CHAPTER XI

OFF FOR THE BORDER

“Here! Come back!” yelled Jerry, making a grab for the Westerner. “Don’t jump!”

“But we’re falling! I’m not going to stay in here and be killed!”

“You’ll be killed sure if you jump. But there’s no danger!”

“No danger? And we falling down about a mile? No danger?” Mr. Brill was greatly excited.

“Not a bit,” said Jerry, with a smile. “You pulled the emergency lever, that stopped the motor suddenly, but I’ll start the gas machine, and we’ll float like a balloon until the motor gets to working again.”

The Westerner seemed doubtful, and there was even a worried look on the face of Jim Nestor. For, though he trusted fully to the boys, he could not recall ever having had an experience like this before.

And, undoubtedly, the _Comet_ was falling earthward at great speed. But a look at the three boys--showing them calm and collected--and another glance at Professor Snodgrass, who was eagerly scanning the air for a sight of some rare insect, rather put the Westerners more at their ease.

“Are you sure there’s no danger?” asked Mr. Brill, as he made his way back into the pilot house.

“Not a bit,” answered Jerry. “You see we are not falling as rapidly as we were,” and he indicated a dial on the side wall, the hand of which registered the height. It had moved rapidly over the clock-face, but now was going more slowly.

“I haven’t started the gas machine yet,” went on the young pilot; “but I threw up the head planes, and so checked the descent, just as a birdman volplanes to earth with his motor shut off. Now I’ll start the gas generator, and we’ll become a dirigible balloon for a change. Let her go, Ned!”

Ned, with Bob’s aid, swung over the handle that set the gas generating machine in operation, and, with a hiss, the powerful vapor began to fill the big bag. In a few minutes all downward motion was checked, and the _Comet_ floated in the air--a balloon.

“Well I’ll be grub-staked!” exclaimed Mr. Brill. “That was clever, all right.”

“It sure was,” agreed his partner.

But Jerry had not finished testing the _Comet_, for he wanted it to be in perfect trim for the difficult work ahead of them.

Accordingly the propellers were again started and the motorship was driven here and there as a dirigible. It behaved well, too, and needed but little adjusting. Then they went far up above the clouds, and Mr. Snodgrass managed to get a new specimen of a fly, which greatly delighted him.

“Now for the hydroplanes, and I guess we’ll be through,” said the steersman, as he guided the craft toward the river and dropped down on the surface. The big floats buoyed up the motorship, and then, by the power of her propellers, she navigated the stream with considerable speed. A number of motor boats from the club saluted Jerry and his chums.

“Well, this sure is a great get-up!” complimented Mr. Brill. “She can travel on land, on water, and in the air.”

“We can’t do much in the way of land travel,” said Jerry. “It isn’t exactly an auto, and we only use the wheels to get a start when we depend on the planes. Of course, as a balloon, we can rise without getting a start first. But I guess we’ll manage to drop down into that valley you told about.”

“If you can’t do it in this, nothing can,” was the miner’s opinion. “It sure is great!”

The following days were busy ones for the motor boys and their friends. The _Comet_ had to be taken apart for shipment to the West, and many other preparations made for their long trip. They would travel by rail to Kabspell, and there reassemble their craft.

“Then we’ll provision her well, I hope,” exclaimed Bob.

“Oh, we’ll let you look after that, Chunky,” said Jerry, with a smile.

Their plan was to travel by rail to the small town in Montana where their airship would be sent. Once it was put together again they would use that exclusively.

“And I guess those grub-stakers will have trouble in following us in that machine!” exclaimed Mr. Brill, proudly.

“Noddy Nixon may make trouble,” suggested Ned.

“He hasn’t his airship with him this time,” declared Jerry; “and I don’t fancy he can pick up one out there in a hurry. I guess we can give him the slip.”

“But Kabspell is quite a way from the valley where you hid the nuggets; isn’t it?” asked Jim Nestor, of his partner.

“Yes, but we can easily make the valley from there. The nearest place to it is a little settlement called Bolton, almost on the border between the United States and Canada. It is at the foot of the mountains, and the valley is off a rocky pass. I think we can easily find it. It isn’t a great distance from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.”

“Do those Indians ever make trouble?” asked Ned.

“Oh, I suppose that once in a while some of them get tired of doing nothing and break off the reservation,” admitted Mr. Brill. “But Jim and I have our guns and----”

“We’ll take weapons, too,” said Jerry; “but I hope the only use we find for them will be to shoot game.”

“Is there game out there?” asked Ned, eagerly.

“Oh, yes,” answered the Westerner. “Rocky Mountain goats, bears, and an occasional mountain lion or two. And plenty of small game.”

“Good!” cried Ned. “We’ll have some fun, even if we don’t get the nuggets!”

“But you want to get them!” insisted his father, who was at the conference. “That’s what we’re depending on you for. The syndicate doesn’t want to lose money!”

“Oh, we’ll get ’em!” declared Jerry, confidently.

The preparations went on rapidly, and were soon about done. The motorship had been forwarded in sections and a supply of gasoline arranged for in Kabspell. Ostensibly it was given out that the boys and their friends were going to help Professor Snodgrass hunt for luminous snakes, and other strange forms of animal life, and the scientist was not at all unwilling to head such an important expedition.

“And from now on,” warned Jerry, when they were about ready to depart, “not a word about the sixty nuggets of gold unless we have to mention them. There’s no telling who may be listening.”

“That’s right!” agreed his chums.

They were at the Cresville station. The last good-byes had been said, their baggage sent on ahead, and they were to begin the long trip to the border land. Andy Rush was there, looking wistful, for he would have liked to accompany his friends. Professor Snodgrass was wandering about, looking for new bugs, and hardly assuming the character of the leader of the expedition. But that did not so much matter now.

Suddenly, there appeared in the open door of the station a very stout woman, carrying a valise and much wrapped up in a large shawl. Her eyes roved over the group of travelers, and lighted on the form of Harvey Brill. Then with a shrill cry she rushed toward him, exclaiming:

“I’ve found him! Oh, I’ve found him! Oh, my dear nephew! I have found you at last! Come home with me! We need you so! Oh, I have found you!” and she dropped her satchel and rushed at the miner with extended arms.

As for Harvey Brill, his jaw dropped and a look almost of terror came into his eyes.

“Hide me!” he exclaimed. “Somebody hide me! This is the first of ’em! I’ve been expecting this!” and he ran out of the station, full into the arms of Mr. Hitter, the freight agent, the two going down in a heap.