain, in spite of its wild flight from the lion. Everything now being ready, the troop of Scouts returned to where the luncheon had been spread and sat around and ate. Of course the lion was the chief subject of conversation at the dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Turman both declared they were surprised at its appearance, as they had not heard of any of its kind in that part of the country for several years. Naturally, too, the statement of Mrs. Turman that she had seen a moving object that might have been a man on top of Flathead directed some interest toward that mountain.
“It seemed to be walking erect like a man,” she said in reply to further questions; “but it might ’ave been the painter. I couldn’t make sure what it was. I wish I’d had a pair of glasses like some of you boys have.”
“I’ve heard it said that there’s some cliff-dwellers’ houses over on that mountain,” volunteered Uncle Sam. “I don’t know where the story came from, for there’s nobody around here now that’s ever been up there. I don’t see how anybody could climb that mountain.”
“Let’s examine it with our glasses,” suggested Byron, who had a pair slung over his shoulder.
Half a dozen binoculars were quickly unslung, and the holders were soon searching the singular upheaval of stones and earth more than a mile to the east.
“I see something that looks like some houses right in the side of the mountain,” announced Byron.
“Oh, yes, there are some cliff houses,” replied Mr. Turman. “There’s a big hollow place right in the side of the mountain about thirty feet up. There’s a regular cliff there, and you can see where pieces of wood were driven in to make a ladder to climb up.”
“Is that so?” Dr. Byrd exclaimed in surprise. “I never knew that.”