The Wonder Island Boys | Page 5

the team is traveling?"
"Certainly not faster than we are now going. They cannot be hurried
very well, as you know, and we should be able to overtake them within
an hour or two."
"But what shall we do if we find them in charge of somebody?"
That suggestion brought up at once a very serious question. They had
made six pistols, very crude, it is true, but which served admirably as
weapons of defense; but the hazardous part of the present situation was
that only the Professor had one of the pistols, the others having been
left with the team. The only thing which added some comfort was the
knowledge that as the pistols required a special hook to enable them to
cock the firing plug, and as the Professor had this hook, those who took

the team might not be able to use the weapons against them.
At this place it might be well to refer to Red Angel. Nearly nine months
before, on one of their trips, a baby orang-outan had been captured, and
the boys educated him, as best they could, and he really developed
many reasonable instincts. It was Red Angel who left the wagon and
followed them down the river, and who by his peculiar actions attracted
attention to their missing team.
"We owe something to Angel for his cuteness in coming for us," said
Harry.
The orang progressed rapidly, swinging, as he did, from tree to tree on
the route, and when no trees were in sight, would shamble along in a
peculiar way, as it is difficult for them to walk erect. Their feet are not
adapted to promote a graceful gait.
"The track seems to be lost," said the Professor. "I cannot make it out,
either from the leaves or the depression. However, it appears best to
follow this course."
Without stopping they proceeded in the same general direction. Red
Angel, who up to this time had followed the route taken by the party,
now turned to the right, and when George called, refused to return. As
George walked toward him, he kept advancing to the right, and could
not be induced to come back.
"Probably we should follow him," was the Professor's conclusion.
It was evident from Angel's antics that the change in the course
delighted him.
George, who was ahead, soon stopped, and shouted back, gleefully.
"Here are the tracks! Good fellow, come here!"
Angel understood this. He had actually sensed the direction taken by
the missing team, for here were the tracks. The only thing that grieved
George was the absence of the honey pot. Angel's weakness was honey,

and that was now with the team.
Suddenly Angel, who was now in one of the large trees which grew all
along the course, began an excitable chatter, and vigorously jumped
from one limb to the next, and George, who knew his antics pretty well
by this time, stopped and prepared himself for some new and
unexpected development in this remarkable journey. Angel, on the
other hand, started off through the trees with wonderful agility, and it
was all the boys could do to follow.
There, ahead of them, was the wagon perched against a tree, one of the
front wheels and an axle broken, and the tongue wrenched off; but the
yaks had disappeared. It is singular that the team had gone thus far
without meeting an obstruction. As it was, one wheel had locked with a
tree, and the yaks, by their tremendous power, had broken the parts
mentioned and gone on.
Before the wagon was reached, however, numbers of articles were
found scattered along the trail, which were gathered up.
The finding of the wagon was an intense relief. Their minds had been
perturbed with this occurrence, as never before, and they had met
numerous thrilling episodes before.
"Something must have frightened the yaks, and they were going at a
much greater speed than at a walk when they collided with the tree,"
observed the Professor.
"Why do you think so?" asked Harry.
"In the first place, the fact that our articles were scattered along the path
before they reached the tree; and, secondly, the wagon pole and the
wheel were strong enough to hold the yaks against the tree if they had
been moving along at their usual gait."
"Well, I am thankful that we have the wagon, even though the yaks are
gone," said George, as he crawled into it. He peered out and continued
in a surprised tone: "Where do you suppose the pistols are? Did you

leave yours in the box, Harry?"
"Yes; on the right side. Yours were there at the time. I saw all of them."
"They are not here now, and it is likely they have been lost with some
of the