CHAPTER IV

PLANNING A FORTUNE HUNT

“Well, I feel better now,” remarked Bob with a sigh of satisfaction, as he pushed back his chair from the table.

“You look better, too,” spoke Jerry, with a laugh. “You haven’t that worn and hungry appearance you had a while ago, and I guess the rest of us can have a little peace now.”

“Peace? What do you mean?” demanded the stout youth indignantly.

“I mean that you won’t continually be talking about something to eat.”

“I guess you were hungry, too,” went on Bob. “I notice that your plate is empty.”

“Here, you two quit scrapping,” advised Ned good-naturedly. “I guess we were all hungry. It was the excitement over rescuing Noddy that caused it.”

“That’s right!” chimed in Andy Rush. “Whoop! That was exciting all right. Let’s go back and see if they’ve got the busted dam mended--maybe there’s a lot of men drowned--maybe we can see where Noddy’s boathouse went to pieces in the rapids--wow--some excitement all right--I’m going--come on, fellows!”

“No, we’ve got business on hand,” answered Ned, a bit soberly. “But don’t let us keep you, Andy.”

“All right, I’m going--I like excitement--maybe they’ll let me help mend the dam,” and taking Ned’s words as a sort of gentle hint, the excitable little lad arose from the table and was soon hurrying down the street.

“I guess they’ll keep him away from the dam if they know what’s good for it,” remarked Jerry, as he watched Andy hurrying away. “He might talk so much that he’d put another hole in it. But what business did you mean, Ned?” and he looked across at his chum.

“The radium business, of course,” returned Ned promptly. “You fellows don’t mean to say you’re going to let a chance like this slip!”

“What!” cried Bob, “do you intend to go after it, Ned?”

“Well, I’m willing, if you and Jerry are, and if the professor would like to go along----”

“Go where?” asked Uriah Snodgrass, looking up from a scientific book he had started to read as soon as the meal was over. “Where do you want me to go?”

“After the radium on Snake Island,” put in Jerry. “Ned thinks we can get it, but I don’t know that it’s possible, after what you have told us about how hard it is to get down into the Grand Canyon.”

“It _is_ hard,” said the professor seriously. “I haven’t in the least made up my mind to go on the expedition, but whoever does go, ought not to risk going in a boat, as the other scientists did. It is almost certain death. I really don’t know how one could make the descent into the canyon. The island, as I understand it, is in the middle of the river, near a place where there are dangerous rapids and whirlpools. The cliffs on either bank of the stream are impossible to scale.

“Of course at certain points it is possible to make a descent into that great canyon. I remember reading an article on it and it stated that there were several trails that could be used, Bright Angel Trail is one, and then there are Bass’s, Boucher’s, Berry’s and the Red Canyon Trail. Berry’s is near Grand View, as it’s called, and Snake Island lies somewhere between that point and Bright Angel Trail. Oh, a boat is out of the question, I think.”

“Then what’s the matter with our airship?” asked Ned quickly.

“That’s it!” cried Bob eagerly. “Why didn’t we think of that before? We’ll go in the airship, fellows, and get that radium! It will be just the thing! Here it is almost vacation time, school will close in a couple of weeks, and that will be our summer outing--to go after the radium fortune in our airship.”

“You forget that the airship is in Denver,” put in Jerry. “You know we loaned it to Mr. Glassford to give an exhibition at the international aero meet, and in his last letter he said he has won several prizes with it.”

“But the meet is over; isn’t it?” asked Ned, who seemed unusually excited over the prospective trip.

“Yes, and I suppose Mr. Glassford will soon be sending our motorship back,” admitted Jerry. “But----”

“Oh, don’t go to finding a lot of objections,” broke in Bob. “What’s the matter with leaving the airship out in Denver?”

“And walk out there to use it?” inquired the tall lad sarcastically.

“No, motor out there. Our auto will soon be out of the repair shop, and we could have a fine time going West in it. Say, things couldn’t happen better; could they, Professor?” and Bob began pacing up and down the room.

“What has happened?” asked the scientist suddenly, for he had again become absorbed in his book, and had paid no attention to the talk of the boys. “Is anything the matter?”

“We’re still talking radium,” explained Ned. “Trying to get Jerry enthused enough to go to Snake Island.”

“Oh, I’ll go if the rest of you do,” agreed the widow’s son. “Only it doesn’t sound feasible. Our airship isn’t at hand, the motor is laid up for repairs, and----”

“But we have the motor boat,” broke in Ned. “We can use that.”

“On dry land!” laughed Jerry. “Say, you fellows have great ideas--great!”

“Give us some of yours then,” suggested Bob.

“Well, my notion is----”

“I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” fairly yelled Professor Snodgrass, leaping from his chair, and holding the book above his head. “I’ve got it!”

“What is it this time?” asked Jerry. “A pink-eyed toad or a blue-nosed grasshopper?” for the scientist was continually on the lookout for strange and rare insects or reptiles.

“Neither one,” answered Mr. Snodgrass, “but I have just found, in this book, an article telling about a strange double-tailed toad, very rare, which is said to be a native of New Mexico. It is a species of the horned toad, but very different. For years I have been investigating, trying to get on the trail of this sort of toad, and now, most unexpectedly, I come upon a clew. Boys, this has indeed been a fortunate day for me. I shall start right away for New Mexico. I must telegraph the college president at once that I can get a most valuable specimen to add to our collection. Oh, this is indeed fortunate!”

The professor was rapidly making notes from the article in the book. The boys looked at one another. Then Ned spoke.

“Fellows,” he said, “this just fits in. New Mexico is on the way to the Grand Canyon--or at least it won’t be much out of our way to go there. We can have a try for the radium fortune and at the same time the professor can look for his tailless toad. How about it?”

“Two-tailed toad! Two-tailed!” cried the little scientist. “Don’t make that mistake, Ned. But I think that will be a good plan. I was undecided about it before, but, since you are going, I will go with you, and I’ll do all I can to help you get to Snake Island.”

“And we’ll help hunt the two-tailed toad,” added Bob. “Now, how about you, Jerry?”

“Oh, I’m game. I’ll go along, but we’ve got to straighten out about our auto and motorship. First we’ll write to Mr. Glassford, asking him to hold the _Comet_ in Denver for us. Then we must hurry the repairs on the auto.”

Mr. Glassford, as my old readers probably remember, was the man who first helped our heroes to construct their motorship. He had recently borrowed their latest and largest craft for exhibition purposes.

“Well, get busy,” advised Ned. “Here is some paper. Take my fountain pen and write some letters. It’s decided then; we’ll have a try for the radium, and we’ve got to get a move on to get ready.”

“Here comes the postman,” spoke Bob. “I’ll get the mail, Ned.”

The stout lad came back with several letters. One was for Ned Slade. He quickly tore it open, and, as he read it he gave a startled cry.

“What’s the matter--bad news?” asked Jerry.

“Sort of that way,” replied his chum. “This letter is from the man who was repairing our auto. He says he discovered a flaw in the back axle, and, in order to have a new one properly fitted in he sent the car to Pittsburg, where there is a firm that makes a specialty of such things. Our auto is in Pittsburg!”

“Then it’s all up with using it on the trip west!” exclaimed Jerry. “We’ll have to go by train I guess.”

“No we won’t!” cried Bob eagerly. “Fellows, I’ve got a plan.”