Boy Scouts in an Airship | Page 4

for Lyman lies in some such method as has been planned. If you
fail, the situation will be desperate, indeed."
"Why don't Lyman buy the fellow off?" asked Jimmie.
"The purpose of Lopez in pursuing the course referred to is
undoubtedly to find an excuse for robbing Lyman of the concession
and selling it to another at a much greater price. So others besides the

general and Lyman are concerned in this mix-up."
"You refer to a person, or corporation, waiting to buy the concession?"
asked Ned, the reason for the surveillance in San Francisco coming to
him like a flash.
"That is it."
"And these prospective concessionaires are looking to it that Lyman
gets no aid from this country?"
"I had not looked at the matter in that way, had not thought of their
venturing over here, but presume you are right."
"Look here," Leroy asked, "are you figuring it out that the people who
are trying to steal or cripple the Nelson came here from Paraguay for
the express purpose of watching this Lyman case and preventing his
friends from assisting him?"
"You state the case in a way which gives it a good deal of importance,"
Gates replied, "But I believe you state it correctly. Just how the men
who hope to gain the concession if Lyman loses it came to understand
the attitude of our Government is more than I can imagine, but it is
quite clear to me that they do understand the situation--that they are
thoroughly posted as to every move that has been made by the
Government and by the friends of the cattleman."
"It is a good thing to know that we are likely to be chased to South
America," Ned said, "for we know exactly what to expect, and shall be
on our guard."
"Chased to South America!" laughed Leroy. "They'll have to go some if
the keep up with the little old Nelson! She can fly some--if you want to
know!"
CHAPTER II
A FOX JOINS THE WOLVES

Nelson hung like a great gull over New Orleans one hot morning in
early August. The boys who occupied seats on the light aluminum form
under the sixty-foot wings glimpsed the Gulf of Mexico in the distance,
while directly their feet ran the crooked streets of the French Quarter.
The departure from San Francisco had been for a delayed for a long
time because of the non-arrival of important instructions from
Washington, and because of a slight injury to the aeroplane while out
on what Leroy called an "exercise run." Lieutenant Gates had remained
with the boys until they started on their long flight to the mouth of the
great Mississippi river, and had then returned to Washington.
I had first been the intention to proceed due from San Francisco, then
wing toward the east where the coast of Peru showed. This plan was
opposed by the lieutenant, for the reason that an airship far out on the
Pacific ocean, directly in the steamship route, would be likely to attract
attention sailing over the southwestern states and Central America.
Daring aviators now venture in all directions and at all altitudes above
the solid earth, but they are still cautious about proceeding far out over
the merciless waters of the oceans which rim the continent of North
America.
So, yielding to the wishes of the lieutenant, the Nelson had been
directed by her navigators across California, Arizona, New Mexico,
Texas and Louisiana until the great city of the South lay spread out
before them. The distance covered by the airship in this flight was not
far from thirty-five hundred miles, and the Nelson, leaving the coast
city on Monday morning, August 7, had covered the run so as to reach
New Orleans late Wednesday afternoon.
The boys might, it is true, have speeded up and made the distance in
thirty-six hours, or less but they realized the necessity of taking good
care of themselves, and so they had rested in quiet places both Monday
and Tuesday night, landing about midnight and sleeping until long after
daylight. Having provisions with them, they had not found it necessary
to land except when gasoline was obtained at Santa Fe.
The machine had attracted little attention on the route, for it was

painted a dull gray, and its aluminum motors gave forth little sound. It
was two merits of the machine, which had been invented by young
Leroy, that it could navigate in a clear sky a mile up without being
observed from below, and could also run to within a short distance of
the earth without making herself conspicuous by the popping of her
motors. The United States authorities are now adapting these two
qualities to the government airships to be used in the military service.
The boys remained