At the head and
foot of each were various dust covered receptacles and utensils.
The afternoon was too short for the boys to accomplish the removal
of anything.
"I feel like a grave robber," panted Alan, soberly, as the two boys
clambered out into the fresh air, finding, to their surprise, that
it was already night.
"Well, I don't," said Ned. "These things are so old that they seem
to belong to Time itself. I feel more like a gold miner who has at
last struck a rich vein--and it's our vein."
But, as so often happens, ill luck came close on good fortune. The
first glance of the young aeronauts at the camp and the Cibola was
enough to chill their new happiness. The big gas bag had settled so
low that it half concealed the car, which was resting flat on the
ground. The buoyancy of the air ship was gone. Without more gas
the Cibola could not make another flight. It was a severe blow to
Ned and Alan; but they met the issue squarely.
"There is no use in worrying," said Ned, finally, when they realized
the exact situation, "and we've got to make the best of it.
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