The Flying Saucer Mystery Read online

  Now it was Nancy and Ned’s turn to relate their adventure. The doctors and scientists laughed.

  Mr. Drew chuckled also. “I like the part where you two couldn’t talk, but were able to communicate by thought waves. From now on I’ll have to be careful what I think!”

  “That’s right, Dad,” Nancy said with a mischievous wink.

  Early next morning Nancy was awakened by a barking dog. That sounds like Trixie, she told herself, and jumped out of her sleeping bag. She slipped on her jeans over her pajamas and went outside.

  George joined her as Trixie bounded into camp and rushed up to the girls.

  “Trixie has a note tied to the rope around her neck!” George exlaimed.

  Quickly she removed the message and opened it for her and Nancy to read.

  14

  A Valuable Clue

  The two girls read the note aloud. It had been signed by Old Joe.

  Dear Nancy and Friends,

  I am still amazed by your finding the stone pyramid. It was a valuable clue. I went to the brook myself; below the waterline I found a marker, and to my amazement my father’s initials were on it.

  George exclaimed, “How wonderful!” She and Nancy read on:There was also an arrow on the marker. I followed its direction for some distance, then I injured my foot.

  “What a shame!” Nancy remarked. “I hope it’s not bad. Well, let’s see what else Old Joe has written.”

  The note continued:I knew I had to give up the search. It was only with great difficulty that I got back to my cabin. Now I have a favor to ask of you: Would you young people like to take up the search?

  Nancy and George looked at each other, then grinned. George said, “Would we!”

  “It’s an exciting challenge,” Nancy admitted, but added, “You know that we won’t be able to go immediately.”

  “Why not?” George asked, eager to take up the hunt.

  Nancy reminded her that more scientists were arriving and would probably want to ask questions of the campers, especially Nancy and Ned. “I think I should stay here.”

  George agreed. “Have you any idea when the rest of the experts are coming?”

  Nancy shook her head no. “I’m sure it’ll be soon. In the meantime, I ought to get some paper and a pencil and answer Old Joe.”

  In her reply she said that the young sleuths would do their best to find out where the arrow led.

  Then she added:But I will have to wait at camp a little while before starting. Some scientists are coming here to examine Dismal Swamp. Ned and I discovered it was scorched, apparently by the flying saucer. Incidentally, I’m sorry to say that the ship took off again.

  She explained briefly what had happened to her and Ned and how Shoso had put restorative leaves in their mouths.

  Old Joe, do you have any idea what those leaves are?

  She signed the note, attached it to the dog’s rope collar, and said, “Trixie, take this back to your master.” The dog bounded off.

  Soon afterward the other campers were awake. Nancy showed the note to Bess and Jan.

  “Oh! The poor man!” Bess said. “I’d like to help him. Would somebody go over to his cabin with me?”

  Jan offered to accompany her. “I’ll pack some medical supplies and see what I can do to relieve Old Joe’s pain.”

  For a few minutes Jan and the girls discussed whether they should ask one of the visiting doctors to go along.

  “They would probably prefer to wait for the rest of the scientists to investigate Dismal Swamp together,” Nancy said.

  As Bess and Jan gathered supplies, the young detective asked her father to take a walk with her. When they were out of hearing range of the other campers, he asked, “What’s on your mind, dear?”

  “I was wondering if we should notify the FBI or another top-secret agency about the flying saucer. I have a strong hunch the ship will come back. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the U.S. could capture it?”

  Mr. Drew stared at his daughter, then grinned. “It’s a great idea but a big order. We don’t know if the saucer is from outer space, or the property of some rival country that’s spying on us. In any case, I’ll ride into town and make some phone calls.”

  He and Nancy walked back to camp. They learned that Bess had packed some food for Old Joe. As soon as breakfast was over, she and Jan set off for the naturalist’s cabin.

  On the way Shoso suddenly appeared. He was muttering unintelligibly. Was he trying to tell them something?

  Jan said, “I have an idea he’s speaking his Indian dialect. It’s so strange because, as you know, there are no Indians in this vicinity anymore.”

  “Maybe he’s a wanderer,” Bess suggested.

  “But Indians usually stay in bands or tribes,” Jan countered.

  Shoso was gesticulating with his arms, and finally motioned the two campers to follow him.

  “Shall we do it?” Bess asked her companion.

  “Oh, sure. Why not?” Jan replied. “Besides, I’m curious to find out where he wants to take us.”

  Shoso seemed to know every inch of the forest. To their surprise he led them to Old Joe’s cabin by a completely different route.

  “It’s about half the distance,” Jan remarked. “I hope we can find our way back to camp the same way.”

  The Indian dropped behind Jan and Bess. Before they could turn to thank him he had, as usual, disappeared.

  Bess remarked dreamily, “If I hadn’t seen Shoso in person, I’d think he’s a spirit. He appears and vanishes so fast, it’s like magic.”

  Jan laughed and said that was a good description of the Indian. They now approached the open cabin door and called inside.

  “Come in!” Old Joe responded.

  He was sitting up in bed with a huge bandage wrapped around his injured foot.

  “Hello,” he said. “Isn’t this a great way for a forest dweller to treat himself? And I’d just started on an exciting hunt to solve my mystery.”

  Bess smiled and shook hands with him. “Everybody has an accident once in a while,” she said soothingly.

  Jan told him she was a nurse. “What have you been doing for yourself, Old Joe?”

  “Don’t you girls smell what’s cooking in my fireplace?”

  Jan and Bess nodded. The delicious aroma of pine filled the room. Jan peered into the pot where a combination of pine bark, sap from the tree, and crushed pine needles was brewing. It had cooked down to a thick, jellylike consistency. Old Joe said he had put this mixture on his foot and ankle, then bandaged the whole thing.

  Jan smiled. “I couldn’t have done better myself. Pine is one of the most healing remedies that exist. I remember an old saying—if anything ails you, go into the forest and lie on a bed of pine needles. It will cure colds or any other type of respiratory disorder. Moreover, it will pep up circulation, and this in turn can cure almost any type of illness a person has except, of course, broken bones.”

  The naturalist bobbed his head. “I learned the same thing from my father. And let me tell you, it works.”

  Old Joe brought up Nancy’s note. “Please tell Nancy that I don’t know what kind of leaves Shoso gave her and Ned. But if you see the Indian ask him to show you where he got the leaves, and give a few to the doctors to analyze.”

  Bess and Jan prepared the food they had brought and Old Joe accepted it gratefully. When he’d almost finished eating, he called to Trixie.

  With a twinkle in his eye, Old Joe said to his visitors, “Don’t you think she deserves a little of this good food for doing my errand so promptly?”

  “We sure do,” Bess agreed. The dog lapped up the remains of the canned beef and wagged her tail in appreciation.

  The callers said good-bye and started for camp. Bess and Jan followed the trail which Shoso had shown them. Halfway along they saw the Indian again. He stood before them, arms crossed. First Jan, then Bess, asked him about the restorative leaves. What plant or tree did they come from and could he give them some more? Shoso stare
d at them blankly. He didn’t understand a word.

  “I’ll try sign language,” Bess said hopefully and started a little pantomime for him to watch.

  First she raised her arms then flapped them to show that something was coming down from the sky.

  She said to Jan, “I hope Shoso won’t think that it’s a bird. But how do I indicate a flying saucer descending?”

  “I haven’t the faintest idea,” Jan replied.

  The Indian watched Bess very carefully as she lay down on the ground and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

  Jan caught on to the little act. She pulled a leaf off a nearby aspen tree and put it in Bess’s mouth. The girl chewed it and opened her eyes. She stood up and looked hopefully at Shoso. If only she could get her urgent message across!

  Apparently the Indian understood. He nodded and picked several of the same leaves. Then Shoso gave Bess a faint smile and hurried off through the forest.

  Jan remarked, “You’re quite an actress, Bess. He caught on fast.”

  “I only hope my message was clear to him,” the pantomimist replied. Then she giggled. “Imagine playing charades out here in the forest with an Indian who doesn’t speak a word of English!”

  Jan grinned. “There’s always a first time for everything.”

  Bess laughed, then she and Jan continued their ride. As they neared their campsite, they heard the loud noise of a helicopter. They looked up but saw nothing. Reining in, they paused to listen and kept their eyes skyward.

  “I wonder if the pilot’s trying to find us,” Jan said. “That certainly would be difficult in this dense forest.”

  “You mean,” Bess asked, “that if he’s trying to locate us, he’ll land at the foot of the mountain and walk or ride up here to talk to us?”

  “Probably,” Jan replied.

  “What do you suppose he wants?” Bess asked.

  “Listen!” Jan ordered suddenly. “The copter sounds as if it’s in trouble.”

  “Oh, I hope not,” Bess gasped in fright as the engine sputtered, died, then caught again. Within seconds it repeated the worrisome sound. “It would be dreadful for that poor pilot to crash in the forest!”

  15

  Lab in the Forest

  The helicopter continued to make strange, faltering noises over the camp. Everyone on the ground was afraid it would crash on top of them.

  “Why doesn’t the pilot try to fly away? Surely he must see us,” George complained.

  Burt said, “Maybe I can communicate with the pilot by walkie-talkie.” He tried to tune in but had no success. “The pilot can’t pick up our wavelength, I guess,” he said. “Too bad.”

  The craft dipped and rose, made a large sweeping circle, then flew back over the camp. Again Burt attempted to make contact. Finally he managed to get a faint response. “Come in whoever you are.

  “I think I have him!” Burt exclaimed. He yelled into the speaker, “Standing by in the forest below. Are you in trouble? Over.”

  “No, but I’m glad I contacted you. We have permission to land in the forest, but can’t find a place. Any suggestions?”

  Nancy, who had been listening, now spoke up. “Ask them how much room the copter needs.”

  “Not much,” the pilot answered when Burt questioned him. “If we send tools down, can you cut some small trees to make space for us?”

  Burt consulted the other boys and the scientists in the group.

  “We can do it, but it won’t be too smooth,” Ned warned.

  Burt relayed this to the pilot who said he would manage. “I’ll make sure we avoid any leftover tree stumps.”

  Ned and the men gathered in a small clearing between clumps of trees and bushes. The copter hung overhead and lowered bags on a rope cable. After several of them had reached the ground, the cable was pulled up. The copter circled again.

  The bags were opened and axes, saws, and other equipment taken out. The men divided into teams to tackle the saplings.

  “Can’t we girls do something?” Nancy asked.

  Mr. Drew suggested that they pull up the bushes while the men worked on the trees. Soon the stillness of the forest was broken by the chopping sound of axes, the crash of small trees, and the buzz of saws as stumps were cut to the ground.

  Whenever a heavier sapling needed to be removed, the men sliced off the branches for the girls to lug away, then either dragged the trunks beyond the immediate area or quickly sawed them into lengths that were easier to carry. Within a short time a landing area was ready for the copter.

  As soon as it settled down, men poured from the doorway. First they introduced themselves to Mr. Drew, who in turn presented Jan, Hal, and all the young people.

  Among the new arrivals were a botanist, a zoologist, three chemists, and two aerospace experts.

  “This copter is not a standard model,” said Dr. Halpern, one of the chemists. “It’s really a flying lab. We wanted to park it as close to Dismal Swamp as possible.”

  Dave remarked, “I guess you don’t often land in a forest.”

  “That’s for sure.” Dr. Halpern nodded, smiling. “What we have ahead of us are perhaps the most unusual experiments we’ve ever undertaken.”

  The men brought their own camping equipment and set up near their lab. When they finished, Dr. Halpern asked Nancy and Ned to tell them about their amazing adventure, including their dreams. The couple took turns filling in the details.

  When they mentioned the effect of the restorative leaves that Shoso had fed them, Bess spoke up. “He’s bringing us more. At least I think so.”

  The scientists were intrigued. “We’ll analyze them,” Dr. Halpern said promptly.

  “I hope Shoso brings them soon.” Bess sighed.

  The newcomers were ready to go to Dismal Swamp. They brought masks and heavy gauntlets which they slung over their shoulders. A few carried trowels, others spades, and the rest, acid-proof bags. They borrowed available horses.

  To Nancy and the others who stayed behind it seemed like hours before the group returned, but in fact, they were not gone long. As soon as they reappeared, however, all but one of them went to their laboratory to analyze the scorched sod.

  One young man stopped long enough to say to Nancy, “You sure were right about the horrible odor from the swamp. I’m glad we had gas masks. I’ll take my dreams in more pleasant surroundings!” He hurried after his co-workers.

  The young sleuths, together with Mr. Drew, waited impatiently to hear the results of the tests. It was more than an hour later that the scientists rejoined the campers.

  Dr. Halpern said, “I assume all of you are eager to know what we found. Frankly we have divided opinions. Some of us think the swamp produced the acid. Others feel the UFO left the acid which may have scorched one area of the swamp.”

  Nancy asked, “Have you decided yet what the chemical is?”

  Dr. Halpern said that the scientists were still puzzled. “All I can tell you is that we’ve determined it is a strong, nonflammable acid, but very penetrating. One question is, if the flying saucer is responsible, did the acid come from some other planet?”

  Dr. York, another scientist, spoke up. “If it’s from Dismal Swamp itself, then we have quite a chemical mystery on our hands. To my knowledge, this acid is not found in such concentrated form anywhere else in the world.”

  The discussion turned to the possibility that the flying saucer sprayed the acid as it took off. Nancy and Ned reminded the men that they were overcome by the fumes before the saucer left.

  “That does complicate the matter,” Dr. Halpern admitted. “Well, we have many more experiments to make. I hope we come up with some definite answers soon.

  Dr. Caffrey, who arrived with Mr. Drew, told the other scientists that he had tested Nancy and Ned for contamination by radiation. “Thank goodness, I found no sign of it,” he declared.

  Dr. Halpern asked if Dr. Caffrey would mind repeating the radiation test. “I’d like to see how your machine operates.”
r />   As before, Nancy was given a clean bill of health. Ned was about to enter the tent where the test was being held, when he called out, “Do you expect sparks to fly from my head?”

  The others laughed. “Not only sparks,” Dave replied, “but a pair of antennas!”

  When Ned and the doctor failed to appear within a reasonable time, the campers became anxious. Had Dr. Caffrey found something this time?

  Nancy felt that she could not wait any longer for an answer and was ready to burst into the tent, when the pair emerged. Both were smiling.

  “Everything is okay,” Dr. Caffrey reported.

  “What took you so long?” Burt asked. “You had all of us worried.”

  “Sorry,” Ned replied. “We were talking about what might have happened to Nancy and me while we were unconscious.”

  Mr. Drew asked, “You have a new theory?”

  Ned wondered if possibly some creature in the flying saucer communicated with the couple while they were asleep.

  “How could he do that?” George asked.

  Ned answered, “Perhaps he hypnotized us—told us what he wanted us to think, see, and do.”

  Bess shivered a little. “You mean someone controlled your mind?”

  “I suppose it’s possible,” Ned replied.

  “Even—even to make you believe you died and went to heaven?” Bess queried.

  “Oh, sure,” Ned answered with a chuckle.

  By now Bess was absolutely terrified. “Do you realize that those weirdos may come back here and work on all of us?”

  When Ned nodded, trying to tease her, she said, “Oh, don’t say such things! You’ve scared me silly!”

  Dave felt sorry for her. He sat down next to Bess and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. Ned is only kidding you.”

  “Oh, yes?” Ned asked.

  Mr. Drew suggested they drop the subject in favor of preparing the evening meal. The newly arrived scientists went to their own quarters in the lab. The rest ate a delicious supper which Jan prepared. There was more conversation until about nine o’clock, when everyone started to yawn. Finally the campers went to bed.