Chapter XXXV:
The Flight
"It was a fortunate chance that sent you upon the leopard hunt," Mr. MacCormick said to Lord Winslow as they exchanged greetings.
"Shortly after you left, messengers arrived from the Governor ordering Steinhauser and the party to report immediately at Lome. Steinhauser did not tell me the full contents of the message but said, 'Germany and Austria-Hungary are at war with Servia, Russia and France. England has not declared war as yet. Of course there is no likelihood of America being drawn into this war so that I would hardly compel the two subjects of a great neutral power to accompany me to headquarters. And it is impossible to escort my friend Lord Winslow back when he has taken a trip by air into Ashanti and will probably remain.
"Of course I may be mistaken about the airship, but the two German subjects are away and I have not looked into the hangar. If you will recollect I was away hunting with Herr Baer when the party left. If you happen to join Lord Winslow, Mr. MacCormick, I hope you and Mr. Wolfe will remember to have Lord Winslow land the two machinists safely in German territory. I am sure I can trust my friends and pleasant companions to see that they reach the Fatherland. Remember me to Lord Winslow. I am very sorry I part so abruptly, but I may be back in a few days and see if the party has safely returned. Auf weideshen, mein friend," he ended as he shook hands and hurried the party away.
"I am almost sure England has joined the war and Baron Steinhausen has done you a great favor, my lord. We must lose no time, because they will be anxious to obtain your airship and will leave no stone unturned to overtake us."
"That was indeed a great favor Steinhausen has shown to us all. Our moving picture films would have had to have been left behind and nearly all of our supplies, because every one of the boys have deserted except the three you had in your party. We must hasten before they get on to the truth and cause the Germans to strike or betray us," Mr. MacCormick remarked as they both arose.
Mr. Wolfe, who was a short, medium-sized, clean faced man, had employed the time well and they were soon ready for flight.
Lord Winslow hardly recognized his protege, whose clean shaven face, well cut hair and manicured nails, with a suit of Lord Winslow's, had so altered his appearance that his youthful appearance exceeded Lord Winslow's prediction. The beard had saved his face from the sun so that he was only slightly tanned about the forehead and neck and with the exception of a few gray hairs at the temples he could easily have passed for thirty-five.
He expressed the delight of a child as he saw the great airship removed from its hangar and made ready for flight about one o'clock p.m.
He clapped his hands delightedly as the great monster rose from the earth and ascended skyward. Just about six o'clock p.m. they passed over into Ashanti and were trying to locate a suitable place for landing, when they were mistaken for a hostile airship and fired upon by the British garrison.
"Great Scott!" Mr. MacCormick exclaimed. "They have mistaken us for the Germans. We must leave this territory and try the Kong Mountain district."
The Americans were all into the secret, but the two Germans could not understand the hostile reception.
Mr. MacCormick, who was ready for any emergency, explained to them that the natives were frightened at the apparition and were responsible for the attack. They flew at a high altitude and landed on the Komeo River about midnight and camped upon the river bank. They resumed their flight in a westerly direction.
About two o'clock in the afternoon they were flying at a low altitude over the river, when Lord Winslow leaned over the side of the car and toyed with the leopard's claw. "What a dreary looking island we are approaching, no vegetation whatever upon it. Say—" Lord Winslow was suddenly interrupted in his speech by an attack from his protege. In his surprise he dropped the chain and claw outside of the car.
As soon as the stranger saw what had happened he suddenly burst into tears and tried to leap overboard. Lord Winslow was very angry, but when he saw how strangely the poor fellow acted, he softened towards him. But he ordered the airship to be lowered into the river and taken back to the strange island where he was sure the claw had fallen.
When they reached the island and the skulls and dry bones were discovered no one offered to assist Lord Winslow but the stranger, who could not be restrained. After a long and careful search Lord Winslow discovered the trinket lying broken upon the ground.
He picked it up with a cry of dismay at his discovery and saw a piece of paper projecting from the hollow end of the claw. He pulled it out and read it. "Why, this must be the very island referred to, because we are in the same latitude and longitude," he remarked, as he went to the end of the island designated in the plot. He soon discovered without digging the box referred to, protruding from the soft earth. Oliver had had no means of burying it deeply and the heavy rains had washed away the earth. But it would have been safe lying exposed any spot upon the dreaded island.
Lord Winslow found the key attached to the box and opened and examined the contents.
"Here are two other claws. What is this? A plot to a diamond field! Poor unfortunate family."
Just then the strange man had given up his diligent search upon the other end and noticed Lord Winslow stooping down over the box. He started towards them with a quick bound and expectant look.
Lord Winslow just had time to lock the box when the man reached and grabbed it from him.
"How queerly he acts," Lord Winslow remarked, as he made no effort to recover it but motioned to his companion to follow him to the landing.
"We will have to fly around and select some place to land because it is four p.m. and too late to continue our journey. Say, Reisnitz, you had better try over this way because it is less hilly," Mr. MacCormick said as he pointed in a south-westerly direction, after Lord Winslow and his companion had returned to the airship.
The stranger hugged the box in his arms and refused to part from it. Lord Winslow related to the party his discovery and the manner in which it affected his companion.
"So that trinket you dropped was the means of recovering your late father-in-law's hidden fortune? Was it not a strange coincidence and fate which led us over the island? Will you permit me to examine the claw?" Mr. MacCormick asked as he held out his hand for the leopard's claw.
"That certainly was a great idea of his to place his secret within this claw," he remarked as he returned it.
"I have been thinking over this matter and I am almost tempted to believe that that man is either my father-in-law or was present when the treasure was buried. But he looks too young to be Mr. Montcriief and it would be almost impossible for him to have escaped drowning when his ship was wrecked off the Grain Coast and to have wandered so far into the interior without the news reaching us somehow," Lord Winslow repeated half musingly.
"Do you remember your father-in-law's features, Lord Winslow?" Dr. Roaman asked.
"I do not remember him personally, but since you have spoken, I must say this young man reminds me a great deal of Mr. Montrief's photograph taken when he was twenty-five. That firm set of his mouth and chin particularly recalls his features.
"I really cannot understand it. The more I think of the matter the more I am convinced that he is Mr. Montcrief," Oliver replied.
"Stranger things than that have happened, and you may be correct in your surmise. One thing I am sure of and that is if he is not Mr. Montcrief of the wreck, your other theory is correct, he was a member of his party and is familiar with the secret," Dr. Roseman remarked.
"There are houses upon that hill over there," Mr. Reisnitz called out as he looked through a small telescope and pointed southwardly.
"What a beautiful park this is below us," Mr. Wolfe called out almost simultaneously with Mr. Reisnitz.
The party leaned over the sides of the car and looked upon the beautiful scenery below them.
"This park must belong to some rich planter who lives in the bungalow over on the hill."
"It is an ideal place to land and we will risk trespassing upon his grounds because it is after five and too late to continue. Let us hope we will not be received with a volley of shrapnel. In what neighborhood are we, Reisnitz?" Mr. Mac Cormick asked.
"We are about fifty odd miles North-west of the Ashanti frontier in the South-west part of the region of the Kong Moutains," Mr. Reisnitz replied. As they neared the ground the stranger, whom they had been discussing, jumped overboard as held the box before he could be stopped.
"The poor fellow must be killed. I wonder why he jumped out?" they all repeated almost in a chorus.
As soon as they landed Dr. Roseman, Lord Winslow, and the others hurried to his side.
"This fellow has a remarkably strong institution. I can find nothing more serious than a cut back of the head. Don't worry he will be conscious soon. I shall be better able to find out if he sustained internal injuries when we get him to bed," Dr. Roseman stated in answer to the query.
Lord Winslow removed the box from the arms of the now unconscious form.
"I shall walk up to the house and obtain permission to have him taken in and put to bed at once. By the way, there comes someone upon horse back, it appears to be a women in white." Lord Winslow announced as he hurried towards the approaching figure upon horse back.