The Wonder Island Boys | Page 5

as the pistols required a special hook to enable them to cock the firing plug, and as the Professor had this hook, those who took the team might not be able to use the weapons against them.
At this place it might be well to refer to Red Angel. Nearly nine months before, on one of their trips, a baby orang-outan had been captured, and the boys educated him, as best they could, and he really developed many reasonable instincts. It was Red Angel who left the wagon and followed them down the river, and who by his peculiar actions attracted attention to their missing team.
"We owe something to Angel for his cuteness in coming for us," said Harry.
The orang progressed rapidly, swinging, as he did, from tree to tree on the route, and when no trees were in sight, would shamble along in a peculiar way, as it is difficult for them to walk erect. Their feet are not adapted to promote a graceful gait.
"The track seems to be lost," said the Professor. "I cannot make it out, either from the leaves or the depression. However, it appears best to follow this course."
Without stopping they proceeded in the same general direction. Red Angel, who up to this time had followed the route taken by the party, now turned to the right, and when George called, refused to return. As George walked toward him, he kept advancing to the right, and could not be induced to come back.
"Probably we should follow him," was the Professor's conclusion.
It was evident from Angel's antics that the change in the course delighted him.
George, who was ahead, soon stopped, and shouted back, gleefully. "Here are the tracks! Good fellow, come here!"
Angel understood this. He had actually sensed the direction taken by the missing team, for here were the tracks. The only thing that grieved George was the absence of the honey pot. Angel's weakness was honey, and that was now with the team.
Suddenly Angel, who was now in one of the large trees which grew all along the course, began an excitable chatter, and vigorously jumped from one limb to the next, and George, who knew his antics pretty well by this time, stopped and prepared himself for some new and unexpected development in this remarkable journey. Angel, on the other hand, started off through the trees with wonderful agility, and it was all the boys could do to follow.
There, ahead of them, was the wagon perched against a tree, one of the front wheels and an axle broken, and the tongue wrenched off; but the yaks had disappeared. It is singular that the team had gone thus far without meeting an obstruction. As it was, one wheel had locked with a tree, and the yaks, by their tremendous power, had broken the parts mentioned and gone on.
Before the wagon was reached, however, numbers of articles were found scattered along the trail, which were gathered up.
The finding of the wagon was an intense relief. Their minds had been perturbed with this occurrence, as never before, and they had met numerous thrilling episodes before.
"Something must have frightened the yaks, and they were going at a much greater speed than at a walk when they collided with the tree," observed the Professor.
"Why do you think so?" asked Harry.
"In the first place, the fact that our articles were scattered along the path before they reached the tree; and, secondly, the wagon pole and the wheel were strong enough to hold the yaks against the tree if they had been moving along at their usual gait."
"Well, I am thankful that we have the wagon, even though the yaks are gone," said George, as he crawled into it. He peered out and continued in a surprised tone: "Where do you suppose the pistols are? Did you leave yours in the box, Harry?"
"Yes; on the right side. Yours were there at the time. I saw all of them."
"They are not here now, and it is likely they have been lost with some of the other things." Harry was up in an instant.
"Where is the ammunition?"
"It was all in the bottom of the box."
It did not seem at all likely that the pistols or the ammunition could fall out of the box. It is true other things had fallen along the way, but this seemed to be such an unlikely occurrence that they could scarcely credit it.
The provisions were safe, and you may be sure that Angel was not only petted, but he received a good share of the delicious sweet.
It was now nearing night, and they were fully ten miles from home. Ten miles is not a long tramp, but to travelers like ours, already weary with their trudging and with the excitements of the day, it was concluded to camp in