“So this is Cuba,” observed Joe, yawning and looking at the green jungle, which seemed everywhere about them.
“Not much to be seen in this part of the island,” Mr. Wallace told them. “We’re at the extreme eastern end.”
They looked around a bit, though, to satisfy their curiosity.
When they finally returned to the ’plane, after taking a tramp toward the high peak, the explorers were ready to devour anything in the way of food.
Sandwiches and iced tea, the latter having been kept cold in a thermos jug, served as a meal, and proved to be very satisfying to the hungry explorers.
Then, after taking a short rest in the shade of the monoplane, they prepared to resume the journey.
“Now comes the worst part,” said Karl, with a frown. “We’ll have to fly for over five hundred miles without seeing a trace of an island. The Caribbean Sea may prove treacherous for tropical storms, too.”
Luck was with them the first half of their trip. The sky remained clear and light, not giving the slightest indication of a change of weather.
Then suddenly, when the travelers’ hopes were high, they noticed that the sky was becoming dark and threatening. A fierce wind was blowing with a dangerous velocity, which threatened to send the monoplane off its course.
Karl guided the machine off to the west, in the hope of passing beyond the storm area. He speeded up to over a hundred and fifty miles an hour, for he knew that whatever he did must be done quickly.