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And Andy was perfectly willing to sacrifice some of his personal comfort for the sake of insuring the safety of the precious aeroplane. It proved just as well that they had so determined. During Frank's second term on guard and somewhere around four o'clock, while darkness covered the land, he thought he caught a glimpse of a shadow crossing the deck, headed in the direction of the lazerette.
"There's old Quito sitting up now and commencing his everlasting jabbering with the others. See him point to the biplane and then to us, Andy." "Say, the sharp old coon is getting a pointer on us. He's telling his chums right now that the thing we've got stored away in the lazerette is just such a big bird as that going away over yonder. Am I right, Frank?" "You never said a truer thing.
When it stopped he remained perfectly motionless, nor did he again commence his creeping forward progress until it started once more. Frank no longer had the slightest doubt concerning the cause of that suspicious clicking. One of the crew was endeavoring to force an entrance into the locked lazerette, doubtless with the intention of destroying the valuable aeroplane.
Besides, there was always more or less splashing of water against the sides, as they pushed against the swift current of the Magdalena. All these things combined to muffle the clicking sound frequently, yet during little lulls Frank could catch it again. The tumult also served to deaden any shuffling he may have made while creeping toward the lazerette door, and for this Frank was thankful.
Why," cries he with a sort of a nervous laugh as if half ashamed of what he was about to say, "who's to tell but that there may be a chest or two of treasure stowed away down in her lazerette?" "That very idea occurred to me, sir," says I.
Only, he made sure that no one wandered in the near vicinity of the locked lazerette, where the precious monoplane lay, securely crated. In some places the river proved much narrower than in others. And, of course, it was here they had their greatest trouble. The current was increased, for one thing.
During the balance of that afternoon the two young aviators continued to alternately sit upon the deck, and wander about the boat, watching things. Frank had the precious aeroplane locked up in the spacious lazerette, which being also used as a storeroom for extra supplies, that the circumstance need not be looked upon as singular.
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