Airplane Boys in the Black Woods

rrible

of securing the Flying Buddies with their own lariats, and every man of them

take these

he tall man and he spoke so sharp

do you get

let them alone,

t's eati

ou touches those rings, I'm t

we aint gr

r mind? What's the m

heard his orders to steer clear of green rings, 'specially emerald ones.

ot

own by members of the Big Boss' gang, including young Gordon. That was the time when the four were bound on a ledge and a fellow who wore a tight green cost

once in Chicago a guy brought one in, said he'd picked it up in a hock shop, an

you reckon's the mat

me," declared the chap who was deter

one of the lieuts en' he told me that a long time ago, when there wasn't no w

ndians ai

est green stones they could find and made 'em into rings-nice ones that a fella would like to want fer himself en maybe fer his girl. Then, when the rings was all ready they took them to their temple on top of one of the peaks, and they prayed fer weeks and weeks, then they cussed them rings up one side and down the other. Cussed everybody who got a look at one, cussed all his family, and put some extra

the Flying Buddies had difficulty to keep from roaring with laughter a

nt to the gangster, who resolutely turned his f

y outta here 'cept by plan

d the questioner as one of the men who had been on the

n we'll see where it's leading," proposed the pilot

u take that whirlgig plane en fly

tween here en Medicine Hat. En what's more, I aint leavin' my machi

t'll

en I leave, it's in m

e up a red-headed fellow stepping beside the

ou couldn't get back. Can you cover the machine up so if a

d his pal strode off to the helicopter. "Get

ith foliage that only a very close observer in the air would have suspected for a moment that they were not clumps of underbrush whi

're needin' to leave in a hurry,"

ood," Lan

with those bozos," t

and in a few minutes the Flying Buddies were loose enough to stand but their arms were securely fas

lively-" ca

ood will circulate in our legs," Bob p

be good enough," Lang answe

"storm" started such a series of misfortunes. Caldwell had been in the place before and he knew that the soil was softer than out in the open, so now, on a pretense of limbering his stiffened limbs, he took very short steps,

k pilots from the British town found where the pair had been spending the morning almost anyone could be trusted to discover in which direction they had been taken. He manag

o kick all day. Your legs are go

e holdin' u

cheerfully, but both boys continue

e more convinced the boys were that they were proceeding along a secret trail built by the ingenious natives. Overhead the leaves and vines grew in a thick

he lights out,"

roduce a flash himself, but two of the men in the rear did, sending

he loosely secured vines they caught glimpses of sparkling water which pounded against the rocks that confined it and sent a spray so high that the place was spongy and wet. Later they were close to the surface of the stream and the boys guesse

o impede progress. By that time they began to climb, and now the foliage was more dense, the air grew hot and stifling, as if the enclosure had not seen the light of day in many generations. Thinking it over the boy concluded that this route was rarely used and it certainly was not

calculating that the haul they would make would give each greater wealth if they were not forced to divide what they found with the whole organization. It struck the boy as odd that so many of the gang members had started out on their own, and each must have been thoroughly convinced that untold wealth lay at the e

ters who doubtless had guns ready to fire at the first false move, the situation appeared utterly hopeless. He, too, was beginning to feel fatigue, his feet seemed weighted with lead, and his head and lungs ached from the foul air. Occasionally he glanced back at Jim, who

e else take the le

boys began to wonder if any of the gang would drop out from exhaustion, but as f

. At last they were all on the top. The place looked as if it crossed, or followed a high ledge, the wall which was moss grown formed one side, while the other was slanting, like a she

tch hold," J

ggle they were on the other side. Then the way des

sped, with relief, and they all

a shriek of abject fear. The Buddies saw his feet slip from under him on the log he was crossing. His arms shot up in a frantic effort to catch hold o

tter," gasped

ls snarled and he threw his weight against the

The lights revealed a deep, narrow cavern, they could hear water gurgling as if it formed a passage for a small spring or stream, and after fumbling

," Mills announ

if they were one ma

"This air is better than back t

is time with more lights than when they came forward. Although Lang argued that they were giving up when they had almost won, no one p

had broken at the edge and was dangling forty feet away.

to get over," a

wall and hauled himself up, but when his ax struck the roof it rang against solid stone. Besi

ome on back and at least we can cut some of the

pitched dow

ng better, suppose you get

ght, I'

posed, and without further ado the Flying Buddies w

nce with our a

o ahead. If you slip

eternity, they came again to the rotten log. Lang himself wriggled forward, tested it with the back of his ax, then tearing loose a number of long vines, he straddled the

ed to loosen the vines, so it took him less time, and presently he was standing b

he third man made his way over, then the fourth, while the fifth

with our arms ti

you make it or no

make it, you don't, s

N

s going to break good and plenty, and when it breaks, it leaves you here, just like that,