Airplane Boys in the Black Woods

nvit

the pillows. Long after breakfast had been served in the Captain's home the next morning they opened their eyes at about the same minute. Shades had been drawn to darken the ro

hat his step-brother was awak

wled. "I've hard

ant to, but I'm h

at was Mrs. Seaman who had been listening for a sign that her guest

threat or

uty, and said to let you have it out," she smiled. "I'll have the orderly run the wate

at Bob if they had been at home, but guests in a stranger's house have to be more circumspect. Their toilet did not take very long, for in the warm climate few c

to be top ho

e," Jim as

o take Doctor Manwell on his weekly inspection of the workers. Donald was making the trip with his adopted father,

artin is managing,

eements come up and pass quickly. I have also been invited, and I have been delighted to accept.

nteresting to me

will come and let us know when they are

n of ancient and modern dwellings and small stores, along the shore road where they had a wonderful view of the water, blue as a sapphire, and finally stopped on the wharf where the doctor, his wife and

Flying Buddies with a cordial smile, "but we residents of the islands are the greatest procrastinato

ave a whale of a time," Jim told her. "I enjoy seeing what peopl

clinic. He takes care of both the natives and whites, bab

" Bob declared e

refer traveling by pla

at her. Look at those fishes!" A whole school went scooting past, some of the

e to make the trip delightful and the picnickers jollied each other at a lively rate as they sped along. It took nearly an hour to reach the mouth of the small river they expected to go up,

efer to be flyin

er. "I suppose the men of the

a cabin, but the pilot has been sick for a couple of days so it has been out of use. The othe

fering," Donald remarked. "He did not let anyon

poor fellow. He should have been b

he'd do all right if the doctor came a

, we will fetch him back," Dr.

of the tiny settlement with its rows of tents, log cabins, community houses, and native's quarters. There seemed to be very few perso

merican friends would like to go around the loop and get a good look at the wo

sit my patients, and suggest that the ladies of the party ge

made up her mind that when she was old enough she was going to be a nurse. The plan was adopted, an

sor Martin?" the

ave been angry with him, so I guess he's trying to square himse

ess if he is a little patient in his dealings with them," sa

ers, most of them, went along with the men. I guess they are going to hunt and have a great time

g ashore?" the engineer

d everybody,"

engine started again, and the launch went chug-chug-chugging back into the

o think of taking u

own we had to do a lot of exploring before we knew that it was all one stream, not half a dozen. The pilots helped with that job. Any other way would have taken weeks, for the forest is so thick in most places that a man has to chop his way through. The site of our principal investigatio

e here under another

e pilot is going to engineer in Jamaica, because Martin is a bad man. He thinks he knows everything, won't listen t

such a die-h

o the right and the boys saw the framework above a thick roof of foliage, and even as they watched, coul

ting specimen

ve above that foliage screen are different from those below it, and in a place

utterflies," said Bob, who had a

y passed this first station, and then putting on more speed went rushing swiftly over the water, which was dark green and very deep. The boys were inten

eing away off a

we can go ashore." Howard ran the boat close to the land, made it fast to a sapling, and then led the way to where several men were busy collecting, assorting and classifying the lower strata of insec

we have accomplished and that will be ea

f a dozen lives to take in all the goo

ng in, but even a bug

away, and presently the three were back in the launch, chugging off from the shore and its interesting workers. They

old them and they chugged by. The branch was so narrow and winding that it took all hi

paused in their flight to trill their own sweet melodies. Hundreds of monkeys of all sizes chattered at them or swung from branches with inquisitive glances, and twice, impudent rascals threw pieces of wood defiantly after them.

king for it,"

asked. "The boys have caught a f

y belong," Bob answered. "I do not be

e stowed away in his bus when he first came down, and he's been with him ever sinc

us ano

pocket and pulls down the flap. That's a fact. There was a story about it i

ur parents, I'd take you along," he called, and as if the mother understood, she ran along the branches until she was ahead

er," Bob shouted. "You should

nced as the boat turned again. "It's five mil

you to take us

was," ad

o any damage. The site of the work isn't generally known because the professors did not want to be pestered with too many visitors, but a few have come. Some of the scientific publicatio

lage," Jim remarked a bit later, bec

ere, but it's only about a quarter of a mile if we c

ot want to cut the

great branches formed an arch, and through the openings, the boys caught glimpses of numerous parrots, some plain green, almost the shade o

"but she'd be displeased if I caught it and brought it away to live the

the pigs have spacious quarters; so big they won't fatten. The forema

miss them?"

n't," Bob replied, "but he's lucky that s

s

clearly and sounded so startling that the

he matter?" Jim

" Bob added, and their faces paled

ngine, putting on every ounce of power he dared, and ben