Airplane Boys in the Black Woods
be.”

“Yes, and I was just thinking of feeding him one. We’d better not watch here too closely, we don’t want to be taken by surprise from above or behind.”

“You bet,” Bob agreed.

“That chap is wearing some sort of dark suit, Buddy.”

“I see, so there must be two here. This can’t be the one who was watching us,” answered Bob.

“Which means that the other fellow knows, or will know in a few minutes just where we have taken ourselves. You see what’s going on down there and I’ll be ready to stem any rear attack,” proposed Jim.

“That’s O.K. with me, but don’t go off anywhere, we don’t want to get separated, not an inch,” Bob insisted.

“I won’t,” Jim promised. He placed himself so that he could see the section which curved and not forgetting to watch above, he stood guard while Bob stretched out again. Austin rather expected they would discover this was some friendly woodsman or hunter who would show them how to get through the forest or to their plane, but in Bob’s mind there wasn’t a doubt as to the attitude of the persons occupying the ancient temple ruin.

Now the young fellow determined to see what was happening on the edge of the terrace and be thoroughly convinced of the kindliness of the stranger before he made any advance. The man he saw appeared to be consuming sandwiches and baked potatoes and as he devoured them he walked up and down as if anxious to finish. Twice he went beyond the boy’s range of vision and came back stamping his feet angrily. Caldwell was so interested in watching the stranger that he nearly forgot Mills, but presently he saw that worthy crouched and moving stealthily forward, dodging from stone or shrub toward the fire.

“Poor fellow, he must be terribly hungry. Perhaps when he gets something to eat and drink he’ll get over his craziness,” was Bob’s mental comment. He felt sorry for Mills, but there was something so menacing in that slinking figure that he was almost tempted to shout a warning to the stranger. However, when he thought of it soberly, Mills was weakened by the hour’s experience, the long steady tramp without food he reasoned would not make him a very dangerous antagonist. He wanted something to eat and the boy could not imagine anyone refusing to give him 
 Prev. P 43/91 next 
Back Top
Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact