“How’ll they know where to come?” asked Jimmie.
“Don’t you think that half the people in Quito don’t know where these wonders of the air lighted!” Bixby laughed. “The news went over the city like lightning when your planes showed. Your lights, of course, revealed your exact whereabouts to those on this side of the town, and telephones and messenger boys have done the rest.”
While the boys talked with this very welcome and friendly visitor, the clamor of an automobile was heard, and directly two great acetylene eyes left the highway and turned, bumping and swaying, into the field.
“There will be damages to pay for mussing up this grass!” Carl suggested, as a fresh crowd of sight-seers followed the machine into the enclosure.
“Of course,” replied Bixby, “and they’ll try to make you pay ten times what the damage really amounts to. But you leave all that to me. I can handle these fellows better than you can!”
“We shall be glad to have you do so!” Glenn replied.
In a moment the automobile ran up to the planes and stopped. Of the four men it contained, three alighted and approached Bixby.
“These are the guards,” the latter said turning to the boys.
The men, who seemed both willing and efficient, drew a long rope and several steel stakes from the automobile and began enclosing the machines with the same. As the rope was strung out, the constantly increasing crowd was pushed back beyond the circle.
“Won’t they make trouble for the guards during the night?” asked Ben.
“I think not,” was the reply. “I have already arranged for a number of native policemen to assist these men.”
“Gee!” exclaimed Carl, “I guess Mr. Havens picked out the right man!”
“How did he know we were going to stop at Quito?” asked Ben.
“He didn’t know!” replied Bixby. “But he surmised that you’d be obliged to land here in order to fill your fuel tanks.”
“Well, we didn’t come here for that purpose,” laughed Glenn. “We came here because the savages chased us out of a cute little valley about twenty miles away!”
“It’s a wonder you got away at all if they saw you!” said Bixby.
“I guess they didn’t seem to understand about our motors getting into the air!” laughed Jimmie. “The minute the wheel left the ground their war-cries ceased.”