“Captain Ludington,” said Mr. Mackworth, “I think this a fine idea. I order you to go with Frank on a tour of investigation. Make a sky-view chart of the hill and designate the location of the enemy if discovered.”
Captain Ludington wrinkled his brows and laughed. He twisted his mouth as if about to say something, probably a protest; then, to the surprise of all, he sprang to his feet, clicked his heels together, saluted and said:
“Very good, sir.”
“Come along, Lord Pelton,” exclaimed Phil. “We’ll all go. Take your rifle.”
Mr. Mackworth looked at Phil.
“I wouldn’t take a rifle if I were you. Don’t you think that would be an unfair advantage of the goats? They won’t be looking for an enemy from the sky. I don’t mind using the airship to get on an equal footing with the goats; to get on their heights and meet ’em man to goat; but I wouldn’t shoot them from where they haven’t any cause to expect an enemy. I think shooting goats from an airship would be ‘pot hunting.’”
“I don’t agree with you,” retorted Phil instantly. “As for only doing what the goats have a right to be looking for, there’s nothing in that or we wouldn’t be able to shoot them at all. Goats don’t know anything about guns. And as for the goats having no reason to be looking for an enemy above them, their animal enemies are always above or below ’em. And Sam Skinner says the golden eagle swoops down on them from above whenever he wants a fresh kid.”
“It’s all a matter of taste,” rejoined Mr. Mackworth, smiling. “Do as you like.”
“But I wouldn’t shoot to kill unless I could recover the prize,” added Phil. “And I wouldn’t shoot from the airship to leave an animal dying on the rocks where I couldn’t get it.”