“As it happened it didn’t do them much good,” remarked Bart.
“I should say not,” rejoined Billy. “I reckon they didn’t think that we could hit upon a way of getting it off our track.”
The auto chugged on through the sweet-smelling pine woods till the declining sun began to tint their dark branches with gold.
“Hadn’t we better send the boys a wireless?” asked Billy, and as the others agreed that it was important to know where they were the mast was set in position and a call sent out. A reply was soon obtained from the others, who were camped at a small plateau further up the side of the foothill.
Half an hour later the boys were all in camp together, and the events of the day were discussed with much interest. It was a wild country in which they found themselves. Great stretches of barrens mingled with dense pine woods, and Frank and Harry had serious thoughts of once more taking to the plains. Bart Witherbee, however, assured them that if they kept on to Calabazos they would find a good landing and ascending place, and from there could easily wing their way to level ground. He represented to them that they would be taking a short cut also by following this route. So the boys decided to keep on to Calabazos with the old miner, a decision which was not wholly disinterested, for they were anxious to see the mine of which he had told them so much.
Naturally, the position of the other contestants in the race was a topic that came up for a lot of discussion, but the boys were still talking it over when it was time to turn in without having arrived at any definite conclusion. From what they had heard in White Willow they were pretty certain that Slade’s aeroplane was disabled. Concerning the condition of the dirigible or her whereabouts, however, there was by no means the same amount of assurance.
They were chatting thus and speculating on their chance of winning the big prize when Bart Witherbee suddenly held up a warning hand.
“Hark!” he exclaimed. They all listened.
“Did you hear anything?” he asked of Frank.
“Not a thing,” replied the boy.