Andy was perfectly agreeable that his companion should have taken upon himself the task of engineering things.
"You can always discount me when it comes to bargaining," he said, laughingly; "so go ahead and fix things to suit yourself, Frank."
Upon reaching shore, Frank, who had taken old Felipe along with him to serve as interpreter, found that Carlos Mendoza had his home just on the border of the town, though it was a little distance away. He soon made arrangements for hiring a native cart to be used in transporting the precious aeroplane.
In less than half an hour they were on the way. The boat had been left in charge of McClintock, the Scotch engineer, who would make sure that the crew remained on board or lost the wages coming to them.
Both of the boys were so excited that they paid little attention to the strange scenes which now surrounded them in the valley town far back in the interior of tropical Colombia. Indeed, one might even have suspected that they had always been accustomed to living in a region where all manner of tropical fruits abounded, coffee and cocoa were raised as crops, and birds of brilliant plumage flew overhead.
The truth of the matter was, they knew they would presently come face to face with the planter who had actually picked up the little messenger sent out of his cliff bordered prison by Professor Bird. And this fact set their nerves to trembling with eager anticipations.
In due time the cart on which the aeroplane had been secured, together with the luggage which the young aviators wished to carry along, drew up before a long, low white building, back of which could be seen orange trees and other evidences of a real tropical home.
Their coming must have been noted, for a gentleman was advancing from the grove at the rear. Señor Carlos looked surprised at seeing the caravan bringing up before his door, but that was as nothing in comparison with his amazement upon learning how one of the two young Americanos was the same Andrew Bird to whom he had desired his friend, Señor Almirez, to forward the strange message picked up in his cocoa grove one day several months back.
The boys had learned from Señor José that the owner of the plantation could understand English and even speak it fairly well. Thus they had no need of fetching Felipe along to act as interpreter.
"Oh, please first of all let me see the remains of the silk parachute that was attached to the bark letter!" said Andy, after they had conversed for a short time and some of the planter's hired servants had unloaded the boxed aeroplane, which was stowed away in a place of security.