CHAPTER XXX

WINNING THE PRIZES--CONCLUSION

Aided by a favorable wind, the _Comet_ sailed on and on. Mr. Glassford was now running the motor to the limit of speed, as he wanted to cover as much ground as possible, and he knew that his gas would not last much longer and that his gasolene was getting low.

“We made two hundred and fifty miles to-day,” he announced one evening to the boys. “If we do as well to-morrow we shall have almost crossed Texas.”

After breakfast the next morning, Mr. Glassford made an inspection of various gages and registering instruments, and then came into the cabin. Jerry was in the tower, steering.

“Well, boys,” said the inventor. “I think we’ll land pretty soon.”

“Why?” asked Ned.

“Because we’re on the last pint of gasolene. I shall be content to drop down now. I think we have gone over a large extent of territory.”

There came a sort of gasp from the motor. The explosion suddenly ceased. Mr. Glassford hurried to the pilot house, but before he reached it Jerry called out:

“Gasolene’s gone. I guess we’ll have to go down, Mr. Glassford.”

“Wait a minute. Don’t open the gas valves, Jerry.”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s a good stiff breeze, and it will carry us several miles yet. We want to make all the distance we can.”

Her own motive power having given out, the _Comet_ was now carried forward by the wind. The motor ship proved a good craft, even under these conditions, but toward afternoon the wind died away, and after taking an observation through the telescope and seeing a good-sized town a few miles ahead, Mr. Glassford depressed the elevation rudder and opened the gas valves.

Down, down, down, on a long slant, started the airship, after her lengthy voyage. She was at such an elevation that the slanting descent carried the craft to the very center of the town, the inhabitants flocking out by hundreds to see the wonderful sight.

Mr. Glassford so manipulated the aeroplanes that the _Comet_ landed almost as gently as a feather. Then, in order that it might not take flight again when the passengers alighted, all the gas was let out of the bag. The motor ship’s voyage was over for the time being.

“Where ye from, strangers?” cried a big man as he pushed his way through the throng that had gathered about the airship.

“From Park Haven, Indiana,” replied Mr. Glassford. “Ours is one of the ships that took part in the race. Have you seen any others out this way?”

“Nary a one, stranger, and we don’t want to see any more. It pretty nigh frightened all our people to death, and half the hosses in town bolted when ye come sailin’ down from the sky.”

“Where are we?” asked Mr. Glassford.

“Albemarle, Texas.”

“What part of Texas?”

“Within two miles of the Rio Grande. You’re not far from Mexico.”

“Then we had a longer flight than I thought,” said the inventor. “Come, boys, we must send some messages.”

“Do you think it will be safe to leave the airship here?” asked Jerry.

“I think so. We will not be gone long.”

“Ah, Santa Maria! The saints be praised! If it is not my very good friends the motor boys! And the little professor! Let me embrace them! It is a thousand years since I have seen them!”

A man, who had every appearance of being a Mexican, pushed his way through the throng. He was smoking a cigarette, but as he advanced he threw it away and held open his arms as if in welcome. The boys stared at him in some wonderment.

“Ah, do not say you have forgotten me!” cried the Mexican. “Do you not recall the terrible storm, and how you crashed into my houseboat?”

“It is Don Alvarzo!” cried Jerry.

“Ah! I knew they would not forget!” cried the man. “I am indeed Don Miguel Fernandez Alvarzo, your most devoted servant,” and he took off his sombrero, heavy with silver braid, and made a low bow. “How are you all?” he asked.

“Is he a friend of yours?” asked Mr. Glassford in a low voice of Ned, for the man had hold of Jerry’s two hands and was shaking them frantically.

“We met him when we made a trip through Mexico,” said Ned as he recalled what had happened at the Don’s house, as told in the third volume of this series, “The Motor Boys in Mexico.”

The Mexican shook hands, in turn, with the other boys, the professor, and Mr. Glassford. He explained that he was now traveling about, buying wool, and in the course of his travels he had arrived at this Texas town.

“You must be my guests while you are here,” he said, and he would not take no for an answer. He insisted on the aeronauts coming to the hotel where he was stopping, and thither they went, followed by a curious throng.

The boys sent telegrams to their parents, announcing their safe arrival, and Mr. Glassford wired to the secretary of the aero carnival, reporting how many miles they had covered, and how long they had been in the air.

“Now we’ll wait for an answer,” he said, “and see if we have won a prize.”

“In the meanwhile, you must have some refreshment,” declared the Don, and he insisted on an elaborate meal being served, to which he invited all the city officials, and made the boys, Mr. Glassford and Professor Snodgrass guests of honor.

In the midst of the banquet a boy brought in a telegram for Mr. Glassford. He read it quickly.

“Good news, boys!” he cried. “We win!”

“Do we get a prize?” asked Bob.

“Two of them,” replied the inventor. “We win the long-distance prize, for we traveled two hundred and sixty-five miles farther than the big red balloon, and we were in the air four hours and a half longer!”

“Hurrah!” cried Ned. “That’s the stuff!”

“Señors!” exclaimed Don Alvarzo, “I call for three American cheers for the brave travelers of the upper air!”

The cheers were given with a will.

A little later telegrams of congratulation were received from the boys’ parents. One of the telegrams, from Mrs. Hopkins, stated that the pocketbook Jerry had dropped from the airship had been found by a farmer living near Broadlands, and he had returned the same with its contents, and claimed the reward.

“That’s all right!” declared Jerry, highly pleased. “I was afraid I’d never hear of that money again.”

The rest of the day was spent in an impromptu celebration, the whole town, in which lived many Mexican friends of the Don, joining in, glad of any excuse to have a holiday.

That night the airship was packed for transportation, and though the Don urged the travelers to make their visit longer, they departed for Cresville the next morning.

“Well, it was a success,” said Jerry as they were rapidly steaming north. “I didn’t think we would get both prizes. It more than pays us for the expenses we were under.”

“Then we can take more trips,” said Bob quickly. “We will try a longer flight next time.”

“Oh, yes; I hope our adventures in the air have only just begun,” added Ned.

The boys did have further adventures, as will be related in the next book of the series, to be entitled “The Motor Boys Across the Rockies; Or, A Mystery of the Air.” In that story we shall meet all of our friends again in adventures even more thrilling than those encountered in the past. We shall also see what Noddy Nixon, who escaped from the hands of the law, did to injure them.

There was a great crowd at the Cresville depot waiting to welcome the motor boys and their friends, for Jerry had sent a telegram home, telling his mother when they would arrive, and the news spread.

“Hurrah! You’re the stuff! Win two prizes! Shoot through the air! Never come down! I wish I had been there! Whoop-la!”

This was, of course, little Andy Rush.

“Let’s form a procession!” he cried. “Come on, strike up the band!”

And sure enough, a small brass band, which the irrepressible youth had hired, began to play “See the Conquering Hero Comes!”

“March ’em through town!” went on Andy. “Here they are, girls!”

“Oh, weren’t you dreadfully frightened?” cried Mollie Horton, who, with Alice Vines and Helen Gale, besides several other girls, had come down to the station to greet the boys.

“Not a bit!” cried Bob.

Then the band struck up another air, Andy ran to form the procession, taking his place at the head of it, and, though they did not exactly like it, the motor boys were forced to allow themselves to be thus honored.

The procession moved away from the depot and crossed the little square where the flagpole was set up.

“Speech! speech!” cried several as they caught sight of the band-stand. “Give us a speech about your trip.”

“I’m not going to make any speech,” murmured Jerry, who was rather bashful. Nor was Mr. Glassford accustomed to talking in public.

“Professor Snodgrass!” cried Andy.

“Certainly, I shall be delighted,” replied the scientist. “Friends,” he went on, stepping forward and making a low bow, “we had a most wonderful trip. High up among the clouds as we were, far above the earth, skimming along with the speed of the wind, free, unhampered, masters of the upper regions, there----”

“Hurrah!” cried the crowd.

“There, if I may be permitted to continue,” went on the scientist, “I found more kinds of bugs than I ever imagined there were. It was a most delightful trip.”

“Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!” shouted the throng, half of the people not hearing what Mr. Snodgrass was saying.

But the scientist had said all he cared to. He bowed, the crowd cheered again, and Jerry whispered to his chums:

“Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ve had enough.”

They slipped from the platform, and before those who sought to honor them could interpose, the motor boys were hastening toward their homes, greatly pleased with their first trip in the clouds.

THE END

_The Boy Hunters Series_

_By Captain Ralph Bonehill_

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Transcriber’s Notes:

--Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in bold by “equal” signs (=bold=).

--Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.

--Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.

--Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Motor Boys in the Clouds, by Clarence Young