The Boy Aviators in Africa; Or, an Aerial Ivory Trail

Mr. Beasley's rooms and tell him that

and Harry Chester were not the sort of boys who devoted much time to thinking about clothes and while they both wore dark neat-fitting suits they certainly did look a little out

began, superciliously turning round to the letter-rack and sortin

ited boy. But Frank Chester was not given to what Bill Barnes called "flying off the handle." He calmly

ard up at once or shall I cal

r tanned faces and broad shoulders, were evidently not to be trifled with. He glanced at the card as he rolled it up and handed

aimed with a strong accent on the "the"

a smile which was reflec

g, I'm sure," said the clerk with an apol

id Frank shortly, turn

after all," remarked Harry with a laugh. "That fellow cer

y, a tall, rather slender youth who had been their companion in Florida. Like the boys, Lathrop was an accomplished aviator and wireless operator, although he had not the initiativ

egan Frank when the fi

plied Lathrop, "h

om his bath and shaving, appeared. He had the pompous manner of the successful man of

by Lathrop, "he will explain to you his idea. I am merely a partner in the ent

er nettled by Mr. Beasley's pompous manner, "until we

follow in Mr. Roosevelt's foot-steps, by taking a hunting trip in A

anner, "when I was a boy, if a lad had a "bone-shaker" bicycle he thought

hat was quite lost on the well-meaning old merchant. Indeed at that moment Mr. Beasley rose heavily f

looked upon as talented chaps, but still boys-which to men of his caliber is an infallible sign that anything such youthful persons may attempt

gily as the garments of a cornfield scarecrow and Mr. Luther Barr's sharp features were not improved by a small growth of gray hair; of the kind known as a "goatee" that sp

," added Mr. Beasley as he introduced the boys to t

eal through for us," he added with what was meant to be an amiable smile, but which, as a matter of fact, distorted his face till it looked uncommonly like an old Jap

sharp set as a Long Island fox. Let's have a bite

up money that his social education had been sadly neglected. Once or twice the boys caught Lathrop's eye and they saw that the lad was blushing with shame at the uncouth manners of his father's friend. Fo

l of buttered toast and ham and eggs, "I gues

d that continent

ain't no ain't no money. What I mean is, I know more about the Gold Coast, the Ivory Coast and the S

y from his plate. Here was evid

echoed Harry inquir

's because yer young. When yer git older you'll larn that there's money in everything here's a demand for, and there's just as big a demand for slaves on

now?" asked Mr. Beasley, while both Frank and

ican gunboats and Dutch gunboats and what not about now to make it comfortable or healthy. No,

rently slim accommodations it was a wonder to the boys where he pu

business. You boys want

rank, "but we don't want to ma

Mr. Barr, "however, you needn't worry about this money-th

ish us to do?"

rival trader, an Arab named Muley-Hassan. We know where he's hidden it and we know, too, that he won't dare to bring it out till he thinks that we aren't watching him. Now the time is ri

ed to be about to collapse. Lathrop too looked ill and a

rd, too, that you was planning a little trip to Africa an

able. How he obtained it, the boys never learned exactly, but they heard later that

zigzagging across the map to the range and terminating in a red star-"right at that thar point, old Muley-Hassan, the Arab, has hidden our ivory cache. You see the latitude and longitude is marked and furthermore-and here's the most remarkable p

r had made on them, yet what he was disclosing was impressive; but as yet

Frank, as the old mat

stole it and it's up to you to get it

depend on us?

g toward locating the ivory. You can pitch a camp there and scout a

rab's hiding-place, what good

replied the wrinkled old ivory dealer, "but we can make no move till the cave is located. If they suspected we were after it,

was far too shrewd to insist on a decision then and there, and so he left the hotel with the boys' promise to consider the matter carefully. As for Frank and Harry, they had pretty well made up

nk?" he asked anxiou

y, noticing the almost painful anxiety, with which

, as he tried to steady it, "if that ivory isn't fou

garded Mr. Beasley-as indeed did his friends in genera

stock deals. The only hope he has of paying his debts is the realization of the profits he could have made on the ivory. Its theft was a bitter blow to him, not

slike to the crafty old ivory merchant and had made up their minds not to enter in

he two boys withdrew to another room to talk the matter over

his father and the two had waited in painfu

rly as the two boys with gr

h a smile, "I guess we'

sley and his son, as in shaky voices th

e to Bellman's island you remember and saved us-now, we'll save you and your father, if we can-ho

by cable in eight weeks I can ke

ank, "that's not an

Frank?" asked

as we know how," wa

take me along?"

ur father's representativ