ound,or indulges in rafale firing, he ran onward, knowing that the tired animals would follow. Out of breath he reached the edge of the town and stumbled on toward the corral.
With head down he plunged forward. Almost at his goal he threw his head up for breath just in time to notice a kneeling man with a rifle at his shoulder.
“Hey!” yelled Bob with what breath he had.
Then he saw that the man was aiming directly at the balloon swaying above the nearby corral fence. He also recognized the man instantly as one of the sullen court spectators,more shot in his locker, and Jellup’s crony. The rifleman dropped the muzzle of his gun and turned.
“I guess I am something of a gun man,you who are in the army,” explained Bob later to the boys,Another concern could be the actual dimension using, “for I had that new revolver of mine on the ‘greaser’ before I knew what I was doing myself. I didn’t even then realize what he was about to do. But I had the drop on him and when I figured out that he meant to put a hole in the balloon, why, I just had him right. And here he is.”
Alan looked at Ned. Both boys were puzzled. A few moment’s talk with Russell explained the whole situation. The balloon was ready and the relief expedition was undoubtedly now in camp awaiting them. It needed only the words and they would be off with the inquisitive reporter left safely behind. And yet the word did not come. Ned and Alan stood looking at Bob, and the reporter gazed in turn at the beautiful straining car. Bob’s face was a study. He had now made some return to Ned for possibly saving his own life, but none of the boys was thinking of that. In Bob’s fine young face was the longing of a child. In Ned’s and Alan’s faces were the traces of boyish sympathy.
The young aeronauts were very close to each other and all were silent. Then Alan turned slowly to Ned and with a little quaver in his voice whispered, “Shall we?”
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