23
“Liza, take a look at this bush, I don’t recall that I have ever seen
this kind of flower…”
“Um…” Liza glanced at the bush but then scanned the sky, hoping to catch
site of a balloon. She sighed, they had not gone ten feet in an hour, Mary had
been finding all sorts of interesting plants. Liza scanned the horizon. The
basket and balloon were still in sight, on the flat of the hill beneath them.
“I wish I had brought a volume with Azores in it, but then again who
knew…”
“Mary!” Liza’s shout startled Mary, who nearly fell into the bush she was
admiring. “Mary!” Look, down at the bottom of the hill, it’s Will and a boy and
a cart, both pulling it. “
“Well, I guess it is time to get back then…” Mary said, making no move to
get up.
“No, girl! Get up, Moto is out ahead of them running. Even Grandfather
seems to be in a hurry behind them!”
Mary popped up and looked down at the bottom of the hill. “By George, I
think you’re right, they do seem animated.”
“Where is the Colonel? No doubt a sleep. We need to get the balloon up!
Come, if we run we’ll beat Moto and can get a head start!” Liza took off
running at top speed down the hill with Mary struggling behind her.
“Colonel! Colonel!” Liza yelled. Mary could see the Colonel pop up in the
basekt, bottle in hand, with an alarmed look on his face.
“Colonel! Start the burner!” Liza screamed, but the Colonel just looked
around confused.
It only took a minute for them to reach the basket. Mary grabbed the
basket and was heaving, but Liza seemed hardly phased at all and quickly jumped
in the basket.
“Out Colonel! Help Mary with the balloon, I have a bad feeling we need to
get out of here in a hurry!”
The Colonel continued to look dazed, so Mary, still recovering, reached
in and grabbed his arm.
“Step out sir!” She gasped, helping him tumble out of the basket.
“I say! What on earth is going on?”
“Well, Liza and I spied Moto running up the hill, he should be here
shortly. Will and the General are close behind. I dare say we’ve been
discovered or run into some other sort of trouble.”
“Mary! Grab the balloon and start to pull it up! Hurry!”
Mary and the Colonel set about finding and gathering up the end of the
balloon.
“I knew we should have just kept it up!” Liza said.
“The wind…” Mary said.
“Yes, you are right, of course, but having it down makes escape very
tedious!”
Just then Moto burst into view.
“Liza! Start the- nevermind, good going!” He smiled and made a running
jump into the basket. “Keep it going Liza, I’ll guide the balloon in!”
“What is it?”
“Will says we’ve been spotted! He and your grandfather are coming with a
cart of supplies.”
It took a few moments but eventually the balloon began to rise over the
burner. Just as it reached halfway Will and the Cart appeared.
“Liza, Mary, help unload!” Moto said. “Colonel you get in the basket and
help store the things as best you can!”
Will was too out of breath to talk, but began handing Liza and Mary
packets as they round-robined between the cart and the balloon. The boy who had
pulled the cart also shuttled packets. In moments they had everything on board.
“Will, what did you see?” Liza asked as they threw in the last of the
things.
“One of the men I remember from the house- he’s here. It means they’re
ahead of us, possibly. But he saw the balloon. They know. Boy, here-“ Will
thrust a packet of bank notes into the boys hands “Take off, but not down
again, hide, bad people come.”
The boy nodded solemnly and began to pull his cart around the side of the
hill, towards a large scattering of rocks.
“Where is your grandfather!?” Will asked, scanned the hill.
“I am right here” The General said as he ambled up the pathway. “Beastly
hill to climb and without the fortification fo a good glass of port either!”
“Look!” Mary said. “Men, a pack of them, coming up the hill. Can we lift
off Moto?”
“Not yet. It will be a close thing. Everyone in!” He shouted. Liza and
Will helped push Mary and then the General in. Then, in an awkward moment, Will
offered to help Liza in, who gave him a polite smiled and jumped in by herself.
Will looked surprised, but said nothing as he too, pulled himself in.
“They’re awfully close!” Mary said.
“Yes, too close...” Will said. “Liza, hand me that box, the small one
there.” He pointed to one of the small boxes from the inn.
“The used one Will” The General said calmly.
“Yes, good idea.” So will pulled out one of the hand guns and, shaking
loaded in some bullets.
“What on earth is that for!?” Liza asked.
“It’s a gun, we may need it-“
“Yes, I know a Browning when I see it, I mean, what do you intend to do
with it?”
“Buy us time. How much longer do we need Moto?”
“Another minute, but they will reach us before we can safely lift off.”
Will crouched down and aimed the pistol and waited.
“You are not seriously going to try and shoot at them? What if you hit
one?” Liza said, her voice sharp.
“It would be well deserved.” Will said. “Calm yourself girl, I am only
going to scare them.”
“Girl?!” Liza exploded.
“Hush Liza, get down, let Will do his thing.” The general said in a
commanding voice. Liza, still fuming, sat down.
The men, there were five of them were within a hundred feet.
“Get out!” one of them yelled in a
thick accent.
“Now Will” Moto said quietly.
“Wait”
The men drew even closer.
“Will…” Moto said, now sounding nervous.
“Can we go?” Will asked. Moto looked up at the still inflating balloon.
“I need 60 seconds…”
The men were 50 feet away. Pow! A spray of dirt flew up in front of them
and they stopped.
“Stay back!” Will yelled. The men stopped, one stepped forward a few
feet. Pow! Another spray of dirt.
“Next time I aim to hit!” Will yelled.
“Will!” Mary yelled as she dove for the floor. “The man has a gun!” Sure
enough one of the five drew a revolver out of his coat. Just then the basket lurched
and began to rapidly ascend. The ground fell beneath them and then a load
sound, like a pop. The man on the ground had fired, but they continued to rise
and they were soon out of range. Soon the figures below were like ants and the
Azores began to come into view as islands.
“Well!” Liza said. “That was close! You almost got us killed!” She turned
to Will, who smiled weakly as he put the gun back into the box.
“Well, perhaps.”
Just then Mary, who had been quiet, fell onto Will like a dead weight.
Liza gasped as a spreading red circle appeared on Mary’s shoulder…
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