And Andy went. He never knew whether he jumped purposely or lost his grip of that upright after the shock of the collision; but the next thing he realized he was straining himself with might and main to hold back the monoplane, already gliding along with sundry violent bumps, on the three bicycle wheels.
"Hurrah! What did I say?" cried Frank, as the aeroplane came to a complete standstill close to the other border of trees.
There was a frightened series of grunts close by and some big unwieldy animal went rushing away through the dense undergrowth, crashing along as though badly frightened at this queer thing that had dropped down from the sky.
"Wow! whatever was that, do you know, Frank?" cried the one on the ground.
"I don't know for sure, because I only had the least peep of something that looked like a small elephant making off," replied the other, also alighting.
Andy was already reaching for the repeating rifle, which had been securely fastened in the frame of the monoplane.
"But Frank, they don't have such things as elephants down in South America?" he expostulated.
"Sure they don't," laughed Frank, feeling particularly good over the grand success that had attended their perilous landing. "Nor a rhinocerous, nor a hippopotamus; but they do have the next largest beast, and that's a tapir. He's something like a big pig and not very dangerous, the señor said. That was what we frightened off just now, I reckon."
"Well, here we are on land again and mighty lucky to get down without some sort of a smash. Frank, you don't think anything was broken when we struck, do you?"
"Of course I can't say for sure, but I believe not. But all the same I must give a good look in the morning before we make another start," was the reply Frank returned.
"And now we're just got to stay here all night?" remarked Andy, who still held the gun in his hands.
"That isn't anything. We'll soon have a cheery blaze started that will keep the prowlers away, I guess. Get busy, Andy, and see what we can do. But we'll start it some distance away from our gasoline tank, remember."
"But won't they be apt to see a fire?" asked the other, as he reluctantly placed the rifle down and started to gathering wood, no easy task in the increasing darkness.