Evening star., 1925-01-08
The Ark of the Covenant
A Story of Mystery and Adventure
RY VICTOR MncCInRF
BY VICTOR MCCLURE
Copyright. 1924. by Harper L Broth.rs.

ana MI Lamont! I've oeen nearing
about you. Glad to see you, boys
glad to see you, I have been wanting
to see you for week or two past.
l was hoping you'd drop in here one
day"
That's funny to hear. Mr.. Lopez"
, I said in some surprise. It's the
merest chance that brought US to
Maracaibo. What made you think we
might turn up?'
''sit down. boys, and I'll tell you
said he. 'No-stop bit. Wed bet
ter be comfortale-'
He opened another door. This lead
into a courtyard, a widish space with
palms and flowers and surrounded
by a sort of cloister of old arches. 1t
was clean and sweet and cool, and a
surprising thing to come on after the
hot and dusty narrow street from
which one entered the building. We
found comfortable American reclining
chairs IN the shade, and when we
were snugged down Senior Fernando
clapped his hands Spanish fashion.
soft-footed yellow servant appeared
and our new friend jabbered an order
at him. Next moment the servant
was back with a tray of glasses, a
bottle or two, and a bowl of ice.
Il won't ask you what you'll drink"
said Fernando, because I know
what's best in Maracaibo. I pre-
scribe"
He manipulated the bottles, and
whisked in the ice. The result was
a beautiful colored, bubbling drink
in each of three long glasses.
Bury your noses in that" said
Senior Fernondo. Say boys-Tm
| mighty glad to see your
He nodded and took a long pull at
his glass, an example that Dan and
l were apt enough to follow. / will
-
mix drink!
And now, boys-Iu tell you one
of the reasons why I'm so mighty
glad to see YOU" he said. That's
apart from the fun OF seeing your
American faces" He leaned forward
in his chair. 81 think you're on a hot
scent down here!'
Danny and I, you may be sure,
| pricked up our ears.
you mean-the raiders?" I asked
He nodded mysteriously. He had a
| funny little trick of a backward nod
| that seemed to call you closer.
| Listen! There are rumors along
! this coast-from here right along TO
Port of 'Spain-aye, and further-of
| an airship crossing the coast-line. At
| first. when the news came out about
these raids, / thought it was only
niger and dago talk. But the thing
| has persisted. I've been to the
| trouble Of having the thing-the
rumor-followed UP, and I'm begin
ming to think there's something in
| it, So far, I've only reported It to
headquarters as perhaps dago and
niger fiction, but-now-weIl,
think it would pay you to haunt this
coast for, spell. Do you get me,
boys? I have nothing definite to give
| you except my own opinion-and that
| is, there is something in itr'
We caught fire, Danny and l.
| We dined and slept in the house of
| Senior Fernando that night, and from
somewhere our host procured a supply
| of f1rst-class aviation spirit His
! own men took it down to the sea-
plane. and Milliken looked after the
replenfshing of the tank.
In the morning, with q cordial in
| vitation to make the house of our
useful friend our own whenever we
were in Maracaibo, We set off down
the coast. For a week we haunted
the sea-line, back and forward from
| Maracaibo to Cayenne, without get
| ting wind of our quarry. This
brought US to the middle Monday in
June, when for another week we were
storm-bound in Maracaibo.
The hospitality of Senior Fernando
1 " as our enforced IN
| activity was very calling. Our only
| consolation was that if we could not
| take the air, neither could the raiders
But by the Saturday of the third week
| in June the tropical storm was over
and again we set off down the coast
| of the Main. We trailed along the
Leewards, and on the Sunday morn
ing early got out from Port of Spain
| to search the Lesser Antilles, for we
were still keen on Milliken's idea
Then at IL o'clock that Sunday
we picked up q radio telling of an
| airship raid on shipping on the other
I side of Panama. We made right back
to Maracaibo, where we found Senior
Fernando, to whom we had radioed,
| waiting for us in the harbor with
| full supply Of gasoline. We filled
up, and were off again.
| We came down at Panama, to seek
| information, and we were told that
the raids had taken place on the New
zealand route off the GALAPAGOS
| These islands were our next object,
| and we made them just on nightfall.
| We were mighty tired, though by this
! time Dan was up to handling the ma
| chine and had been spelling Milliken
| and me, but as we could fnd no safe
mooring, we took off again and
| reached Guayaquil in the dark. Here
we found mooring in the roadway
| or the bayr and we httched to 1T with
| out asking permission. We set no
watch, but lay down to sleep, de-
| termined to be stirring with the first
| streak of daylight. But when day
| light came we landed on a piece of
| bad luck.
| 1t was just a in the morn
| ing. and MillikeI. and I were going
over the engine. A sudden impreca-
| tion from my mechanic made me go
| over to the side he was examining,
| and I saw him gazing with q rueful
| face at the gasoline supply pipe to
| one of the starboard carburetors. 1t
| was snapped clean through close to
| the carburetor.
WELL" said, 'there's no use max
| ing a post-mortem on the thing,
| Milliken. We'd better straighten one
of the coils a bit and braze new
| junction"
fright, SIR said Milliken, and went
| to his locker for the necessary tools.
Although we had flown from Mara
caibo to Panama, and from there to
| Galapagos, thence to Guayaquil,
! was not prepared to see the gasoline
gauges so low. I concluded that there
must have been a good deal of leak
| age from the fracture, before it abb
| soluteiy parted, and took one of the
| dago boatmen that were now round
| tho Dlana and went ashore for a