“We’ll take things easy this evening,” said Mr. Mackworth when the excitement over the hunting licenses had subsided, “and to-morrow we’ll leisurely perfect our plans. I suppose the first thing will be to find a suitable ground for assembling the airship.”
“And that don’t look any too easy,” broke in Frank. “This is the narrowest town I’ve ever seen.”
“Then,” continued Mr. Mackworth, “we’ve got to inventory our stuff. You can never be sure you have what you’re going to need. What we’ve missed we’ll have to go back to Fernie and buy.”
“First job for the Loon,” exclaimed Phil. “That’ll be pie. It’s only twenty-three miles away.”
“Not improbable,” went on their host, “since we have only one train a day. We’ll be in Michel all day to-morrow. Early the next morning all our provisions and camping paraphernalia will go by wagons to the only ranch in the valley—Charley Smith’s place up near Sulphur Springs—twenty-five miles distant. We’ll follow on horses.”
“On horses?” cried out Frank. “Here’s two of us who won’t be on horses. Phil and I’ll be in the Loon and two more may as well be with us. We can take Captain Ludington and Lord Pelton. Why not?”
“But we’ve got to have horses. We can’t count on your airship for everything.”
“That’s where you’re mistaken,” added Frank. “You can count on it everywhere and at all times. We’ll take you all anywhere you want to go. And when there are too many we’ll make double trips.”
“We’ll take horses for all,” insisted Mr. Mackworth. “They’re cheap. Then if your aëroplane slips a cog we won’t have to walk home. We’ll reach Smith’s ranch in the late afternoon. I suggest you wait here until four or five o’clock with your flyin’ machine, and then I suppose you can overtake us in an hour.”
“In thirty minutes,” said Phil proudly.