hing over the mountains, the bulk of an airship came into view. While the boy was cheering himself with the hope that he w

ttered maliciously, in Ned's ear. "Tha

ed asked, without replying to the other's

less you want to commit suicide and murder me

r there?" r

" was the s

to a dark st

t where it is jump or go down with the machine, I'll cut you loose, so you'll have the same chanc

f the other airship at the time of her disappearance and dropped down

d carried sand and ruble down from the mountains and filled a valley perhaps three hundred feet in diameter with the wash of the slopes. Th

hut-off motors, the wheels carried the bulk of the ship al

leather straps held. When the drop ended there was, a jar and a crash, and the planes lay in a c

eclivities after the machine, had fallen upon and crushed the planes. Several great boulders thunke

hole into which the Vixen had fallen. Ned could see slanting walls on all sides, and glimpse, ab

t out his searchlight and make an inspection of Tho

urt?" the

n, and my arms are smashed! What do you mean

dagger, and then snapped off the harness which still held him

ay!" war

oss me!" Collins screamed, paying no attention

enraged fellow, but a boulder intervened, and Collins went down, striking

He had not long to look, for a tiny spring bubbled out of the bottom of the pit and found its way toward the valley below through a crevice in the rock. In a short t

us into a pit in the heart of the Andes, and we'll starve before any one com

ay! I've been wondering, while I've been giving you first aid

ing to ascertain whe

chance we have of

five hours. The Vixen will run about sixty miles an hour, therefore we are not fax from thr

nodded toward a great peak which rose

e Vilcanota

a whale," Ned observed, l

t high," was the

twenty-five miles from a town, and there is a railroad-so my maps say-over to the east. It ends at Sicuani, and there the up

t about this part of S

ll

e mountains from that body of water is Coroico, where the Beni river

ich held his wrists, "you can't sit here and figure y

ht be a good plan to w

be able to repa

meantime, I presume you think you are going t

e captive snorted out his rage and rolled o

and directly it crept slowly down into the pit where the wrecked

ed to climb to some convenient height and look about for it. If he could come upon the Nelson

captive to watch for the time being. Before leaving for a tour of inspection he examined the broken planes and d

to reach the very heavens. It was a beautiful morning, the air being sharp and clear at that height. Ned felt th

d one of the lower peaks of the mountain. Passing around to the south, he heard a shout,

hich a green little valley, half way up the side of the mountain, might be seen. I

but there was no one insight. Jimmie and Pedro must be about somewhere, the boy thoug

ng at him from underneath the gray planes. A more careful inspection of the spot revealed the dirty fa

id to him, scudded around the angle of rock by which he had reached the shelf. As

acked, either by savages or those interested in the defeat of the Boy Scout expedition to Paraguay, though how the latter

taken to his heels. The situation explained, doubtless, why the boy had not retur

boy moved cautiously to the shoulder of rock and looked around it to the shelf. There

not the head of a savage, nor yet the head of a Peruvian mountaineer, for it was covered down to the eyeb

he wearer lifted himself and looked up over the edge of the g

n Indians also raised themselves to g

the automatic of civilized warfare, the enemy was

as the machine, and how in the name of all that was

boy, hidden if his position may be so termed-under the planes of an air

ry shelf on which he stood, and one of the exposed Indians dr

ck, and was standing guard there shooting whenever t

the Indians disappeared from view. The attacking party had dropp

re that no one was stirring behind th

ed

ame the an

cognizing the voice of the Peru

rock," came the a

ing ledge. The journey was not accomplished without attracting the attention of th

shown had existed since dawn. On the afternoon of the previous day Jimmie, being then about

and then returned to Lima. It was Pedro's idea that the Vixen would not return with assistance, but with enemies

nd then the attacking party had appeared. Since then it had been impossible to get the m

gained the shelf of rock where Pedro was stationed, and been caught unawares and th

eturning to Lima, for the man over there came in an automobile, and did not come very far

y miles off. I have heard that there is a path by means of which a motor car can reach this place. Y

son, which Pedro declared to be in good condition for flight. If the others had come in an automobile,

t it wiser to make the desperate journey himself. Even if the Indian reached the Nelson, the two of them

s way down the almost perpendicular face of the cliff. Much to his surprise, there were no hos

, the boy heard, when half way down the

d never run away in that manner because of the wounding of

e came with remarkable distinctness, so the popping of the motors of the automobi

d the two grasped hands with more than ordinary

ut thought the other fellows would be in cha

laughed, telling the remainder of th

he had thrown down the declivity had fallen. He found him quite dead. With a sol

od condition as ever, and Ned prepared to mount and leave the valley. Then th

n in the motor car seems to have repaired her broken wings. Probabl

imly, "or they wouldn'

on deck again in