Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-03-09


viii succeed. believe that it was tho
tame city that | saw rs | was whirlcd
tway that night when we struck tho
lift. AS figure it, my friends, tine To-
.ation Of this unknown city must be in
he San Francisco river region, one of
he most inaccessible places in the
United States. II lies north Of Fort
Borie, where, | think, we might make
)ur start. and is bounded by the Black
,.vcr ON the north, the ella range ON tho
Eest and on the east by the Rio Salarosa
sud the White mountains.
"Clfton is the nearest settlement,
relieve, to this arid wilderness, and |
Ind that the chances for successful
balloon search would be best if begun
II that locality. The air current seems
more steadily southwestern than other
wise and | wish to start from there. IL
s tough country i'll which TO travel,
from all accounts, but | think we can
overcome all difficulties, and the venture
will pay us if successful. I want to
make business proposition to you
without calling for any feeling or SYM
pathy on your part at all. ! will give
you each ten thousand dollars if we sue
reed in rescuing Gilbert, and five thou
,and if we fail after making all proper
Efforts How does it strike your"
Gale had already felt his blood stir
with the spirit Of adventure and had
made up his mind long before Pierce
ceased speaking, and as he concluded
| taid emphatically:
II am with you, heart and soul It's
| just the kind of work | need, and l be-
! lieve this old gas bag here is as anxious
rs am to undertake the search"
The sheriff. slow minded, as most men
! OF his size and kind are, was, however,
rs willing as Whitley, but he was older
and lnore lethargic, more prone to see
the difficulties, ii not the dangers, than
! Cale. and, boo, he relished the ease and
comfort OF the standardization Of Evans
Gulch. prcferring it TO hard riding and
! hard sleeping on the sunburned plains.
For him, however, the money considcra-
ton was the motive power; the prize was
too glittering not to be worth an effort
such plums came ip his way all too rare
| ~ nowadays he signiied his assent
by asking Pierce how soon he wished to
start.
AT once he answered. Every mo-
ment is precious. While we idle here
Gilbert may be in danger. | feel it III
some way, and | am anxious to get to
work.
Gales mind had been busy for somo
time on the problem, and bringing out
the new map was Intently studying its
lines, in which the others joined him.
Before them III Imagination spread
the desert of the San Francisco-only a
little space upon the map, but full of the
unknown and mysterious, surrounded
by lines and dots. with oft heard, we'll
known names printed beside them. 1t
seemed impossible that there could be a
city full Of inhab itauts in that little space
and the world know nothing about it.
But Pierce declared that few people had
ever penetrated even the border land of
This wilderness, and that j, was extremely
probable.
Not for an instant did these two men,
shrewd and willy as they undoubtedly
We're, sharpened by the grinding Of years
of struggles question his sanity or sin
gleness of purpose. They somehow felt
at once the honesty of his aim and OBJ
Ject, and debated only the best measures
TO insure their success, and before they
slept they had formed their plans.
\ week later found them together at
Tombstone, Arizona Territory, gather
ing up a wagon train-men, horses and
professionalism the expedition. Another
week and the big balloon swayed and
struggled at it's moorings Ne though
yearning, like an imprisoned bird, to soar
aloft on its Grand, surrounded by a crowd
Of men making bets on the success of the
undertaking and giving large odds
against the return of the airship AT the
san = moment almost the people of Fort
Born ,werc watchinga little train of pacl;
mules and horsemen climbing the noun
tain, with the sheriff in the lead, going
north and waving their hats as they
vanished beyond the distant hilltops.
Gale sat III the car cool and calm. an
sWering with pointed western sarcasm
the bautering Of the crowd and rather
anxious to be of, while Pierce nervous
ly busted with the last arrangements.
At three o'clock he carefully scruti-
nized the car and Its contents, took a
last look aloft, sprang into the oscillat-
ing basket, and in another moment the
balloon was shooting up in a sweeping
slant toward the clouds and toward the
White mountains. The shouts grew
fainter and fainter as the earth receded
and the men below grew into moving
specks and disappeared entirely as a
gray veil Of cloud interviewed, and they
1loated alone in the ether.
The search had begun.
To BE CONTINUED.