Boy Scouts in an Airship | Page 7

of the bunch."
Jimmie went away to No. 4, where Ned and Sam Leroy were waiting
for him. Somehow, it seemed to Ned that Jimmie kept him waiting
about half the time when they were in a strange city. The little fellow
had a way of wandering off alone and forgetting all about time in his
delight at the strange things he saw. When he entered No. 4 he found
Ned standing near the door.
"Were you out there before?" Ned asked, pointing to the corridor, as
Jimmie stepped inside.
"Just got here," was the reply. "Found a Boy Scout from the Fox Patrol,
Chicago, an' brought him along with me. He's washin' some of the
Peruvian scenery off his frame, now, an' will soon be along."
Then Jimmie told of his discovery of Mike Dougherty, of his leaving a
treble guard around the Nelson, and of numerous other adventures in
the city, which, not being in any way connected with this narrative, are
not set down here.
"I'm glad you brought this boy Mike here," Ned said, at the conclusion
of the story. "We need some one who knows something about Lima to
keep us posted."
"About what?" asked Jimmie.

"We're spotted!" Leroy cried out, before Ned could answer the question.
"The wireless is swifter than the Nelson!"
"How do you know?" demanded the little fellow. "How do you know
we're spotted?"
"Oh, Ned's been doping it out," was the reply. "He'll tell you, I guess."
"You thought you'd take the cream off the sensation!" laughed Ned.
"Well, that is the boy of it! All I know about it, Jimmie," he continued,
"is that I've been receiving telegrams which simply mean nothing. They
are from people I have never heard of, and are most mysteriously
worded."
"There's one that tells you to get out of the country," suggested Leroy.
"Yes, but the others seem to infer that the man who sent them is out of
his mind. The three received are from Washington, San Francisco, and
New Orleans."
"What have the messages to do with our being spotted?" asked Jimmie.
"I don't see any connection."
"Stupid!" cried Leroy. "Can't you see the wires were sent to locate Ned?
The person who delivered them to him sure wired back that they had
been delivered to Ned in person--in other words, that he has reached
Lima on his journey to Paraguay."
"I see!" Jimmie said, slowly. "It's clever, eh?"
"Too clever," Ned said. "I don't like the looks of it. It means, of course,
that the people who are trying to get the cattle concession away from
Mr. Lyman have secret agents here. And that means that everything we
do at Lima will be watched and reported."
"Reported to whom?" asked Leroy.
"Probably to this military person, Senor Lopez, who is on the job with
both hands out," suggested Jimmie. "Well? What about it?"

"I think," Leroy cut in, "that we'd better be getting out of this. They
can't follow us after we get up in the air."
Here a knock came on the door, and Jimmie admitted Mike and
presented him to his chums. The boy looked trim and handsome in his
new suit, and all took a great liking to him. While they discussed their
plans another interruption took place, and then Jimmie saw Pedro at the
door, beckoning excitedly to Mike Dougherty. The boy talked with the
Indian for a short time, and then turned to Ned, excitement showing in
his face.
"He says there's another airship here," Mike said. "Prowling over the
mountains."
"They can't follow us in the air, eh?" cried Leroy. "I guess this is going
some!"
CHAPTER III
BLACK BEARS ON THE AMAZON
The handsome club room of the Black Bear Patrol, in the city of New
York, was situated on the top floor of the magnificent residence of
Attorney Bosworth, one of the leading corporation lawyers in the
country. Jack Bosworth, the lawyer's only son, was a member of the
Black Bear Patrol, and the club room had been fitted up at his request.
It was in this room that Ned Nestor, Jimmie McGraw, Jack Bosworth,
Harry Stevens, and Frank Shaw had planned their motor-boat trip down
the Columbia river, as described in the first volume of this series. Jack,
Harry and Frank had returned to New York from San Francisco when
Ned had decided to accept the Secret Service mission to Paraguay, at
the conclusion of the motor-boat vacation on the Columbia, leaving the
two boats, the Black Bear and the Wolf, stored at Portland, Oregon.
One evening--the evening of the 1st of August, to be exact--while Ned,
Sam, and Jimmie were still in San Francisco, awaiting the slow action
of the State department at Washington, Jack, Frank and Harry met in

the club room