Evening star., 1925-01-18
BY VICTOR MCCLURE.
Copyright, 1924, by Harper q Brothers.

| when we were ready to return, coops
of chickens and ducks.
| / handed him the airship drawings
! and fixed a date for our return TO
pick up the parts. We arranged be-
| tween us that the parts and the mate
rials should be invoiced to a social
ed North African Aerial Transport
| Company, and that the manifests and
| bills of lading should be made out
| for some of the North African ports
! We built up a ranfified and intricate
| deceit, not because 1t would have been
| difficult to get clearance for four
| cargo, which was innocent enough
but to hide our traces beyond recovery
when the hue and cry would be raised
against us perhaps years hence. At
the time when the parts of the ship
were ordered, there was a great boom
in the building of dirigibles in
America and Europe, and we antic-
| ipated no trouble in having the or
| ders filled. But to make assurance
sure, and to see that evey single part
| was submitted to accurate testing, [
asked Brooks to stay in America until
everything was collected at New Or
| leans.
Brooks was a little chagrined at the
prospects of Punishment from the
| plateau. but I pointed out to him that
there was nothing left in the cave
but rough work, or jobs that he could
not tackle. until we could have the
| parts of the airship brought there,
| and he consented. He was good
man, Brooks, who was not likely to
get drunk or talk, and he was
Thoroughly capable of the business
of seeing our orders properly carried
out He was to draw upon Lippencott
| for money-we treated him generous
Il,- 4 f,,y he ND {y,,o oer{y, Aa,
pect of travelling Importantly about
the United States rather took hold Of
him, for he set about the business
with apparent pleasure. He was
primed with clear-cut and circum-
stantial story to trot out to inquirers.
and even went to the length of
printing prospectuses of the company
for him. This point was trifie over
| done, for though the scheme outlined
difficulty later in keeping people from
trying to invest in 1T.
The two New Orleans young cmen,
Lippencott and Curtis. made the most
of their leave from the Arnazonas Elk
PIoration Co, and trotted their fell
low explorers, Fitzalan and Greyson.
about the city in great style, to the
evident edification of the latter. They
roped in two other men for the COM
gineer from Texas.
At last, however, the cargo was
slowed, and we set off on our return
voyage. Less than fortnight
brought us off MaEaos, and there we
had a slight scare.
Off the city we were boarded by a
Brazilian official, who insisted on in
speCting our cargo. But our papers
were in order and in the end, though
I F-y y . i I,
thanked us warmly for helping to de-
velop the resources of the fatherland.
We sacrificed on him and his fellows
a bottle or two of very sweet cham
pagne, stored aboard for just such an
emergency, and when we dropped
them over the side into their own
boat, l do not think they We're in
condition to remember whether we
were going upstream or down. We
were shouting fond farewells to them,
and they protestations of undying
amity to us, even as our engines be-
gan to turn for the run up the river.
Some weeks later the chief was well
coming us and our new comrades to
the Plateau of the Red Scar.
The young Texas engineer. Lin
Greensleeve by name, fell in with the
lued OF the league rlRht away, and
the other new comrade, Matthew X
Whitaker Che insisted on the K.),
was little behind for enthusiasm
Both men had fought for America in
France, and our tally of wounded men
was unbroken by their adherence.
Greensleeve pronounced our drilling
and Gaping of the well to be quite
professional, and waxed eloquent on
the quality of our soil He set about
the erection of the fractional distiIl-
ing plant, and ruled out as unneces-
sary our idea of forming a reservoir.
He superintended the piping of the
oil direct to the stills, laid down the
tanks for the gasoline (as he called
it,, and when that was done took
over the piping Of the aithon to the
hangar caves and to the site of our
pressure and freezing tanks.
Meantime Matthew X, who under
stood what might be called raw lum-
ber, had organized party for tree
telling. Tall trees We're felled and
dressed down the river, and were
towed by launch into the cave to make
the stocks for erecting our airships